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Devan Boykin delivers defining defensive performance in Indiana’s Rose Bowl rout of Alabama

Browning Headshotby: Zach Browning01/02/26ZachBrowning17

D’Angelo Ponds might have been named the Rose Bowl’s Defensive MVP, but the most valuable player on the Hoosiers’ defense Thursday was someone else entirely.

That distinction belonged to safety Devan Boykin.

On the biggest stage of Indiana’s 2025 campaign, in a Rose Bowl filled with history and expectation, Boykin delivered the most complete performance of his season. Against an Alabama program built on speed and precision, the redshirt senior played fast, physical and relentless, anchoring one of the most dominant defensive displays the Hoosiers produced all season in a 38-3 dismantling of the Crimson Tide.

“It was amazing, one of the best experiences you could ever have,” Boykin said postgame. “For us to come in here and dominate the way we did was just amazing.”

MORE: Indiana’s Rose Bowl win over Alabama just a ‘stepping stone’ in chase for perfection

Boykin was everywhere. He finished tied for a team-high seven tackles, added a sack and led Indiana with three tackles for loss — all of which tied or exceeded previous season highs. Alabama’s attempts to slow the Hoosiers with quick throws and screen passes were met by Boykin’s sudden arrival, each stop snuffing out momentum before it could form. Time after time, when the Tide searched for space, Boykin erased it.

“He’s always had that in him,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “He played elite football today. He’s special and he showed it.”

The night stood apart not just because of the opponent or the score, but because of how sharply Boykin played within Indiana’s defensive structure. This was not a performance built on risk or improvisation. It was one built on trust and execution, the kind that allows a defender to play fast, decisive and free.

“He puts us in the best positions to be successful,” Boykin said of defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. “[I was] just doing my job — doing my 1/11th — and making the plays that come to me.”

That belief allowed Boykin to attack without hesitation. Every read was immediate. Every angle was clean. He didn’t overextend or chase highlights. Instead, he punished mistakes, closed windows and set a physical tone that Alabama never escaped. On a night when Indiana’s defense overwhelmed one of college football’s most decorated programs, Boykin’s fingerprints were all over the game.

The magnitude of the moment never altered his approach. Boykin didn’t change his routine. He didn’t seek extra motivation. The stage simply demanded his best, and he delivered it.

“We say it all the time, big time players make big time plays in big time games,” Boykin said. “So we expect to play at this high of a level, especially in these high value games.”

Rose Bowl Postgame Q&A: Curt Cignetti, players react to Indiana’s win over Alabama

Indiana’s defense played as if it expected dominance, not hoped for it. Boykin embodied that belief, elevating his play to meet the moment as the Hoosiers suffocated Alabama from the opening drive to the final whistle.

When the night ended, the Defensive MVP award went to Ponds, another cornerstone of Indiana’s secondary. Boykin didn’t flinch at the distinction.

Ponds might have claimed the trophy, but Boykin authored one of Indiana’s defining defensive performances of the season on its biggest stage. In a Rose Bowl that will be remembered for its domination and disbelief, Boykin didn’t need the hardware to feel like an MVP.

“That’s my brother,” Boykin said. “If he wins it, I win it.”

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