DES MOINES, Iowa – Former Carson-Newman running back and All-American Antonio Wimbush has signed a professional football contract in the Indoor Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers.
Wimbush is the first Carson-Newman football player to ever sign with the IFL. He becomes the first player to join an arena/indoor league since Robby Ignagni and Oliver Davis signed with the Cleveland Gladiators of the AFL in 2015 and 2013, respectively.
The Kingsland, Ga.-native becomes the 76th Carson-Newman football alum to join a professional organization.
Wimbush is the third member of Carson-Newman's 4,000-yard rushing club. He finished his career third all-time in rushing yards with 4,003. Wimbush had 17, 100-yard rushing performances for his career, good enough for second on the all-time list. Wimbush is the sixth player in program history with 40 career rushing touchdowns. He had 41 in his career. His senior season, he tallied 1,123 yards rushing on 150 carries and 11 touchdowns. He is the sixth player in Carson-Newman history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, joining the likes of Kenneth Tyson, Robert Thomas, Tyrone Westmoreland, Brandon Baker and Nate Inman.
In his redshirt junior season, Antonio Wimbush received national recognition for his efforts to return to the field from a torn ACL and meniscus. Wimbush has was named one of three inaugural winners of the Mayo Clinic's Comeback Player of the Year. Wimbush shares the honor with Antwan Dixon of Kent State University and Seth Simmer of Dartmouth College. Dixon and Simmer were selected in a vote of AP College Football Writers, while Wimbush was chosen by vote of the CoSIDA small college advisory board. Wimbush tore his ACL and meniscus in a week two contest in 2017 against Saint Augustine's. The junior was bullish in the offseason with his rehab and work ethic. Within six months of his surgery, he was squatting 525 pounds. Former Carson-Newman Director of Sports Performance Johnny Long has called Wimbush, pound-for-pound, the strongest player on the football team.
Wimbush was a three-time first-team All-SAC choice, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a Don Hansen All-American and a Harlon Hill Trophy nominee.
