Next up in our series of Indiana football position previews is the cornerbacks.
The Hoosiers have a new voice in the cornerback room for the first time in a long time. Brandon Shelby joined IU’s staff as cornerbacks coach when Kevin Wilson was hired as head coach in 2011, and he stayed in Bloomington through Wilson’s five years leading the program as well as Tom Allen’s full seven-year tenure at the helm. But Curt Cignetti opted to go another direction and brought in Rod Ojong from Charlotte.
IU lost several starters and contributors at cornerback from last year, but bring back some key names who will play bigger roles this year. But the returnees have been overshadowed by one of Indiana’s most important transfer portal additions at any position for this year’s team.
Prior previews:
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Kobee Minor (transfer — Memphis)
- Jordan Shaw (transfer — Washington)
- James Monds III (transfer — Middle Tennessee State)
- Drew Pearce
Roster turnover — who’s back
- Jamier Johnson (redshirt junior)
- JoJo Johnson (redshirt junior)
- Jamari Sharpe (redshirt sophomore)
- Aaron Stewart (walk-on, redshirt sophomore)
- Luke Haupert (walk-on, redshirt freshman)
- Jaz Boykin (walk-on, redshirt freshman)
- Lincoln Murff (walk-on, redshirt freshman)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- D’Angelo Ponds (transfer — James Madison)
- Cedarius Doss (transfer — Austin Peay)
- Jah Jah Boyd (3-star, Philadelphia)
- Josh Philostin (3-star, Palm Beach, Fla.)
- Dontrae Henderson (3-star, Charlotte, N.C.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s starters at cornerback and who the other key players will be.
- Cornerback starter: D’Angelo Ponds, sophomore, 5-foot-9, 170 pounds (10 career starts at JMU)
- Cornerback starter: Jamier Johnson, redshirt junior, 5-foot-11, 181 pounds (four career starts at Texas and IU)
- Jamari Sharpe, redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-1, 187 pounds (nine career starts at IU)
- Cedarius Doss, sixth-year senior, 5-foot-8, 179 pounds (15 career starts at Austin Peay)
- JoJo Johnson, redshirt junior, 6 foot, 184 pounds
Ponds is locked in as Indiana’s No. 1 cornerback. Jamier Johnson has run with the first-team defense enough in fall camp that it appears likely he’ll start on the other side, but there’s less absolute certainty with that than Ponds. Sharpe started for the Hoosiers for most of last season, but he was frequently a liability. Doss was successful in FCS, and Pro Football Focus graded him among the top cornerbacks in the country last season when compared to FBS players. But he’ll still have to prove he can maintain his high caliber of play at this higher level. JoJo Johnson played in a limited role at IU last year, and has battled injury in fall camp. The Hoosiers switched Nic Nic Toomer from cornerback to safety in the spring, and while he’s transitioned to the new spot well, he could potentially move back to cornerback at some point if Indiana needs him there more for any reason.
Quotable
Aiden Fisher on D’Angelo Ponds:
“First, he’s a great football player. He’s also a great person who has the same goals as a lot of us, just to be the best at their position, and I think that’s what makes him so great. He loves the game and he puts a lot of time and dedication into it, and he’s always working at his craft. And I think that’s really shown as he was freshman All-American, so he just believes in himself a lot, he puts in a lot of work on the outside of things.”
Curt Cignetti on Jamier Johnson:
“He’s got talent, he’s got the ability to be a really good football player. He’s got to prove it on the field, stay on the field, and play consistently, day in and day out.”
D’Angelo Ponds on the defensive scheme and how cornerbacks fit into it:
“I feel like, the way the scheme’s set up, the corners are really on an island. So that’s why it’s big on technique. If you don’t trust your technique on an island, and you’re by yourself — you’re literally by yourself — so you’ve got to trust your technique.”
Why it will work
For Indiana’s cornerback room to reach its potential this year, Ponds must live up to the hype. He’s backed it up so far through fall camp, as he’s been one of the most impressive and buzz-worthy players across the entire roster. He was outstanding as a freshman last season at JMU, grading among the top 10 cornerbacks in the country on Pro Football Focus. If Ponds seamlessly transitions to the Big Ten, he could be one of the best defensive backs in the conference this year. Aside from him, IU needs steps forward from guys like Jamier Johnson, JoJo Johnson, Doss and Sharpe. There’s plenty of talent there; if those guys can capitalize on it under the new coaching staff, Indiana could be strong at cornerback this season.
Why it won’t
It’s basically the opposite of everything above. Indiana’s cornerback room is relying on a lot of young players with a few veterans that lack FBS experience. That creates plenty of questions about how well everything will hold up. If things don’t go according to plan for one or more players on the depth chart, Indiana could have some problems. Particularly, if Ponds takes a step back, that would be a major issue. There’s little reason to think that will happen, based on fall camp, but he wouldn’t be the first exciting young player coming off a big year to have trouble building on it.
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