Byron Baldwin Jr. spent a steamy August morning doing what young players have to do if they want more than a spot on the roster: he got there early and kept working. Indiana was only minutes into practice when Baldwin was already sweating through the latest fall camp session on the turf fields next to Mellencamp Pavilion, pushing for a bigger role as his sophomore season approaches.
That opportunity is there now. With former starting safeties Louis Moore and Devan Boykin gone, the Hoosiers have openings in the secondary, and Baldwin is among the young defensive backs trying to seize them.
He entered IU as the highest-rated freshman in the 2025 class, but that ranking won’t buy him anything in 2026. Curt Cignetti’s standard still applies.
"earned, not given"
Baldwin knows that. The offseason has been about proving he belongs in the conversation for major snaps, especially after a freshman year that was interrupted almost before it started.
A lower-body injury suffered in fall camp kept him out of the first seven games last season. He finally debuted in Week 8 against UCLA, then played in the final nine games, mostly on special teams and as a backup safety.
He finished with 10 tackles, including five solo tackles, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery.
Even with limited defensive work, Baldwin kept showing up in the moments that mattered during Indiana’s College Football Playoff run. Against Alabama in the Rose Bowl, he nearly came up with an interception while chasing Ty Simpson and helping force an errant throw. He opened the Peach Bowl against Oregon with a heavy hit on Jeremiah McClellan on the kickoff, and he added another special teams solo tackle against Miami in the national championship.
The buzz around Baldwin never really disappeared last season, even if his role mostly lived on special teams. His name and No. 2 kept surfacing as one of Indiana’s most intriguing young defenders, the kind of player coaches and teammates noticed before the rest of college football caught on.
That wider audience may not have to wait much longer.
"He's got a lot of ability and played some as a freshman," IU coach Curt Cignetti said Monday. "His thing is day-in and day-out consistency and having the discipline to be consistent. He will be as good as his discipline and consistency take him this year."
The lost time from last fall matters here. IU safeties coach Ola Adams said last October that Baldwin "had a heck of a training camp" and "half of training camp he was starting" with the first team before the injury shut him down.
Those seven missed games took away a chunk of development, but Baldwin looks like a different player now. He has added size and strength to his 6-foot-2 frame, and he was a full participant in spring camp before continuing as a steady presence through the first full week of fall camp.
He is in the mix for the ROVER spot, the nickel safety role Boykin handled last season, and he could still be a key piece on special teams coverage. However the snaps break, Baldwin has put himself in position to earn them.
"I think he will be a big-time player for us this year," IU senior safety Amare Ferrell said Thursday. "We are still working on some things, like coach Cig said, you know, day-in and day-out consistency. But, he definitely has done a great job of showing us what he can do."
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The timing matters, too, because this comes on the heels of the football surge under Curt Cignetti, the coach Dolson hired. For a department that has spent years trying to prove its footing in a demanding league, rewarding the man in charge of the whole operation sends a clear message about stability and confidence, even if the larger picture keeps unfolding around the football programs rise. [Read more 🡒]