Joe Hjelle’s move from Tulsa to Indiana has come with the usual transfer hurdles: a step up in competition, a new locker room, and a defensive playbook that takes real work to master. But the Decorah, Iowa, native says the adjustment has gone more smoothly because of the veterans around him.
“Coming in I'm a new guy, so learning this this new system has been at first a little challenging,” Hjelle said. “It's a lot to learn.
It's very detailed defense. I think that's what makes it so effective.
But being able to learn from guys like Tyrique (Tucker) and Mario (Landino) has been really helpful because they've been in the system. They know the plays and the little things that have helped me become a better player, and just understand the defense better.”
That learning curve has been worth it, in Hjelle’s view, because the Hoosiers’ scheme gives the defensive line a chance to attack rather than sit and absorb blocks.
“I feel like when I was first getting recruited here, the thing that stuck out to me the most was just how active they get,” he said about the Indiana defense. “They're not sticking around, staying on blocks.
You're getting vertical, and you're trying to cause as much havoc as you can. It's really just playing off your teammates.
If one person is not winning, then you can play off of them, make them right, and vice versa. It's that's one thing that really stuck out to me when I was getting recruited here.
It is something that I enjoy.”
That comfort with moving and creating disruption fits Hjelle’s background. Before becoming a defensive tackle, he spent time on the edge in high school, and he believes that experience still shows up in his game.
“I played some defensive end in high school, and just having that experience from an edge perspective, has kind of helped me be better set up for stunts, and what's effective, and what to do and what not to do,” Hjelle said. “It's just trying to keep my teammates free and allow them to have free rushes and all that.”
He’s also been struck by the depth and flexibility in Indiana’s front, especially with Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt back in the mix.
“We're fortunate enough to have a lot of really good players, both on the edge and interior, that can play both like a defensive end, tackle, and even bump down to a nose,” he said about the D-line personnel for the Hoosiers. “We're very fortunate to have a lot of versatile guys, especially with Daley and Wyatt coming back. I feel like that it has gotten even deeper, and I'm very excited to see how that plays.”
And while the defensive scheme has taken time to learn, Hjelle says the daily work against Indiana’s offensive line has been a major boost to his development.
“Those guys are very good,” he said about the O-linemen for the Hoosiers. “It's been fun to go against them.
It's been tough, but I feel like that's probably the best part of it, because you know they're going to make me better as a player. They're going to make everyone better.
So being able to go against one of the best offensive lines in the country every single day has really helped me become a better player.”
Since arriving in January, Hjelle has also come to appreciate the way Curt Cignetti runs the program.
“So far, it's been really nice,” Hjelle said about playing for Cignetti. “I really enjoy just how structured he has everything.
Everything's with a purpose. There's no wasted time or movements.
He knows what he wants, and if you're not giving it to him the way you want, he'll let you know. Just being able to have that kind of structure and knowing where you're going 24/7, and how you're working is my favorite part about it.”
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