Before the 2024 season, there was consistent buzz surrounding the play of James Madison transfer D'Angelo Ponds. The cornerback was a Freshman All-American and earned Second-team All-Sun Belt for his play in 2023 and he joined several of his JMU teammates in Bloomington, following head coach Curt Cignetti. The coaching staff and fellow IU players praised Ponds during fall camp and repeatedly referred to him as a player that could shut down one side of the field. Oftentimes, offseason hype is exaggerated and forgotten about once the real action begins but D’Angelo Ponds somehow managed to exceed even the loftiest words of preseason praise. He was spectacular during the season with a team-high nine passes broken up, three interceptions with one returned for a critical touchdown against Washington and 55 tackles as he was named an All-American and All-Big Ten player.
As is the case with every good player across college football, there was outside speculation about D’Angelo Ponds bolting from Bloomington for a huge payday elsewhere but the junior cornerback told the media on Thursday that was never something he considered.
“It wasn’t a choice for me, I wanted to come back here and I had no question in my brain that I wanted to come back here,” Ponds said.
Ponds being back in 2025, combined with the returns of linebacker Aiden Fisher and defensive linemen Mikail Kamara, gives IU a true rarity in college football: an All-American at every level of the defense. The three of them are natural leaders for their position groups but they lead in different ways, albeit with the same goal in mind.
“I would say we’re definitely different but we all just hold the team to a high standard. I’m more just a lead by example, type of guy. I’m working on speaking more, but Aiden is more of a loud guy. So, that’s how we’re different. I feel like I’ll just lead by example, but I still hold my guys to a high standard.”
The high standard in the secondary is a result of the return of D’Angelo Ponds, safety playmaker Amare Ferrell and veteran depth pieces like Bryson Bonds and Jamari Sharpe but expectations are sky-high because of the addition of transfers Louis Moore (Rover/safety), Amariyun Knighten (corner), Ryland Gandy (corner) and Devan Boykin (safety). Ponds has been impressed with the new additions during spring camp.
“Shoot, those guys came in ready to work, you can tell they were taught some things at their schools and they transferred over here and kept the same mentality,” Ponds told the media on Thursday. “Those guys, I’m really excited for them. I feel like they are going to help us in the season.”
That group, along with young players like Jah Jah Boyd, Seaonta Stewart and Byron Baldwin form what is perhaps the most talented position room on the team. It is a group that is pushed by returning position coach Rod Ojong, a coach that D’Angelo Ponds spoke glowingly about.
“He’s a guy that has a lot of football knowledge, shoot, he gets me better everyday. He pushes me, he doesn’t treat me any different than anyone else, he doesn’t care about the success I had in the past. That is somebody I need in my corner. Somebody who is not a “yes man”, somebody that just corrects me when I’m wrong and gets me better every day.”
As the spring rolls on, D’Angelo Ponds will continue to lead the IU secondary as they try and replicate and somehow improve upon the team’s memorable 2024 campaign. The big picture goals, things like winning a Big Ten title and returning to the College Football Playoff, are in the future but Ponds stresses the importance of focusing on the present as a means of reaching the intended destination.
“I love the game, I’ve been playing it all my life. The hunger never goes away like I always want to find ways to get better and be the best version of myself. That is what I try to do each and every day.”
