Defense get big lift from transfer

Junior linebacker Paul Szczesny had a choice. When it came time to choose a school to continue his football career he had options: He could have been a Trojan, a Sooner, a Bruin or a Badger. Instead he decided to become a Hoosier, and the coaching staff and he couldn't be happier with the decision, he said.\nSzczesny (pronounced Skez-nee) thought about staying out West, but his Niles, Ill., roots brought him back to the Midwest as he began to consider schools in the heartland of America.\nSzczesny's long-standing relationship with the IU staff -- former defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tim Kish recruited Szczesny at Niles Notre Dame high school -- is one of the reasons he decided on coming to Bloomington, he said.\n"IU was one of the first schools to offer, so I decided to take one of my visits there," Szczesny said. "I love the atmosphere on campus and I wanted to play Big Ten football. One of the main reasons (I came) was because I thought I could come in and make a difference."\nSzczesny has been making a difference indeed.He is currently ranked third on the team with 22 tackles and 15th in the conference averaging 7.3 tackles per game.\nAs a three-star prospect by www.Rivals.com and after a standout freshman season at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., many top schools pursued Szczesny, including the University of Southern California and the University of Washington. In his freshman season, Szczesny registered 100 tackles, three interceptions and five sacks. In the process, he garnered first team All-West region honors and named to first team All-American by www.jcfootball.com.\nDuring his sophomore season he collected 89 tackles, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.\nBy graduating early from Pima CC, Szczesny got an advance start on the division one college scene by enrolling in classes at IU in January and playing in the annual Cream-and-Crimson spring football game.\nGetting a jump on the major college football scene has benefited him, allowing him to learn a defensive system, IU linebackers' coach Dino Mangiero said.\n"He has a pretty good understanding of the system, and having him in the spring was a big plus because it allowed him to learn quicker," Mangiero said. "Paul is 100 percent football all the time. Everything he does during the day is to make himself a better football player. From hydration to nutrition -- everything he does."\nThough much of Szczesny's focus revolves around epitomizing a Big Ten defensive player -- hard-nosed and blue collar -that doesn't mean he's all business, fellow junior linebacker Kyle Killion said.\n"Paul is a good guy, and he is funny," Killion said. "He's a jokester, he's got a little character to him and everyone likes him."\nGoing the junior college route has allowed Szczesny to become more mature on the field and off, which has added to his success through the first three games as a Hoosier.\nEach game has meant more success for Szczesny. Against Central Michigan University, he recorded two tackles; against the University of Oregon, Szczesny notched nine tackles in addition to a key fumble recovery; and last week, facing border rival University of Kentucky, Szczesny improved by collecting 11 tackles. \nWith Big Ten conference play beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. against Michigan State, having the intangibles to compete in the conference will be important, Mangiero said.\n"To be a linebacker in this league, you got to be an aggressive guy," Mangiero said. "(You) have to be a guy that really cares about football and doing all the little things right, and that is Paul."\nWith the 2-1 start going into the Big Ten schedule, it has surprised some, but Szczesny expected good things when he signed his letter-of-intent, he said. \n"Just talking to (IU) coach (Gerry) DiNardo, the direction he wanted to turn the program to and felt strongly to winning again, I wanted to be a part of that," Szczesny said. "Like I've been telling everybody when I came here and knowing the guys that are here and were coming back that we would be a good team. It is everything I expected so far."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu .