With football season approaching, we’re going through Indiana’s roster to look at each position group going into fall camp.
Indiana’s linebacker room suffered one major departure after the 2024 season. But with first team All-Big Ten selection Aiden Fisher back in the fold, and some promising pieces around him, the Hoosiers should be just fine in the middle of the defense.
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Jailin Walker (exhausted his eligibility, went to NFL)
- Josh Rudolph (transfer — UTEP)
- Nahji Logan (transfer — Nevada)
- Jamari Farmer (transfer — East Tennessee State)
- Carter Imes (walk-on, left program)
Roster turnover — who’s back
- Aiden Fisher (senior)
- Kaiden Turner (redshirt junior)
- Isaiah Jones (redshirt junior)
- Rolijah Hardy (sophomore)
- Jeff Utzinger (walk-on; redshirt junior)
- Clayton Allen (walk-on, redshirt sophomore)
- Kaden McConnell (walk-on, redshirt freshman)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Amari Kamara (3-star, Ashburn, Va.)
- PJ Nelson (3-star, Cincinnati, Ohio)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s linebacker starters and who the other key players will be.
- Aiden Fisher, senior, 6-foot-1, 231 pounds (36 career starts at IU and JMU)
- Kaiden Turner, redshirt junior, 6 foot, 229 pounds
- Rolijah Hardy, sophomore, 5-foot-11, 229 pounds (four career starts at IU)
- Isaiah Jones, redshirt junior, 6-foot-2, 230 pounds (two career starts at IU)
- Jeff Utzinger, redshirt junior, 6-foot-3, 232 pounds
Fisher is one of the most important players on the entire team, leading the defense on and off the field. Hardy looks like the favorite to take over next to him, but Jones should still have a chance to win that job in fall camp. Even if Hardy is the starter, Jones should still see the field plenty this season in certain personnel groupings, as should Turner. Utzinger, a walk-on, saw some action last year and is likely to fill the third-string reserve role again. The Hoosiers could be looking for Clark to make some strides this season, and he is someone with positional versatility. Don’t be surprised if Kamara finds his way on the field this season as well.
Why it will work
Fisher is a strong player at middle linebacker, and Hardy and Jones look capable of stepping up in Walker’s vacated position. Fisher’s presence will help both of them. Additionally, there are fewer question marks about the depth at linebacker going into this year than there were last season. If Fisher maintains his high level, and Hardy can come up with the sorts of big plays he made last season, they could be a really solid tandem.
Why it won’t
Hardy showed some strong playmaking ability in his various opportunities last year, but it’ll be a bigger challenge to continue doing that in a larger role. Walker was such a crucial player for IU’s defense last year, it was noticeable when he wasn’t on the field — even if Hardy and Jones weren’t struggling. If the Hoosiers can’t adequately make up for losing Walker, that could be problematic.
Prior previews:
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
