‘One More Ride’ – Fisher Back and Ready to Lead
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Aiden Fisher has more to do, for himself, for the Indiana football team, for a promising future.
NFL opportunity must wait.
The senior All-Big Ten linebacker stands at a Memorial Stadium team room podium, asked why he chose to return rather than prepare for next month’s NFL Draft.
“I feel I left a lot out on the field -- stats, plays, moments with my teammates,” he says. “That’s something I’m not ready to give up yet.”
Fisher is three months removed from helping lead the Hoosiers to a program-record 11-2 season, including most single-season victories and a first-ever College Football Playoff berth. But losses at No. 2 Ohio State (38-15) near the end of the regular season and then at No. 7 Notre Dame (27-17) in the playoffs opening round fueled his decision.
Against the Irish, IU fell behind 27-3 while allowing 193 rushing yards, more than double its season average. It also gave up 201 passing yards.
“The Notre Dame game left a sour taste in my mouth,” Fisher says. “I wasn’t ready to go, especially on that note. I’ll give it one more ride and see where it takes us.”
Once a zero-star Virginia high school recruit, Fisher emerged as an all-conference player at James Madison before transferring to IU, where he led the team with 118 tackles last year while earning All-Big Ten honors. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and three quarterback hurries. He was the leader of a dominating defense.
In his final college season, Fisher wants more.
“Now it’s all about improvement,” he says. “There are a lot of things I want to work on as a player -- pass coverage, pass rush, run defense. I want to keep improving, work on any weaknesses I have, and make them strengths.”
Fisher hits hard and often. He plays with intensity only the fiercest of competitors possess, directs with insight honed by obsessive film study. He perseveres through faith, through effort, through commitment. He’s overcome the death of his father in 2014 and his stepfather in 2019. He wears No. 4 to honor his mother and two sisters who share those tragedies, to celebrate them, to show how much he appreciates their impact on him.
“It’s hard to put into words how important he’s been,” IU defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has said. “He’s my mouthpiece to the guys on the field. He’s the unquestioned leader.”
Fisher’s preparation goes beyond conditioning, weightlifting, and film watching. He utilizes Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy of continuous, gradual improvement that includes principles such as focusing on the process and efficient use of time, effort, and resources. It ties in with head coach Curt Cignetti’s emphasis on constant improvement.
“Coach Cig and I talked about it, that if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” he says. “I want to make sure I’m getting better. My goals are written on my mirror at home. When I get up, that’s the first thing I see. I want to make sure I’m getting closer to those goals because other people will be getting closer to theirs.
“Make sure I’m working hard, representing my family and the Man upstairs right. Make sure I’m improving every day.”
Cignetti measures Fisher’s progress in leadership as much as on-field production.
“Those kinds of guys have been leading all along. That part of it is a little bit of a continuum. Success is not a continuum, but leadership is. He's been leading the team throughout last fall and the offseason and the winter workouts.
“This spring, No. 1, we want to get him off the field healthy. He's been nicked up a little bit in the fall, in previous falls, and he wants to get his body in as good a shape as possible so he's ready to play in the fall.
“For him this spring, it's important to get some reps and stay sharp, but probably the priority at linebacker is to develop depth there and figure out who our other guys are and keep him healthy and ready to go in the fall.”
Fisher was part of a defense last year that led the nation in rushing yards allowed (81.2 yards per game). IU allowed only 15.6 points and 257.2 yards per game.
The goal is to match if not surpass that this season, Fisher says.
“A lot of details go into that, from going into the weight room, the film room, practice. A lot of new faces need to learn quickly. We have to make sure everyone knows what that standard is -- we want to be the No. 1 defense in the country, year in and year out. That means running to the ball, over communicating to the point the coach has to tell you, ‘That’s a little too much.’ We need to get to that point. Be clean and organized in everything you do, from notes to film to getting on the field.”
Fisher has thrived for three seasons in Haines’ aggressive, attacking system. He knows it well enough to serve as a player coach.
“I feel extremely familiar and comfortable with this defense,” he says. “The best thing about it is that it’s always growing. There are always new things, always something new going in to make this defense even more dynamic.”
Fisher says he and Haines, a Broyles Award semifinalist for the last two seasons as one of the nation’s best assistant coaches, sometimes watch film on other teams to get defensive ideas.
“It’s like, if we like that, we’ll say, let’s put that in. If we don’t like it, don’t put it in.
“Being in this defense so long, it helps me help the coaches. Guys don’t have to run up to the coach and ask, what do I do here? They can come to me. I can help them. It’s been good to grow in this defense, grow with Coach Haines and Coach Cig. I’m blessed to be here and to be able to do that.”
IU must replace standout linebacker Jailin Walker, who is preparing for the NFL Draft after an outstanding final season. He ranked second on the team in tackles (82) and tackles for loss (10).
“Replacing him won’t be easy with how special a player he is,” Fisher says. “I’m super excited for him (in the upcoming draft).”
Returning linebackers include Isaiah Jones (42 tackles, 3.5 for loss) and Rolijah Hardy (22 tackles, 5.5 for loss).
“Ro Hardy played a lot of football for us last season,” Cignetti says. “When we went to our trio package, which was a three-linebacker set, Isaiah was the first guy in the first half of the season. The last half, it was Ro. So, you’ve got two guys who have played a lot of football. Then we've got some young ones behind them that we're going to see how they develop.”
Fisher mentions redshirt freshman Quentin Clark and true freshman PJ Nelson as promising candidates for playing time.
“There are a lot of names you can throw around,” Fisher says. “The thought right now is growing and development. See who meshes well together. They’ve all done a great job on the field and in the film room. They’re taking the right approach to it. We’ll be able to get that production at the Will position again.”
As far as all the newcomers, Fisher adds, “They need to know the standard and how hard it is to get to the level to be successful. I want to make sure I’m setting the tone right and they know what it takes a lot. It’s having fun on the way there. You have to stay dedicated to it.”
There is, you see, always more to do.