Linebacker Aiden Fisher Announces That He Will Return To Indiana

Aiden Fisher will stick with the coach who brought him to Indiana – Curt Cignetti

Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) gets ready for the snap during the second quarter of a game against the Washington Huskies at Memorial Stadium. / Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There was a time, not long ago, that a player returning to his school with eligibility remaining was not newsworthy. It was expected.

However, these are not those times. Every player is a possible free agent season-to-season with open transfers the reality of college sports.

So even in the case of someone who would seem to be a logical choice to return to his school, it’s news when they decide to do that.

Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher announced on Sunday via his social media network that he will be back at Indiana for the 2025 season.

“More work to be done. Run it back,” Fisher said in an X post.

More work to be done. Run it back. pic.twitter.com/7JYxlOf4bH

— Aiden Fisher (@theaidenfisher) December 22, 2024

Fisher has one more year of eligibility left. He played at James Madison from 2022-23 and transferred to Indiana prior to the 2024 season.

Straight away, Fisher was a vital cog in the Indiana defensive front. A weakside linebacker, Fisher was Indiana’s leading tackler with 118 tackles, including 69 assisted tackles, the highest total in the Big Ten Conference.

Only once in the season was Fisher held below five tackles. He exceeded 10 tackles in five games, including a season-high 14 against Michigan on Nov. 9.

Fisher is particularly valuable in run defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Fisher only scored at 67.4 in overall defense, 15th among Hoosiers who played at least 10 snaps per game, but he rated as a 80.9 in run defense, considered to be a good grade.

Fisher is one of the 13 players who came to Indiana from James Madison when Curt Cignetti was hired after the 2023 season. Cignetti’s players have been fiercely loyal. To date, none of the nine players in the transfer portal who have announced their intention to leave were players Cignetti brought with him from James Madison.

Fisher explained the success he’s had under Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines after Indiana’s 27-17 loss to Notre Dame Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

“First, you start with the scheme. We had a really good scheme. Coach Haines puts us in, he puts us in positions to succeed. We're a fast defense. A lot of people look at our defense, you know, we're not the biggest guys. But we do have speed, which kind of combats a lot of the things that these offenses do,” Fisher said.

Related stories on Indiana football

• JACKSON ENTERS PORTAL: Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson has entered the transfer portal. CLICK HERE.

• TODD'S TAKE: Indiana got timid at the absolute worst time on Friday at Notre Dame. CLICK HERE.

• PREDICTIONS REVISITED: Predictions for the Indiana-Notre Dame game are revisited. CLICK HERE.

• CARPENTER AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING: Good or bad, the action found defensive tackle James Carpenter in Friday's loss to Notre Dame. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: What Curt Cignetti said after Indiana's 27-17 loss to Notre Dame. CLICK HERE.

• THE INDIANA WE KNEW WASN'T THERE ON FRIDAY: The Hoosiers we saw all season disappeared on Friday night. Todd Golden writes that Notre Dame had everything to do with it. CLICK HERE.

• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana isn't elite, but it's better than the alternative. CLICK HERE.