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Indiana Football Position Preview: Linebackers Led By James Madison Transfer Duo

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Indiana Football Position Preview: Linebackers Led By James Madison Transfer Duo


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – New faces are sprinkled throughout the 2024 Indiana football roster, and linebacker is no exception.

Aaron Casey was a multi-year leader at the position, ranking third nationally with 20 tackles for loss and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors last season. But he’s off to the NFL, and Jacob Mangum-Farrar, who started alongside Casey in 2023, is transitioning to Indiana’s stud position on the defensive line. 

That leaves close to zero returning production at linebacker, so new head coach Curt Cignetti brought two starters with him from James Madison, Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, to fill the void. 

Bryant Haines steps in as Indiana’s new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after years on Cignetti’s staffs at James Madison, Elon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2023, Haines guided a James Madison defense that led the nation with 114 tackles for loss and run defense, allowing just 61.5 rushing yards per game.

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Here’s a full breakdown of Indiana’s linebacker room heading into the 2024 season.

Personnel

Notable departures from the 2023 roster: Aaron Casey, Jared Casey, Matt Hohlt

Jailin Walker

Indiana’s Jailin Walker (2) during fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion on Thursday. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

James Madison transfer duo

The top candidates to lead Indiana’s linebacking corps are Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, who transferred from James Madison to Indiana during the transfer portal’s winter cycle. After making just five tackles in 2022, Fisher had a breakout sophomore season in 2023, leading the Dukes with 108 total tackles, including a career-high 17 in their bowl game. He earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors and was James Madison’s leadership award winner. 

Walker brings more experience than Fisher, having started 20 games and playing in 32 over the last three seasons. He was second on the team with 61 total tackles in 2023 and earned All-Sun Belt honorable mentions each of the last three seasons. Walker was recently named to the College Football Freaks list by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic for his speed and explosiveness, reportedly running 22 miles per hour. Walker did not practice in the spring due to postseason surgery to address a torn labrum, but he has been on the field for fall camp.

“That’s a good team. They’ve got a lot of reps together, and they’re both good players,” Cignetti said of Fisher and Walker. “You can see J-Walk’s athleticism on the practice field. Sideline to sideline, he can really run. He’s one of the fastest guys on the team.”

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Although they’re at a new school, the transition shouldn’t be too drastic for Walker and Fisher due to their experience playing together under Haines and Cignetti. 

“It’s fun,” Walker said about playing in Haines’ defense. “The motto is fast, physical, relentless. So Haines’ defense relies on speed and blitzes. He says freedom equals discipline, so he just lets us fly around, make plays and just enjoy it with the guys.”

Returning linebackers

With Jacob Mangum-Farrar changing positions, Joshua Rudolph is the most experienced Indiana linebacker returning for the 2024 season. He played 116 snaps in the box last season as a backup for Casey and Mangum-Farrar, and he could have a similar role behind Walker and Fisher this season. Rudolph transferred to Indiana before the 2023 season after two years at Austin Peay, where he was second on the team with 73 tackles in 2022. 

Along with Rudolph, Indiana could look to returners like Kaiden Turner and Isaiah Jones for depth at linebacker. Turner only played special teams in 2023, but he logged 75 snaps in the box in the final four games of Indiana’s 2022 season. Jones has even less in-game experience than Turner, but he has good size and could be ready for a bigger role in his third season with the Hoosiers.

The bottom line

The biggest question for Indiana’s linebackers in 2024 is whether Fisher and Walker can replicate their Sun Belt play in the Big Ten. There’s reason to believe they can, as Fisher stood out as much as anyone during Indiana’s spring game and Walker is athletically gifted and experienced. Their familiarity with Haines’ system definitely helps. But we won’t know that answer until several weeks into the season, which naturally creates some uncertainty with this position group.

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Depth is a potential concern, and Indiana will need at least one player from the group of Rudolph, Turner, Jones or UMass transfer Nahji Logan to step up as a third capable linebacker alongside Walker and Fisher. In a backup role, Rudolph’s 60.2 defense grade ranked 24th out of 35 Indiana defenders in 2023, per PFF, and the other returning Hoosiers are even less proven. Logan is perhaps the most likely to fill that role, as he has 39 games and 17 starts under his belt and made 59 tackles last season on his way to second-team All-Independent honors from College Football Network.



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Man shot by security guard in hospital emergency room waiting area in Gary, Indiana

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Man shot by security guard in hospital emergency room waiting area in Gary, Indiana


A man’s family is demanding answers after he was shot by a security guard inside a hospital emergency room waiting area on Tuesday night in Gary, Indiana.

