‘Surreal Ride’ - Fisher Enters 2025 with Big Picture Mindset
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The big picture called to Aiden Fisher, and, boy, did this standout Indiana linebacker answer. It wasn’t about the opportunity with the upcoming football season, not about the accolades that include All-America status, not the glory that came from helping the Hoosiers reach unprecedented on-field success last season.
It was far bigger than that.
A Twitter tag over the summer revealed a family’s devasting loss -- a mother gone from cancer. Fisher knows such family heartbreak. Knows it twice, in fact, from a father and a stepfather taken by cancer.
Fisher didn’t know the family, but that didn’t matter. He reached out to them, sent the two young boys signed helmets and other items, offered help if needed. Fisher has received much and is determined to give more.
“My purpose is to use my platform to help people,” he says.
Fisher finds positive in loss, gains strength from adversity. This, in so many ways, is why he excels, why he thrives when challenges come, because they always come. You win, not just with talent, but with character, with passion and compassion and commitment, with a deep understanding of that bigger picture.
“It tugged on my heart strings,” he says about seeing that Twitter tag. “I called my mom about it. We were both in tears about it. I (direct messaged) them right away. I wanted to make sure we had some things set up for them. Their boys are young, but later on, if they need somebody to talk to, if I can help with how much I’ve been through, I might be able to help them.”
Fisher, perhaps as good a linebacker as the Hoosiers have ever had -- and there have been plenty with the likes of Micah McFadden, Tegray Scales, Joe Norman, Donnie Thomas, Ken Kaczmarek and more -- is set for a monster final season to follow up his previous two monster seasons.
Last year, Fisher had 118 tackles, 5.5 for loss. The previous season, while at James Madison, he had 108 tackles, six for loss.
Those are just numbers. His impact in defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ attacking scheme goes way beyond that. He is, in many ways, a coach on the field.
“He’s selfless and completely bought into the team in terms of he’ll do anything he can do to make the team better, whether it’s leading through his actions, the way he plays or picking up a teammate.” says head coach Curt Cignetti. “He makes all the checks on defense. He helps guys learn the defense. He’s a great teammate.”
Sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy vouches for that.
“He’s the leader of the linebacker room with how vocal he is,” Hardy says. “He’s always telling me things I can do to improve my game. Everybody responds to him and gravitates to him.”
Fisher is one of three Hoosiers to earn preseason Associated Press All-America honors, joining receiver Elijah Sarratt and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. With that honor comes leadership responsibilities he fully embraces.
“Showing the young guys how to play and how I got to where I am and striving for more makes me a better player,” he says. “It makes me feel more accountable that I have to be doing these things, not only for myself, but for the people around me to make sure this program is headed in the right direction. That’s to win a lot of games.”
The next step, Fisher adds, is to escalate that leadership.
“This defense is a lot better when I bring energy, when I’m being a spark plug. It’s having guys feed off of me.
“When it comes to football, I want to get better in pass coverage. I talked to a lot of coaches and that’s very important (in college and the pros). In the run game, it’s working on getting off blocks. It’s the same stuff you have to keep consistent or you can fall behind quick.”
Fisher and all the Hoosiers have no intention of falling behind. The goal is to surpass last season’s 11-2 record that ended with a first-round playoff loss at eventual national runner-up Notre Dame. They open play on Saturday at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium against Old Dominion, which went 5-7 last year and is led by quarterback Colton Joseph, who made the Manning Award Watch List after throwing for 1,627 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushing for 647 yards and 11 more TDs last season.
“The defense is a lot further ahead than last year,” Fisher says. “It’s just the verbiage, when you bring in transfers and freshmen, little things can get tweaked.
“It’s been seamless so far. It comes down to those little thing, little nuances in our defense that you have to learn.”
Last year, Fisher arrived in Bloomington believing he could thrive at the Big Ten level as he did at James Madison, but without on-the-field proof. Now, he has it, as well as the accolades that go along with it.
“It’s been (a journey) of faith. When I first got here, there were doubts, for sure. There were a lot of questions I needed to answer throughout the season.
“By keeping my head down and working, we established that confidence and confirmed that we can play here, that we belong here. It’s been a surreal ride. One that’s been a lot of fun.”