Indiana's Aiden Fisher Makes Butkus Award Watch List

Heading into his first season with the Hoosiers, James Madison transfer Aiden Fisher was nominated for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's best linebacker.

Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher speaks to the media during the Big Ten football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Aiden Fisher is the seventh Hoosiers to receive national honors heading into the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, Fisher was named to the Butkus Award watch list, an award given annually to the nation's top linebackers at the high school, college and professional levels of football. NC State's Payton Wilson won the award last season.

An impact LB. pic.twitter.com/hndCSs7xpD

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) August 13, 2024

Fisher is a 6-foot-1, 233-pound linebacker who transferred to Indiana this offseason after two seasons at James Madison, where he played for the Hoosiers' new head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bryant Haines.

After making just five tackles as a true freshman in 2022, Fisher had a breakout sophomore season in 2023 with the Dukes. He led James Madison with 108 total tackles, seven pass breakups, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception. He made a career-high 17 tackles in the Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force.

Playing all 13 games with 11 starts at linebacker, Fisher was named to the third-team All-Sun Belt and earned James Madison's Bob Yetzer Leadership Award.

Indiana lost team captain and leading tackler Aaron Casey to the NFL, and former linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar is moving to the defensive line for the 2024 season. That leaves two starting linebacker spots up for grabs, which are expected to be filled by Fisher and fellow James Madison transfer Jailin Walker, who was recently named to the College Football Freaks list.

Aiden Fisher HIT STICK 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/3zpjRttLBt

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 20, 2023

Fisher helped James Madison achieve a 19-5 record in his first two collegiate seasons. Now with the Hoosiers, he plans on continuing those winning ways.

“Bloomington itself is a very special place,” Fisher said. “I learned that very quickly. You take the visit, the resources that Indiana has are amazing. The people around Bloomington and in the area are extremely supportful of the program, and at the end of the day they just want a winner.” 

“There’d be nothing better than to feel that when I can give them a winner, me and my teammates are giving them a winning football program year in and year out and that’s what we came here to do.”

Other Hoosiers that have made preseason award watch lists include James Bomba (AFCA Good Works Team Nominee, Allstate Wuerffel Trophy) James Evans (Ray Guy Award), Zach Horton (John Mackey Award), D’Angelo Ponds (Lott Trophy), Elijah Sarratt (Biletnikoff Award) and Solomon Vanhorse (College Football Comeback Player of the Year).

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