With 10:30 remaining in Indiana football’s dominant 56-6 victory over UCLA on Oct. 25, the Hoosiers’ defense dropped back into pass coverage. UCLA redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava scanned the field before firing a pass into the middle.
But Indiana safety Devan Boykin read it.
The sixth-year redshirt senior jumped in front of Iamaleava’s throw to secure an interception. Members of the Indiana defense embraced the safety on their way to the sideline, while Boykin clutched the ball tightly — a memento from his first interception as a Hoosier and his first since Nov. 25, 2023.
During his weekly media availability Monday, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti tabbed Boykin as the Hoosiers’ “defensive player of the game” for his performance against the Bruins. In addition to the interception, Boykin tied for second on the team with seven tackles last Saturday — a season high.
“And you know, Boykin’s a really smart player,” Cignetti said. “He can play all three safety positions. He's a good tackler, good cover guy.”
Before performing at the college level, Boykin was a dual-sport athlete at Ragsdale High School in North Carolina, where he starred in football and basketball. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native averaged 16.3 points per game on the hardwood during his junior year, and those skills translated onto the turf.
“Just anticipation,” Boykin said during player availability Tuesday. “Being able to play the lanes and, like I said, just being able to stay in front of people.”
Boykin was a three-star recruit coming out of Ragsdale and was named a top-30 prospect in North Carolina by 247Sports. The safety committed to North Carolina State University in 2019 for football, where he spent five seasons. During his time with the Wolfpack, Boykin appeared in 45 games with 20 starts.
In 2023, Boykin started 11 games for the Wolfpack and finished the campaign with three interceptions — the sixth most in the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, the then-junior suffered a knee injury during a practice before the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl. This injury forced Boykin to miss the entire 2024 season.
Despite Boykin’s injury and lengthy absence, Cignetti remained steadfast in pursuing him in the portal.
“It was very like he wanted me,” Boykin said Tuesday. “He wanted me here. He was going to do anything in his power to get me here.”
Boykin reciprocated Cignetti’s feelings during the transfer process and his visit to Bloomington in January.
“Yeah, so when I got into the portal, they were one of the teams that hit me up,” Boykin said. “And then, when I came up here on a visit, it was kind of like as soon as they picked me up from the airport, I don’t know, I kind of got a feeling like this might be where I need to be.”
Upon committing to Indiana, Boykin wasted no time learning the system and playbook. But it took time for him to figure out his role within a secondary unit that also features junior safety Amare Ferrell and sixth-year redshirt senior safety Louis Moore.
However, Boykin’s versatility has helped him carve out a key role in the secondary to start 2025. The sixth-year redshirt senior ranks fifth on the Hoosiers with 29 total tackles, while adding four pass break ups, which is tied for second most.
Indiana experienced inconsistencies and miscommunications on the back end of their defense to start Big Ten play. The Hoosiers allowed long touchdowns through the air against both Illinois on Sept. 20 and Oregon on Oct. 11, but the recent play from Boykin has helped solidify their secondary unit.
“I think it’s just a lot of the things that we do on defense, as far as disguise and just kind of confusing the quarterback,” Boykin said. “I think our ability to kind of fly around and show different coverages and play man, you know, I think that really helps us.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
