As a child and then as a high school player at Tampa Bay Plant, Micah McFadden made several trips to Raymond James Stadium for Tampa Bay Buccaneers games, but he never played in the stadium.
All that will change on Jan. 2, 2021 as the All-American linebacker and Indiana (6-1) will take on Ole Miss (4-5) in the Outback Bowl in Tampa.
"I’ve been to the stadium a few times, went to a Bucs game when John Lynch was inducted into the ring of honor. My brother played a game there. I didn’t get to play there. It means a lot, lot of family coming and I think I have 45 people coming and can’t wait to play in front of a big crowd for once this season," McFadden told the media this week.
And he will do so as a newly named All-American for his efforts this season, as he played a vital role in the 4-2-5 defense that ranks second in the nation in interceptions at 17 and is a top 20 team in scoring defense, allowing 19.43 points per game.
Individually, McFadden leads Indiana in tackles (52), is tied for third in sacks (5), and finished the regular season with 8.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. The junior came through in a big way against Penn State (10 tackles) and Ohio State (11 tackles) earlier this season.
"Really glad to get that honor, so honored," McFadden said of being named a Third Team All-American. "I'm not going to lie and I'm not going to say I expected this or this was one of my goals, but I am excited it came and the success I had and the defense had created momentum for this team," McFadden said.
While it may not have been a goal, McFadden's former high school coach, Robert Weiner told TheHoosier.com he was not surprised to see his former standout honored as one of the elite players in America.
"When you really look at the phrase All-American, there is probably no one that better represents the meaning of All-American as a player and even more as a person," said Weiner, who will be in attendance for the Outback Bowl.
For the Tampa native, the opportunity to be an All-American signifies how hard he has worked and how much he has developed since arriving in Bloomington.
Coming out of high school, McFadden only had two power five offers, and one of them was Indiana.
As a junior, McFadden has grown each season, and for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, that is the greatest joy in watching his middle linebacker.
“It’s fun to be able to see somebody go through the progression of maturity both on and off the field as a player. He was a guy early on that was a playmaker that we would put on the field and he would just run and chase the ball down. And now to see him with his skill set develop fundamentally… his production just continues to climb. As a coach, it is very rewarding to walk a guy through that,” Wommack said.
For McFadden, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
"As a freshman, it was difficult learning the defense. As a young freshman, I was trying to pick up the defense, but was also running around trying to make plays. Over the last few years, it's honing in on what I have to do and communicating with the guys around me, understanding the defense as a whole. Understand not just what I have to do but other people's jobs and responsibilities have really helped me," McFadden said.
After all, it is part of the vision he bought into when head coach Tom Allen recruited him.
"He was true from the start. He was always telling me Indiana would be a contender for the Big Ten championship and we would win a lot of games if I came here. He was so enthusiastic about the change that was going to come to this program," McFadden said.
After getting in there as a freshman, McFadden made a name for himself last year as a sophomore, earning the team’s Most Outstanding Player-of-the-Year honor after leading Indiana with 61 tackles and notching two interceptions.
Now, he will look to add another distinction to his resume as he looks to help guide the Hoosiers to their first bowl victory in 29 years Saturday against the Rebels of Ole Miss.
"It’s talked about and we definitely recognize it. The last two weeks this team has been locked in on the opponent and putting in the work to make this week as smooth and clean as possible," McFadden said.
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