Methodist Northlake Hospital officials said, around midnight Tuesday night, its security staff responded quickly after a patient took out a gun. The hospital said he’d threatened to shoot himself or others.

The hospital commended the security guard who shot the man for “neutralizing the threat and helping ensure the safety of our patients and employees.”

Family members identified the man who was shot as Otis Brown. They said he is a kind father to a 12-year-old boy.

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“Just a great person, a happy-go-lucky, always out there trying to do the right thing,” said his fiancée, Stacey Taylor.

Taylor said she was on a business trip when she got a call that Brown had been shot multiple times.

“Scared, uncertainty; you know, what story is right? You know, what happened?” she said.

After he was shot, Brown was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.

Taylor said she had no idea why Brown went to Methodist Northlake Hospital in the first place. His family said he was trying to leave the hospital when the shooting happened, claiming that the hospital gave him his gun back after he was cleared to leave.

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“We just want to get answers, just want to know what happened, particularly when people are defaming his name,” Taylor said.

She and Brown’s family hope the hospital has surveillance video footage that can help provide answers.

Gary police have not provided any details on the shooting. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the shooting at the request of Gary police, but did not provide any further information.



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Indiana A.G. finishes Karl King Tower investigation, finalizes compliance order

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Indiana A.G. finishes Karl King Tower investigation, finalizes compliance order


The Indiana Attorney General has finished its investigation into Karl King Tower and issued a compliance order.

This is coming after a months-long investigation into the unsafe living conditions for residents at the apartments.

From December 2025 to January 2026, there were prolonged failures with the heating and a lack of heat for residents during winter conditions at Karl King.

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The property owner provided a 20% rent credit for affected tenants and documentation related to health and safety issues.

Below is the agreement from the Attorney General:

  • The owner must complete boiler and heating system improvements by September 30.
  • The property is subject to a monitoring period for multiple years.
  • The owner needs to provide on-site security, including cameras in common areas and monthly incident reports.
  • The building needs an on-site property manager to address resident concerns.
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The Attorney General has the authority to inspect the property and enforce compliance if commitments aren’t met.



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Indiana Baseball Series Preview Against Illinois

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Indiana Baseball Series Preview Against Illinois


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It’s been a rough season for the Indiana baseball team, but the Hoosiers have one more shot to finish the season on a high note against Illinois this week.

Indiana (21-30, 7-20) has lost five straight contests and failed to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament after finishing outside the top 12 in the Big Ten, meaning Saturday’s game against the Illini will be the Hoosiers’ last.

And that may very well be the biggest surprise in all of the Big Ten, considering IU won 33+ games each of the last two years and finished above .500 in Big Ten play each of the last three seasons.

About Indiana

Indiana’s disappointing season is almost over after getting swept by in-state rival Purdue over the weekend. IU has lost four straight Big Ten series and hasn’t won a series in nearly a month.

Regardless of who is playing well and who’s not, don’t be surprised if the majority of the seniors get to play this weekend.

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That probably wouldn’t be the case if Indiana were still able to qualify for the Big Ten Tourney, but with that out of the equation, expect to see the guys who might not ever play another competitive game of baseball get to see the field one last time.

The Hoosiers’ best pitcher is southpaw Tony Neubeck, who leads the team in wins, starts, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Neubeck has recorded back-to-back quality starts and could very well hear his name called in this June’s MLB Draft.

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Offensively, the Hoosiers have proven they can score some runs, and despite getting swept last week, scored 21 runs against Purdue. IU’s top hitter is Jake Hanley, who leads Indiana’s offense in at-bats, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, and walks.

About Illinois

Unlike Indiana, no matter what happens this week for Illinois, the Illini are automatically a lock for the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois might rest some of its everyday players who have played a lot and have some of its top arms on pitch counts, but outside of that, expect the Illini to play this series like it’s their last.

Illinois still has a chance to move up a spot in the Big Ten, and there’s no denying the fact that seeding matters.

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Illinois (27-23, 13-14) has won five in a row but has struggled on the road this season, especially in Big Ten play.

Still, though, Illinois has a couple of solid relievers — Sam Mommer and Sam Reed — and has an ace in Aidan Flinn.

Offensively, the Illini are inconsistent but did manage to score 26 runs in three games against Northwestern and have a couple of power hitters in AJ Putty and Collin Jennings.

Series Schedule

Thursday, May 14th (6 p.m. ET)
Friday, May 15h (6 p.m. ET)
Saturday, May 16th (2 p.m. ET)

All three games are available to watch via the Big Ten Network Plus (BIG+).

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