Indiana football defensive lineman CJ West put on a show at the 2025 NFL Combine this past week.
His 4.95 40-yard dash made him the ninth defensive tackle since 2003 to run sub-five while weighing more than 315 pounds. West put on an all-around strong performance which led to him meeting with most of the league during the week.
After a stellar four-year collegiate career with Kent State, West finished his career with Indiana football and was a huge part of the Hoosiers’ 2024 success.
West played in all 13 games recording 40 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks with a forced fumble.
While West is a monster on the field, he describes himself as a “teddy bear” outside the lines.
“A lot of people say that I’m a big teddy bear off the field but when I get on the field I’m a monster. I guess that might be true, I’m a really nice guy but when I put the helmet on, I step between the white lines I’m mean. It’s different, that switch flips,” West said during the NFL Combine.
He has described himself as a violent player, but that’s part of the position.
Playing defensive tackle can be a thankless position.
Whether he is fighting double-teams or simply filling a gap, the stats may not show the impact West and other defensive tackles are making, but he isn’t concerned with that.
“I’m a person who’s just going to continue to work no matter what the situation is,” West said. “The more attention I may get that doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m just gonna continue to work and do what I do.”
West understands that he doesn’t have the five-star label that many of his competition boasts. He also knows that Indiana football and Kent State are not known for producing NFL talent, but he doesn’t care.
West just wants to let the work he puts in speak for itself.
“I’m going to outwork you and that’s my goal every time. My work is going to prove and show what I can do,” West said.
West gets that mentality from his mother who has shown him perseverance in the face of all odds.
In 2022 while he was playing at Kent State, West’s childhood home burned to the ground.
“It was really tough just seeing my mom struggle and not me really being there to help with that situation. All in all, we came out very resilient. My mom is a very hardworking person. No matter what she’s not going to let anything take her down so she’s going to keep going and keep rolling,” West said.
“That’s where I get my motivation from. That’s where I get my work ethic from as well. She just continues going no matter what the situation is.”
West has dealt with challenges that many can’t even imagine and has pushed through them all.
His mentality of outworking everybody is what made Indiana football an appealing destination when he entered the transfer portal.
“We all have been underdogs most of our life. We all kind of had the underdog mindset and have proven everybody wrong. When I walked into the weight room for the first time, I’m like ‘man all of these guys are just like me,’ ” West said about Indiana football.
“They didn’t really care about stars, they didn’t care about all the flashy stuff, they just care about working and just going to prove everybody wrong. I was like ‘This is going to be a special group, they’re just like me.'”
No one could have predicted the success Indiana would have outside of the guys inside the locker room.
The mentality of the team was a key factor as the entire program felt disrespected and hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
West especially believed in Curt Cignetti and the way he runs his program which helped make his decision even easier.
“I fell in love with the program, [Cignetti’s] culture, just the way he kind of ran things coming out of the portal,” West said. “I felt like Indiana was the right choice for me.”
Indiana football proved to be another stepping stone for West on his path to his NFL dream.
West teammates have praised him throughout his time at Indiana football, but recently it was former opponent turned teammate Kurtis Rourke who praised him.
“I actually played against him when he was at Kent State and I was at Ohio. I was much happier to be on the same team as him because he hits hard,” Kurtis Rourke said at the NFL Combine. “He’s a hard worker. It’s awesome to be able to see him succeed at the bowl games and when he ran yesterday and did drills. I’m really happy for him and know that he’s going to be an impact player when he gets to the next level.”
West got the better of Rourke winning two of their three matchups during their time in the MAC. He totaled eight tackles in those games.
While his hard work has gotten him this far and he recognizes that the job is still not done, West is grateful to be where he is now as he continues to work to hear his name called in April NFL.
“It’s a dream come true. I never thought younger me would be sitting on this podium right now walking into the NFL combine,” West said.
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