MIAMI BEACH, Fla. –– On the opening snap of Indiana football’s Peach Bowl matchup against Oregon, defensive back D’Angelo Ponds laid the foundation for what became a 56-22 victory.
The junior lined up opposite Oregon senior wide receiver Malik Benson. Ponds sidestepped to his right as Benson broke to the sideline. The Indiana defensive back jumped to the football, securing it for an interception and running 25 yards to the endzone.
After running out of the back of the endzone, Ponds stopped with his fists at his hip, before holding up an Oregon “O” and breaking it in the air. The Indiana-heavy crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium enamored Ponds with cheers as he celebrated.
“I seen the quarterback eyes, read it, jumped it and made a great play on the ball,” Ponds said during Media Day on Saturday. “Just to see the crowd going crazy, knowing it was all red in the stands, it was a great feeling just to have that effect on the game.”
While Indiana will likely face a less friendly crowd in Miami Gardens, Florida, for its College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the University of Miami on Monday, Ponds still regains a sense of familiarity.
Ponds grew up a five-minute drive away from Hard Rock Stadium, where the Hoosiers seek their first national title in program history.
“I feel like I watched a lot of games get played in that stadium growing up,” Ponds said Saturday. “I would say it’s definitely a full circle moment to be in my hometown. Not even just that but the stadium I grew up five minutes away from. Like I drove past the stadium probably every day going to school.”
Playing against the Hurricanes presents another “full circle” moment for Ponds. The defensive back played football with “at least probably 10” current Miami players growing up, though he couldn’t give a specific count.
Perhaps most notably of these is Miami freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney. Ponds and Toney played for the same football program growing up –– the Washington Park Buccaneers.
Toney attended the same high school as Miami junior running back and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, Mark Fletcher Jr. The two went to American Heritage Schools, Broward Campus prior to playing together at the collegiate level.
Meanwhile, Ponds attended Chaminade Madonna College Preparatory School, where he earned a three-star rating as a prospect before committing to James Madison University.
The two high schools played against one another in 2022. In the game, Fletcher dominated on the ground, rushing for 194 yards, while Toney –– a freshman at the time –– reeled in 36 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the duo’s efforts, Ponds and Chaminade Madonna emerged victorious, defeating American Heritage by eight points. Now, Ponds looks to earn a victory against the now-Miami weapons on college football’s biggest stage.
Toney and Fletcher have each played a key role in Miami’s national championship run as the No. 10 seed. The former caught the Hurricanes’ game-winning touchdown pass against Texas A&M University on Dec. 20, and secured five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against the University of Mississippi on Jan. 8. Meanwhile, Fletcher has run for 395 yards across three CFP games.
“He has no weaknesses in his game,” Ponds said about Toney Saturday. “He's a guy who they get the ball in space and can make you miss at any time. He has great contact, balance. He's versatile.”
The trio of Florida natives praised the culture of South Florida’s football scene during Media Day Saturday.
“Like you said, neighborhood games are big in South Florida,” Ponds said. “I feel like all kids growing up, that's all we know is football. So like we got maybe a park that, like, another state probably won't have that many people there. But our games here in South Florida, for Little League, it's a lot of support. I would say it's at least 5,000 people on the park supporting kids.”
With Ponds likely declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft after the season, the end of his collegiate career could come to a close in the very place his football journey began –– playing youth football in South Florida.
“I would say my thoughts was a great opportunity just to play in front of home crowd,” Ponds said. “I was really thinking about all the tickets I might have to get for my family as well. But it's just a great opportunity and it’s just a blessing to be here.”
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.
