Ponds said he sees a bit of himself in the younger Baldwin.
It’s not too common to see freshmen on the field in college football, particularly at the higher levels of the sport. Those reps usually go to guys who’ve had more time to physically acclimate to the environment, have seen enough previous snaps or have been biding their time.
But there’s ways for a freshman to show they belong on the field in one way or another. D’Angelo Ponds didn’t just see the field as a freshman at James Madison, he started. His relentless, 24/7 work ethic made enough of an impact on the coaching staff to give him that opportunity.
Now another freshman, safety Byron Baldwin, is showing similar energy.
“He brings a lot of energy,” Ponds said. “He’s a young guy, he’s wanting to learn. I think he reminds me of myself, kinda. He asks questions about everything. He wants to learn. He’s got a lot of potential in himself, definitely see myself in him.”
There’s a bit of an interesting mix at that spot in the defense as the Hoosiers have plenty of experience from guys like Louis Moore, Bryson Bonds and Devan Boykin. It’ll take some work to break into it, but it sounds like Baldwin is doing all the right things up to this point.