Valpo Football Welcomes Midyear Transfers
The Valparaiso University football program has announced the addition of seven midyear transfers who have joined the program for the 2026 Spring Semester. Additional midyear transfers are expected to be announced when his paperwork is finalized, plus several midyear freshmen will be announced soon. In addition, the Valpo football family will continue to grow next week as the program will announce its National Signing Day class.
Noah Elrich, QB, 6-1, 210, Crown Point, Ind. (Crown Point [Miami])
Noah Elrich returns to Northwest Indiana after spending his true freshman season in a Division-I FBS program at Miami of the Mid-American Conference, redshirting the 2025 campaign.
A four-year letter winner and team captain in high school, Elrich was named the 2025 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. He earned junior all-state and senior all-state status and was the Duneland Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player as both a junior and senior. A first-team all-conference honoree, Elrich owns single-season school records for completions (150), yards (2,236), touchdowns (37) and completion percentage.
A three-star by 247Sports, Elrich threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns in just two quarters while going 19-of-25 through the air in a game against Lake Central his junior year. He also played four years of varsity baseball and three years of varsity basketball for the Bulldogs. Elrich, who has lived in three states, enjoys playing guitar, wakeboarding and snowboarding.
“Noah is a huge get for us because of the quality of player that he was in high school and his connection to the area,” Valpo head coach Andy Waddle said. “He’s a good student. He’s someone who we are excited about and we look forward to seeing him this spring.”
Daniel White, WR, 5-11, 180, Country Club Hills, Ill. (Brother Rice [Carroll])
Daniel White played in five games and made 12 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman at Division-III Carroll University in Wisconsin this past season.
White’s older brother Cameron played at Eastern Illinois and his younger brother Emeir, currently a high school senior, is signed to continue his football career at South Dakota State. A two-year varsity letter winner, White had a 100-yard receiving game against Loyola Academy in 2024. He also competed in four years of track & field.
White, who intends to major in sports management, enjoys making TikToks in his spare time. He will reunite with his former high school teammates Marcus and Donovan Brown at Valpo.
“Daniel is another local guy and he comes in with some college game experience,” Waddle said. “He should be able to help our position group at wide receiver.”
Hayden Hourany, DL/LS, 6-2, 230, Tucson, Ariz. (Belton [Aurora])
Hayden Hourany began his collegiate career by spending the last two seasons at Division-III Aurora University in Aurora, Ill. He played all 22 games over his two seasons with the Spartans, totaling 35 tackles including five tackles for loss and two sacks. He played both defensive line and long snapper at Aurora and is expected to primarily handle long-snapping duties for the Beacons.
“After losing both of our long snappers after last season, this is a good get for us,” Waddle said. “Hayden can be a good snapper and do a good job of covering down the field.”
Jonathan Harris, DB, 5-10, 190, Indianapolis, Ind. (Park Tudor [Chattanooga])
Jonathan Harris spent two seasons at NAIA Taylor University in 2023 and 2024, playing in a combined 22 games while totaling 45 tackles and recording 11 pass breakups plus one interception. He was a member of the program at Division-I FCS Chattanooga this past season.
A two-year varsity letter winner in high school, Harris earned all-county and all-state honorable mention. He plans to pursue an exercise science degree at Valpo, and in his spare time he enjoys playing video games. Harris will join forces with his brother Nathan, who was a freshman for the Beacons this past season. Their older brother William plays football at Wabash.
“We had a good idea of what we were getting from a family standpoint because of Nate’s background here,” Waddle said. “He is athletically gifted and can definitely push people in the defensive backfield. He can compete right away.”
Isaac Tran, WR, 6-1, 190, Bothell, Wash. (Bothell [University of Puget Sound])
Isaac Tran had 84 receptions for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games at Division-III Puget Sound as a junior in 2025 including a season-high 176 receiving yards on Nov. 15 at Whitworth. He began his collegiate career at Willamette University.
Tran earned second team all-conference honors at Puget Sound in 2025. In high school, he earned three varsity letters and was also an all-conference defender in lacrosse. A communication major, Tran enjoys hiking and photography.
“The level of production that Isaac was able to put forth at the Division-III level shows what he is capable of doing,” Waddle said. “He is going to be able to make an impact on our wide receiver room.”
Kojo Totimeh, DL, 6-5, 245, Philadelphia, Pa. (Cardinal O’Hara [Alvernia University])
Kojo Totimeh played in 17 games at Division-III Alvernia, totaling 29 tackles including 3.5 sacks over two seasons. The Philadelphia native is pursuing a computer science degree. He was a four-year varsity letter winner in high school. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, listening to music and used to play the guitar.
“Kojo is a really big young man with a huge frame,” Waddle said. “He is already 6-5, 245-250 and has the ability to continue to gain some weight. He’s still developing as a defensive lineman, but we’re excited to see what he can do out there in spring practice as he gets in the weight room full time. He could be a diamond in the rough.”
Dylan Knezevich, DL, 6-0, 275, Schererville, Ind. (Wheeler [Ave Maria])
A Northwest Indiana native, Dylan Knezevich returns to the Region after spending his freshman season at NAIA Ave Maria.
Knezevich played in five games and had 10 tackles including 1.5 sacks in 2025. He was all-conference, all-region and honorable mention all-state while helping Wheeler to a conference championship in 2024. He totaled 67 tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior for the Bearcats after beginning his prep career at Lake Central.
“Dylan was able to get college playing time as a freshman,” Waddle said. “He’s a big body who can play the nose guard position. He’s a piece that we’re excited about.”
