Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is the catalyst of Indiana’s excellency, but it takes more than one man to fulfill a collective objective in a team sport as interdependent as college football.
In his kingdom, Cignetti needs a handful of loyal nobles to expand the reach of his influence. Vessels through which his messages reach the intended audience in a different, perhaps more amenable way. Interlocuters who connect the coaching staff to each individual player.
Isaiah Jones, a redshirt senior linebacker, is one of those nobles.
“He’s a natural leader,” Cignetti said about Jones during fall camp, “and he is the green dot guy and cut from a very similar cloth to (former linebacker) Aiden Fisher. Just a really smart, instinctive player and a student of the game.”
Natural leaders, unsurprisingly, are the perfect archetype of player for Cignetti to utilize. Cignetti’s nobles on the roster work to identify those personalities early, ensure their effective indoctrination into the culture and prepare them to eventually step up in succession.
Jones experienced that exact process.
Jones observed and learned from Fisher in his time in Bloomington, acquiring understandings of how to be a Hoosier under Cignetti, particularly a Hoosier in a leadership role. Upon observing and learning, Jones began to emulate Fisher, and once Fisher left, Jones became Fisher.
Now, Jones is the veteran, the mentor, the model for successful football in Bloomington. There are a multitude of lessons and words of advice, no doubt, that Jones dutifully passes down to underclassmen who are similar to a past version of himself. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Jones also leads by example.
“For me it’s just being not only a vocal leader but a leader by my actions,” Jones said during fall camp, “and that’s pulling young guys into the film room. It’s leading by example. It’s when some guys maybe want to go take a break, maybe a break sounds nice but I can’t put my hands on my hips, can’t look tired on the field. Young guys look up to you.”
Leading by example, of course, in knowing that one must compete to the Cignetti standard each and every day. Beyond that, though, is the fact that like the underclassmen, Jones also adapted to a new role this offseason.
Underclassmen, especially freshmen and transfers, had to adapt to the Indiana and Cignetti way. Jones is used to those standards, but adjusted to a revised role on the field this summer.
Jones will wear the green dot this season, which means his helmet is equipped with a speaker that allows him to hear directly from coaches while on the field. It is one key component of his elevated involvement in the wake of Fisher’s departure for the NFL. Jones must adjust to and thrive in the role of receiving communication from the coaching staff on the field and effectively overseeing the entire defense.
As a part of that shift, Jones is also expected to fill the middle linebacker position more often than before, maximizing his versatility as someone who can take on all linebacker responsibilities. In the eyes of Jones, that shift isn’t particularly taxing.
“I wouldn’t say you have to change a lot,” Jones said, “last year I repped at Sam (strong-side linebacker) and Will (weak-side linebacker) in the games but in practice I was practicing Mike (middle linebacker), Will and Sam… it’s just different run fits, but it’s all schematic and when you know the scheme, you play fast.”
Jones led Indiana in tackles with 12 in Saturday’s season opener against North Texas, five more than the next highest tally on the team. Byron Baldwin Jr. and Rolijah Hardy each recorded seven tackles.
In one sense, Jones is a master of his team’s scheme and standard, passing down his wisdom to the classes that trail him on the path. In another sense, Jones is leading by example while adapting to a new role of his own. Now as the green dot who more frequently fills the middle linebacker position, Jones must show the standard as much as he tells it.
“I would say that’s been my biggest change with Aiden (Fisher) not there. Now that you’re the guy that people look to, you have to up your standard,” Jones said.
Fisher left, but Jones slid up in replacement.
It’s not about what is lost, it’s about what is restocked.
Jones is the next loyal noble who must continue the endless process of improving himself while seeking to discover the next Fisher, and the next Jones, amongst the many underclassmen.
“I think that as a player I’m always trying to improve,” Jones said, “I’m always trying to get one percent better. You’re never perfect, you never have a perfect game or a perfect practice and I think every person that wants to get better is trying to find that one percent to get better, so for me it’s just a daily process of trying to find that one percent.”
Anyone can tell, not everyone can show. Jones, evidently, shows the messages Cignetti wants passed down through the ranks of his kingdom.
Underclassmen are assimilating into this program. Jones is adjusting to a new role within it.
Everyone, everywhere, all at once is developing and improving as a fresh season begins.
At different levels, perhaps, but all under the leadership of one clear king.
