Charlie Becker went from hardly playing to becoming one of Indiana football’s top receivers and even earning a nickname on national TV in the 2025 season.
The former Father Ryan star is expected to play in key role in No. 1 Indiana’s quest to win its first national championship when the Hoosiers meet Miami on Jan. 19 (6:30 p.m CT, ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Becker, a lanky 6-foot-4, sophomore, has become a fan favorite by making big catches at key times in several of the Hoosier’s biggest wins down the stretch of the season.
Becker’s breakout season is one of the reasons Indiana (15-0) is a substantial favorite over the Hurricanes (13-2).
Here is everything you need to know about Indiana football’s Charlie Becker:
Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, Charlie Becker are roommates
Once Charlie Becker got onto the field it did not take long for him to build a chemistry with Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, perhaps because they’re roommates.
After Becker’s 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter against then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, which cinched a 13-10 win for the Hoosiers, Mendoza talked about his close relationship with Becker on ESPN.
“Every single day in summer we would always throw it before practice and at 7 a.m. on Sundays. Doing spots, doing routes,” Mendoza said. “Now you see it’s come into fruition. He’s my roommate and I could not be happier for a young man.”
Charlie Becker’s role emerged after teammate’s injury
After playing primarily on special teams through his first season and a half at Indiana, Charlie Becker found himself in a much bigger role when starting wide receiver Elijah Sarratt went down with a hamstring injury in late October.
Through the first seven games of the 2025 season Becker had a total of four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Since then Becker has 26 catches for 544 yards and three touchdowns. He is now the Hoosiers’ third-leading receiver behind Sarratt and has the highest average yards per catch at 20.5.
Becker has four catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ two CFP games.
How Charlie Becker became ‘Charlie B from Nashville, Tennessee’
Fittingly, after bursting onto the scene for Indiana on the Hoosiers’ way to posting an undefeated regular season, Charlie Becker earned a nickname.
The always enthusiastic FOX Sports personality Gus Johnson tabbed Becker “Charlie B from Nashville Tennessee.” It stuck. The catchphrase went viral as Indiana continued to make big news on its wat to earning a berth in the national championship game.
Charlie Becker was a high school track star
Charlie Becker’s two greatest assets are his extraordinary pass catching ability and his speed.
As a high school senior he was the TSSAA Division II-AA 110-meter high hurdles state champion in 14.51 seconds and 300 low hurdles in 38.89 seconds. He also was part of the winning 4×400 relay team.
Becker’s high school football coach Brian Rector said he clocked Becker consistently at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and as low as 4.2 at times.
Who recruited Indiana football WR Charlie Becker?
Charlie Becker was a consensus three-star recruit and the No. 26 overall prospect in Tennessee in the 247Sports Composite as a high school senior.
Indiana was one of the few Power Four teams that recruited Becker. Vanderbilt also offered him a scholarship along with Ole Miss, Iowa, and Northwestern among Power Fours and then Appalachian State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis, UAB and Eastern Kentucky.
Charlie Becker comes from football family
Charlie Becker’s father David played three seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a catcher before enrolling at Ohio State where he played linebacker on the football team for one season (1995). David had been an all-state linebacker at Cincinnati Elder High School.
Two of David Becker’s teammates at Ohio State were former Tennessee Titans coach and current New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, and former Titans All-Pro running back Eddie George, who won the Heisman Trophy that season.
Charlie Becker’s older brother Cole was an all-state linebacker at Father Ryan, who led the team in tackles three straight seasons. He went on to play at Appalachian State.
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