Jay Higgins IV spent Sunday night in a familiar place, but with a very different kind of weight on his shoulders.
The Baltimore Ravens linebacker was back in Indianapolis for the 2026 season opener against the Colts, the city where he grew up watching NFL football and the place where a crowd of about 60 friends and family members came to see him after the game. Many of them were wearing No. 49 Ravens jerseys they bought as soon as they heard Baltimore was coming to town.
And Higgins gave them something to celebrate. The Ravens beat the Colts 41-23, giving the former Brebeuf Jesuit standout his first win at Lucas Oil Stadium.
For Higgins, the night carried a clear sense of arrival. He is now in his second NFL season after going undrafted, a path that looked anything but straightforward even after a decorated college career at Iowa.
There, he was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten linebacker and the 2024 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. As a rookie with Baltimore, he appeared in 11 games and finished with three solo tackles and a forced fumble.
This year, Higgins is listed as the second-string middle linebacker behind Roquan Smith, and he’s leaning into his role on special teams. But the opening kickoff in his hometown brought out everything he’d been carrying into Year 2.
"It was a full circle moment being able to come back here, playing in the National Football League," Higgins said. "You just think about all the things it took to get to this point, all the naysayers and the people who said you couldn't play at this level.
"I definitely didn't get here by myself. I'm aware of everybody who contributed along the way. I'm just grateful that they saw something in me, something that sometimes I didn't see in myself."
That gratitude runs deep for Higgins, who pointed to the people around him from the start. He specifically mentioned the staff at Brebeuf, and former Braves basketball coach Todd Howard, as key influences in his development. Howard, who came from IUPUI, brought the kind of structure and discipline Higgins says he needed as he grew as both a player and a person.
"We were well coached (at Brebeuf), (Howard) came from college and that was the level I was trying to get to," Higgins. "Just that level of coaching, that level of detail was much needed.
When I got Iowa, that's how those coaches were. ... Football-wise, the staff (at Brebeuf) gave me all the resources I needed to be the best football player, and that's exactly how Iowa was.
The scheme, the weightlifting program. You've just got to show up, do your job, keep your head down and you'll turn into a good player."
Higgins wasn’t the only former Big Ten name making a return to Lucas Oil Stadium. Former Ohio State standout Caden Curry made his NFL debut in the game and recorded one tackle for the Ravens.
For Higgins, though, the bigger picture is bigger than one Sunday in Indianapolis. He said he feels responsibility toward the next generation of athletes coming out of the area, and he wants to be someone they can look at and believe in.
"I'm always aware of the community I come from, the kids I inspire," Higgins said. "You always just want to be an inspiration to the people who believe in you.
I take that with honor; I don't take it lightly. It's my job to keep making those people who believe in me proud."
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Backup QB Problem At The Worst Time
Anthony Richardson Sr. was on the sideline Wednesday in no pads, watching drills instead of taking part in them, and that is the sort of sight the Colts can do without this time of year. Indianapolis already knows Richardsons injury history has been part of his NFL story, including the fractured orbital bone that shut down his previous season, so any missed practice rep at backup quarterback carries a little extra weight.
Rookie Riley Leonard is the next man up if Richardson cannot be available for the upcoming game, which suddenly puts the Colts in a far less comfortable spot behind the starter. It is a reminder that even a backup quarterback situation can turn into a real concern in a hurry, especially when the player expected to fill it has not been on the field and the calendar is getting tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Face A Keenan Allen Problem They Didn't Expect
The Colts thought they were simply adding a veteran receiver with a polished route tree and a history of steady production. Instead, Keenan Allen is now dealing with a legal issue after being formally charged with two misdemeanor counts tied to operating a vehicle while intoxicated following his arrest in downtown Indianapolis, a development that puts an immediate off-field distraction around one of the teams more experienced additions.
Police said Allen was taken into custody after his vehicle was spotted in a no-parking zone and he showed signs of intoxication, and the Colts have said they support him while also confirming he was hit with internal discipline. For a team trying to settle in around a new pass-catching presence, the timing is hardly ideal, and it leaves Allens status as much a storyline about accountability as it is about football. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Richardson's Absence Just Gave Colts Fans A Real Concern
Anthony Richardsons absence from Wednesdays practice was enough to jolt the Colts week, especially with no detailed explanation from the team beyond the report that he was dealing with a groin injury. For a quarterback whose status already draws close attention after his time as the preseason backup, any missed work tends to carry extra weight in Indianapolis, where every update on his development is watched closely.
Richardson remains on the active roster, which keeps the focus on what comes next rather than on any immediate roster move. Still, the lack of clarity has opened the door to plenty of speculation, whether this is simply the team being cautious with an injury or something with a wider roster angle. Until the Colts say more, the uncertainty is the story. [Read more 🡒]