How D'Angelo Ponds is learning to lead with more than just his play

D’Angelo Ponds doesn’t say much. He never really has.

When he first arrived at James Madison in 2023, he barely spoke a word. Quiet, reserved and almost shy, he preferred to let his play speak volumes rather than raise his voice.

In interviews, he still speaks softly, often glancing around the room, rarely holding eye contact for long. Teammates say he’s never been the loudest in the locker room. Sometimes, you wouldn’t hear him at all.

But now, as Indiana gears up for the 2025 season, the All-American cornerback is finding his voice — and learning to use it.

“My leadership style is more of a lead-by-example type of guy,” Ponds said Thursday after fall practice. “I’m getting to be more vocal.”

It’s a shift that hasn’t come easily for Ponds, whose success on the field has always been rooted in execution, not expression.

At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, he doesn’t tower over anyone physically. He doesn’t celebrate with over-the-top theatrics or call attention to himself. But when he lines up on the outside, he dominates — with quiet intensity, unmatched footwork and a competitive edge that few can match.

“I’m very competitive,” Ponds said. “I don’t want a receiver to catch any balls. I don’t like catches, and my coaches don’t like catches. I’m going at [the receivers] every play and competing.”

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He’s not just talking. He backs it up.

In 2024, his first season in Bloomington after transferring from JMU along with head coach Curt Cignetti, Ponds cemented his status as one of the top defensive backs in the country.

He started 12 games — the only one he missed was due to a targeting call the previous week — and posted 55 total tackles, nine pass breakups and three interceptions. Two of those picks came in a marquee matchup against Washington. Quarterbacks largely avoided him, which only made his film more impressive.

Ponds was named a consensus second-team All-American, a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the top-graded corner in the conference by Pro Football Focus.

His performance caught the attention of NFL scouts, and ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller even pegged him as a first-round pick in his early 2026 mock draft, sending him to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 28 overall.

That kind of recognition, though, hasn’t changed who Ponds is.

“He’s just smooth,” defensive end Mikail Kamara said last week at Big Ten Media Days. “He doesn’t let anything affect him. He doesn’t let media attention or anything affect him. He cares about his work. You watch his film — he does his work and sets out to be the best.”

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That work ethic has never been in question. What’s evolving is how Ponds approaches leadership. And that started with a push from teammates like Kamara and linebacker Aiden Fisher.

Fisher has been alongside Ponds for his entire collegiate career. He remembers the early days — when Ponds barely spoke and kept to himself, always locked in but never vocal.

“When he first got to JMU, he wouldn’t say a word,” Fisher said. “He was quiet, just put his head down and worked. But now, he’s trying to be more vocal.”

“I mess with him and tell him that [lead-by-example] doesn’t even exist,” Fisher added with a grin. “He’s got to use his voice more.”

That challenge has resonated. This summer, Ponds has made it a point to step outside his comfort zone. He’s started watching Fisher and Kamara more closely — not just for how they play, but how they lead.

“I definitely learn a lot from those guys,” Ponds said. “Especially from a leadership aspect.”

There was one moment last season when Ponds realized the time had come to step up vocally. It was during an early October game against Northwestern.

Indiana was undefeated heading into the matchup, but the defense was struggling. Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch had thrown for 191 yards and two touchdowns by the early fourth quarter, carving up Indiana’s secondary more than any other quarterback had to that point in the season.

That’s when Ponds stepped in — not with his play, but with his voice.

“I kinda stepped up and got the team together and told the defensive back group that we need to step it up a little bit,” he said. “That was the changing point for me.”

The defense responded. Northwestern finished the game completing just six of its final 15 passes, and Indiana walked away with another win. For Ponds, the moment was bigger than the stat line.

“It’s different for me — being more vocal in my room and on the team,” he said. “But I’m adapting to it. It’s definitely been a challenge, but I’m getting better at it.”

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On a rainy Thursday morning in Bloomington during the second day of fall camp, the Hoosiers were forced inside to Mellencamp Pavilion.

As the team worked through dynamic warmups, Ponds stood at the front of his group on the 40-yard line. He wasn’t yelling or barking orders. But as each defensive back jogged by, he gave a quick high-five. No words, just action — the D’Angelo Ponds way.

Those in his line included veteran NC State transfer Devan Boykin, redshirt freshman Dontre Henderson and true freshman Jaylen Bell.

Whether or not Ponds mumbled something under his breath as they passed isn’t clear — if he did, it wasn’t audible to the media standing about 15 yards away.

Later, as the team gathered for their end-of-warmup breakdown, Ponds was front and center again — one of three players leading the team through pushups and situps before position groups split off. Even when he doesn’t speak, his teammates follow.

Ponds isn’t flashy. On Thursday, it was just his All-American self — a crimson jersey, a helmet strapped up, and a towel hanging from his shorts.

What makes Ponds different isn’t just the way he plays — it’s the way he leads. Quietly, humbly, and now, just a little more vocally.

He doesn’t need to talk to be heard. But now, he’s learning that sometimes, a voice — even a quiet one — can make just as big an impact as a play.

And in 2025, D’Angelo Ponds is making sure his does.