After Monday’s practice, Curt Cignetti said, “You really don’t count on freshmen helping your team,” but he has a freshman who is ready to compete—and compete right away. Byron Baldwin Jr., a 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety from Baltimore, is just a freshman, but he’s already made his presence known in the defensive back room. Baldwin has […]
After Monday’s practice, Curt Cignetti said, “You really don’t count on freshmen helping your team,” but he has a freshman who is ready to compete—and compete right away.
Byron Baldwin Jr., a 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety from Baltimore, is just a freshman, but he’s already made his presence known in the defensive back room. Baldwin has the tools to succeed at the highest level, and he might be able to contribute immediately.
During fall camp, Baldwin has impressed. He’s looked great in footwork and coverage drills, and he’s worked with the first unit when the defense has done full-team drills. That’s rare for a freshman, but Baldwin is a rarity himself due to his ability and maturity as a first-year player.
“He’s definitely one of those young guys that’s ready to play right now,” Amare Ferrell said after Tuesday’s practice.
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As another member of Indiana’s safety unit, Ferrell has been able to watch Baldwin grow both mentally and physically, and he’s liked what he’s seen. Ferrell wouldn’t say just any freshman is ready to play right now, so it’s clear that Baldwin has been working hard every day of practice.
Ferrell mentioned that Baldwin’s goal during fall camp should be to “just make sure he does everything, you know, to the standard. Make sure you do everything the right way, you know. Since he’s a freshman, you know, we want to make sure, you know, he comes in ready to play, ready to practice.”
In the short time that the Hoosiers have been back in action, Baldwin has seemingly hit every mark, allowing him to compete for Indiana’s “rover” position. While he’s still not an expected starter, conversations have begun because of how much work he’s put in.
Fall camp began last week, but Baldwin was turning heads well before that. He had an impressive spring and specifically made a name for himself during Indiana’s spring game last April.
After the game, Cignetti mentioned that one of the standout players was “certainly Byron Baldwin,” adding: “He flies around, got a lot of talent, likes contact, good ball skills.”
This is praise in the highest degree, as Cignetti doesn’t expect all that much from his youngsters production-wise because they’re usually focused on development—but Baldwin is different.
On Monday, Cignetti said, “The main thing would be maturity level and being able to handle all of the things, especially when school starts. Handling success and failure, being consistent, having good habits and not getting caught up in things that freshmen get caught up in. We’ve got a couple of freshmen doing fairly well, but we will see where we are at.”
Baldwin’s maturity level appears to be where it needs to be. While other freshmen may still be juggling the nuances of being a college football player, Baldwin has shown he’s where he needs to be.
“You know, he’s always asking questions in the meetings,” Ferrell said.
Other freshmen might be simply going through the motions to begin their careers—trying to avoid making a fool of themselves and focusing solely on developing with hopes of seeing the field their sophomore year. This couldn’t be further from Baldwin’s reality.
That’s not to say the freshman from Baltimore doesn’t have anything to work on—because he certainly does—but the trajectory he appears to be on is different. He looks and acts like a player that’s been through a college football season before, except he hasn’t.
What he has been through, though, is spring ball, which has reportedly been a godsend for the safety. Cignetti mentioned just how important it was, and it’s clear that Baldwin has benefited greatly from it.
“Big-time benefit to go through the winter program, spring ball. It’s like they’ve been through it and they’re a sophomore in some ways, so I think we’re seeing that in a couple guys who are with us right now,” Cignetti explained.
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Baldwin certainly falls into the category that Indiana’s head coach mentioned, as with his mental and physical ability being visibly much further along compared to the rest of Indiana’s freshman class, he’s a clear-cut favorite to be Indiana’s most impactful rookie.
For Baldwin, continuing to get better each and every day will be key, but where he’s at right now is an incredible sign for Hoosier fans. Like Cignetti mentioned, freshmen playing early on in their careers is rare, but it’s not impossible.
Byron Baldwin has an opportunity to prove that, as he’s shown during fall camp that he’s ready to help Indiana win football games right away.
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Category: General Sports
