How Indiana’s Football Defense Is Shaping Up For The 2025 Season

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the 2025 Indiana football season, the Hoosiers will have a lot of new faces leading the charge on the offensive side of the ball.

There will be new faces on the defensive side too, though not as many, and there will be familiar names coming back at some of the most important positions on the field.

The return of defensive end Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds means the best players will be back from the defensive line, linebacking corps and the secondary. You can add to that list safety Amare Ferrell, who also was impactful.

When you have cornerstone pieces like that, It makes it easier to build around them. That’s just what Indiana will do as defensive coordinator Bryant Haines tries to brew up another dominant defense for 2025.

Here’s a position-by-position look at the Hoosiers’ defense.

Defensive ends

Indiana's Mikail Kamara (6) eyes Michigan's Davis Warren (16) during the Indiana versus Michigan football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kamara said on a Hoosiers Hysterics podcast that he is switching to the opposite side of the line and will play Indiana’s hybrid STUD position. It’s where Lanell Carr Jr. played in 2024.

That’s an interesting change for Kamara, who had 15 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks. With his quickness, he could be deadly if given more room to attack blockers. It could open up Indiana to go with its three linebacker set more often, too.

Kamara had a Pro Football Focus pass rushing grade of 88.5 – an extremely high number.

The heir apparent to fill Kamara’s spot is Mario Landino, who had some encouraging performances in spot duty in 2024. Landino played 140 snaps in 2024, more than half of them in pass rushing downs.

Several Hoosier holdovers will compete for time. Daniel Ndukwe had some spot duty and should be a backup. Both Andrew and William DePaepe were inactive in 2024, but could get time in 2025. Ta’Derius Collins was injured for much of 2024 and could also be a factor.

Defensive tackles

Indiana has work to do here. Both James Carpenter and CJ West ran out of eligibility after the 2024 season.

One starting spot could be filled by Tyrique Tucker, whose contributions flew a bit under the radar in 2024. Tucker was quietly rated as the 79th-best defensive tackle in college football by PFF. He graded at 81.5 in run defense, a very solid grade for someone who wasn’t a starter. Tucker also had 2.5 sacks.

The other starting defensive tackle spot will likely go to a transfer. Dominique Ratcliff, formerly of Texas State, and Hosea Wheeler, formerly of Western Kentucky, are both candidates.

Wheeler played both tackle and end for WKU. Ratcliff had 22 tackles for Texas State, and the 285-pound player is strictly an interior defensive lineman.

Not to be forgotten is veteran Marcus Burris Jr. He played in all 13 games for the Hoosiers and registered 14 tackles.

Linebackers

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball past Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy (21) during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana does sometimes use a three-linebacker set, but we’ll look at their base set that features two.

Fisher was a rock at the weak side linebacker spot, leading the team with 118 tackles as well as 1.5 sacks. PFF rated Fisher much higher as a run-stopper (80.9 grade) rather than a pass rusher (65.5) or pass coverage linebacker (50.7).

Jailin Walker will be difficult to replace at middle linebacker, but Rolijah Hardy looked very ready to take on that task after a good 2024 season. Hardy only played 170 snaps in 2024, but he had a knack for being in the right place at the right time to force or recover fumbles.

What role Isaiah Jones plays remains to be seen. In Indiana’s three-linebacker set, he becomes the third backer on the field. Much like Fisher, Jones has a good sense of where the ball carrier is going as he had 42 tackles in 207 snaps.

Returning players Quentin Clark, Kaiden Turner and Jeff Utzinger provide the depth.

Cornerbacks

Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) makes a catch against Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

This might be the deepest position on either side of the field for the Hoosiers.

Ponds is a returning All-American. He defended nine passes and had three interceptions, but many teams simply steered clear of his side of the field. He had a coverage grade of 85 from PFF.

Fellow starter Jamier Johnson also returns, but he might be pushed by fellow returning corner Jamari Sharpe, who graded out higher in coverage by PFF at 70.6 to Johnson’s 66.3. Sharpe outscored Johnson in all defensive categories graded by PFF for cornerbacks.

Added to that trio are transfers Amariyun Knighten (Northern Illinois) and Ryland Gandy (Pittsburgh). Of the two, Gandy played more snaps (766 to 272), but Knighten had better coverage grades from PFF.

Dontrae Henderson also returns for the Hoosiers.

Safeties and nickel backs

Indiana's Amare Ferrell (25) runs after he made the interception during the second half of the Indiana versus Florida International football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

As Indiana’s offense welcomes the return of offensive lineman Kahlil Benson, the defense welcomes back former Hoosier nickel back Louis Moore.

Moore played at Ole Miss in 2024. With the Hoosiers in 2023, Moore co-led the team in interceptions with three and was second in tackles with 82. With the Rebels, Moore played in 11 games and had 36 tackles.

Moore could play free safety in his return, though he has experience in the rover/nickel back position.

Ferrell led Indiana in interceptions with four in 2024. He got a healthy 78.3 grade in coverage from PFF and is the top-rated safety returning for the Hoosiers. He is entrenched in the strong safety spot.

The other starter could be Devan Boykin. He transferred from North Carolina State, but Boykin did not play in 2024 due to an ACL injury suffered in the Pop Tarts Bowl the previous season.

Boykin played five years for the Wolfpack and had 54 tackles and three interceptions in 2023. Like Moore, he could play in either the free safety or rover spot.

Bryson Bonds is also a factor. He was Indiana’s fourth-rated safety by PFF with an overall grade of 75.9. He had 19 tackles and an interception.

Past that, freshman Byron Baldwin has the chance to emerge. A four-star recruit, he could have an impact. So could fellow freshman Seaonta Stewart.

Defensive ends

Defensive tackles

Linebackers

Cornerbacks

Safeties and nickel backs

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