BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Aiden Fisher becomes the seventh Hoosiers to receive a national honor prior to the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, Fisher was named to the Butkus Award, an honor given annually to the nation’s top linebackers at the high school, college and professional levels. Last season, NC State’s Payton Wilson won the award.

Fisher is a 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker who transferred to Indiana in the offseason after playing two seasons at James Madison, where he played for new Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bryant Haines.

After making just five tackles as a freshman in 2022, Fisher had a breakout sophomore season with the Dukes in 2023. He led James Madison with 108 total tackles, seven pass breakups, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception. He made a career-high 17 tackles in the Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force.

Fisher played in all 13 games, starting 11 of them at linebacker. He was selected to the All-Sun Belt third team and received the Bob Yetzer Leadership Award from James Madison.

Indiana lost team captain and leading tackler Aaron Casey to the NFL, and former linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar is moving to the defensive line for the 2024 season. That leaves two starting linebacker spots up for grabs, which are expected to be filled by Fisher and fellow James Madison transfer Jailin Walker, who recently moved to the List of College Football Freaks.

Fisher helped James Madison to a 19-5 record in his first two college seasons. Now with the Hoosiers, he plans to continue that winning streak.

“Bloomington itself is a very special place,” Fisher said. “I learned that very quickly. When you go there, you see the resources Indiana has. The people of Bloomington and the surrounding area are very supportive of the program and at the end of the day, they just want a winner.”

“There’s nothing better than feeling like I and my teammates can provide them with a winning football program year after year, if I can provide them with a winner. And that’s exactly what we came here for.”

Other Hoosiers who made the waiting lists for preseason awards include James Bomba (AFCA Good Works Team nominee, Allstate Wuerffel Trophy), James Evans (Ray Guy Award), Zach Horton (John Mackey Award), D’Angelo Ponds (Lott Trophy), Elijah Sarratt (Biletnikoff Award) and Solomon Vanhorse (College Football Comeback Player of the Year).