Once overlooked, linebacker Rolijah Hardy anchors IU football’s defense in breakout sophomore season
- Josh Pos
- 3h ago
It should come as no surprise that an Indiana linebacker made a game-saving play. A room riddled with talent up and down the depth chart has been the focal point of defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ relentless defense. But the play wasn’t made by the two household names that the national media fell in love with. It wasn’t all-American Aiden Fisher. Nor was it Isaiah “Bones” Jones.
Instead, it was sophomore Rolijah Hardy.
Hardy broke up Julian Sayin’s third-down pass in the end zone, a leaping play that forced Ohio State into a field-goal attempt. The moment went largely unnoticed – until the kick sailed wide, securing Indiana’s 13-10 win against the Buckeyes on Dec. 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was the program’s first Big Ten championship in nearly six decades.
“I had to get hands on my dude, and I was able to play underneath,” Hardy recalled postgame. “I try not to boost my head up too much, I mean, it was a good play, but I just thank God, my Lord and Savior, for that play, giving me the ability.”
That humility has defined Hardy long before his name appeared in a championship moment.
Playing at Indiana was never part of his original plan. Holding zero stars and none of his dozen offers coming from Power-4 programs, the Lakeland, Florida, native committed to play at Navy in 2023. He spent the 2023 season playing for the Naval Academy Prep School in preparation for his career with the Midshipmen.
He never made it to the academy in Annapolis.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and Haines offered the unranked Hardy after spring practice in May of 2024.
A true freshman behind veteran linebackers Jailin Walker and Aiden Fisher, Hardy embraced his long-standing underdog mentality to play a role in his first season. He replaced Jones in Indiana’s trio package in the Hoosiers’ Week 6 victory at Northwestern and never looked back.
He compiled 22 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions – one being a 12-yard pick-6.
Hardy joined defensive lineman Mario Landino as the only true-freshman to play a role in Indiana’s historic 2024 campaign. The Hoosiers finished 11-2 and reached the College Football Playoff.
Yet, even with his filled-in resumé, Hardy had plenty to prove in his first spring camp in Bloomington ahead of his sophomore season. From the beginning, it was evident that a switch had flipped. He took starters’ reps beside Fisher, earning a heap of praise from his head coach.
“I think Ro Hardy is a top-line guy,” Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days in August.
The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Hardy carried his spring camp momentum into fall camp, earning a prominent role entering his sophomore season.
He did not miss a beat.
Hardy recorded multiple tackles in each of the 13 games he started during Indiana’s undefeated regular season, finishing with 86 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
In the season’s biggest games, Hardy delivered. He recorded at least 10 tackles against Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Ohio State, solidifying his role in Haines’ fast and physical defense.
“[Hardy] played last year and was productive,” Fisher said. “This year, he’s taken it and run with it. He’s playing confidently and fast. He’s very familiar with everything. He’s getting very comfortable with the scheme and what he has to know.”
Fisher, Hardy and Jones move in perfect sync, both on and off the field. Their relationship grew over two seasons together, culminating in an unforgettable scene in Indianapolis. After they wrestled down Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith on the final play, Hardy immediately sought out Fisher and Jones. The trio huddled together in pandemonium, celebrating the achievement they had chased since the spring.
“It was a big moment for us,” Hardy said. “It was a lot of emotions all at once, a lot of happy, a lot of work we put in, a lot of hard work, so it was a lot of emotions.”
Hardy, like everyone else in the Indiana program, believes that winning the Big Ten isn’t the endpoint, but rather the byproduct of something even larger. The preseason goals remain unchanged, even as expectations grow.
It’s unfamiliar territory for a program long defined by being overlooked.
But if Indiana’s season has proven anything, it’s that the most significant moments don’t always belong to the biggest names. Sometimes, they belong to the linebacker who stayed ready and made the play when it mattered most.
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