INDIANAPOLIS - Fresh off of a third team All-Sun Belt selection back in late November, linebacker Aiden Fisher was locked in on James Madison's upcoming appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl.
As Fisher continued to prepare for JMU's bowl appearance against Air Force, the Fredericksburg, Virginia native was struck with news that blind sided him.
Curt Cignetti, the head coach that had recruited and helped develop Fisher into an all-conference player, was leaving and taking a job nearly 600 miles away in Bloomington with Indiana.
"It was surprising at first," Fisher admitted at Big Ten Media Days. "I remember I was just chilling with a couple buddies, just watching TV. I know he tried to keep that very private information, but things got leaked, things happen."
Despite Cignetti's departure, Fisher elected to stick around in Harrisonburg to play in JMU's bowl game -- although the linebacker knew it might be his last game with the Dukes.
"(Cignetti) addressed the team, and I kinda knew at that point that I'd like to explore my options," Fisher said of his thought process entering the bowl appearance.
Following James Madison's Las Vegas Bowl loss to Air Force, Fisher entered the transfer portal, with a specific destination already in mind.
Making the decision to follow his head coach and defensive coordinator to Indiana was a simple one for Fisher.
"Looking into the portal, why go somewhere else when I've been developed so well by coach Cignetti and coach (Bryant) Haines," Fisher said. "They've done a great job on my development, not only as a player, but as a person. There's really no other place I'd rather be than (Indiana)."
Over the course of the winter, many of Fisher's teammates at JMU followed his lead in following Cignetti from Harrisonburg to Bloomington.
In total, six former Dukes will feature on the defensive side of the ball in 2024 for the Hoosiers.
The shift from the Sun Belt to the Big Ten isn't a concern for Fisher or his James Madison transfer teammates.
"It's definitely a step up," Fisher said. "We're in the best conference in the country, so we're playing the best players in the country week in and week out. The challenge is something that I'm really excited about."
There's a lot of guys with a lot of energy that have really bought in to what we do," Fisher continued. "I know I'm excited and those guys are even more excited to get after it too."
The on-field leader for JMU's defense a season ago is poised to occupy a similar role for the cream and crimson this upcoming season.
Entering the year, it's part of Fisher's role to keep the entire Indiana defense playing true to the group's motto: "fast, physical and relentless.".
Throughout the spring, Fisher has acted as the Hoosiers' defensive captain -- although Cignetti won't name captains for the 2024 season.
Playing in a conference with some of the most high powered offenses in the country, Indiana's defense -- led by Fisher -- must play "fast physical and relentless."
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