2020 Position Preview – Defensive Backs
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Tiawan Mullen (3) goes up against Whop Philyor (1) in practice Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Hoosier Huddle is breaking down each position group prior to the 2020 season. Today, we look at one of the deepest and most talented groups on the roster: the defensive backs. We’ve lumped cornerbacks, safeties and the Husky position together so this preview is lengthy and there is a whole lot to cover.
Cornerback
Tiawan Mullen is the no-doubt starter but there are four players behind him that will be battling for playing time. This is a talented group but there is no clear-cut second starter as we head into the season. Lem Watley-Neely and Christopher Keys are the two incoming freshmen and they’ll look to get in the rotation as well.
-#3 – Tiawan Mullen – Sophomore –
Prior to the 2019 season, there was hype around this Florida native. Mullen was expected to be a contributor and perhaps a difference-maker that developed into a starting corner later in his career. Tiawan Mullen surpassed all expectations and was a revelation as a true freshman. He led the Big Ten in pass breakups with 13 of them and was Indiana’s best defensive player in multiple games. Mullen earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and was named to The Athletic Freshman All-American and 247Sports Freshman All-American teams. He’ll be looking to continue establishing himself as a true shutdown corner and with the schedule IU is facing, Mullen will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself against top talent. Defensive backs coach Brandon Shelby believes Mullen can avoid the sophomore slump others fall victim to: “He comes from an athletic family. He does a lot of great things and he has had a lot of press clippings. For me, I have to coach him even harder about the little things, where are his feet, his eyes, his hand placement. When he messes up, he might get 50 yards of up-downs, while someone else might only get 10. I am a lot harder on him because, at the end of the day, a lot of players that have a successful freshman year usually fall into a sophomore slump. We have to do a great job of making sure he continues to do the things that allowed him to get to this position, watching film, being critical of every little thing and the details. He is from a coaching family. He takes great coaching and has been pushed since he was a little boy. Now, as a young man, this is second nature to him. He loves football. When you get that DNA, it is awesome to coach. We just push him, hold him to a different standard and hopefully God will keep blessing him and he will keep rising like he has thus far.”
-#2 – Reese Taylor – Junior –
After transitioning from a dual-role to a full-time cornerback role, Reese Taylor began to get comfortable towards the end of the season and he started to have an impact on the field. On October 19, Taylor intercepted an overthrown pass in the final minute to seal IU’s 34-28 victory at Maryland. He then started the final game of the regular season against Purdue. We know Taylor is athletic. Training camp will be about developing consistency in coverage as he tries to grab the starting spot across from Mullen.
-#23 – Jaylin Williams – Junior –
Raheem Layne started the first five games of the season. Jaylin Williams took his place and started seven of the final eight. He posted 19 tackles with one interception and three pass breakups and was generally solid on coverage. Williams doesn’t have the size Layne offers but he’s quicker and I believe the ceiling for his production is higher than Layne’s. Again, that second starting cornerback spot is open and Williams is a contender for it that needs a strong camp to solidify his claim for playing time.
-#13 – Larry Tracy – Redshirt Freshman –
Tracy, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis, played in only one game in 2019 so the 2020 season will essentially be his first. I like Tracy’s size and he has the frame to be a physical corner. Mullen is the only corner that I feel has locked himself into a starting position. Defensive backs coach Brandon Shelby spoke to the media on September 29 and said the following, “one guy that really keeps doing a great job is Larry Tracy III. He keeps making plays. As a freshman, he was kind of scatter-brained, but you can understand that. He has locked in, gotten into the college, started to understand the flows of college and he is locked into football. I see a totally different change in him on and off the field. I am excited for him and the process he is doing to give himself an opportunity to go play. I know in that family that football is important, and I think that he is settling into who he is on and off the football field. I am really excited for the future for him.”
#19 – Josh Sanguinetti – Redshirt Freshman –
The redshirt freshman from Florida was a late addition to the 2019 recruiting class. He appeared in the wins over Eastern Illinois and Connecticut and then redshirted last season. Sanguinetti has good length and athleticism and was a first-team all-state selection in Florida. He recovered from an injury during the offseason and has made the switch from safety to cornerback, something I think suits his frame very well and his length could make him a dynamic addition to this unit. How quickly he adapts to the position will determine how much time he sees in 2020.
#7 – Christopher Keys – Freshman
Keys is a freshman with the frame you really want in a corner. He has good length and has impressed Tom Allen early. “Chris Keys is another one that has caught my eye,” Allen told the media. “From a small town in Mississippi, so it was kind of a major culture change coming up to Indiana. I think he’s got a chance to be really special. He’s lean but he’s got a good frame and good muscular structure to gain good weight. He is extremely talented athletically and I think he’s got a huge ceiling to get to.” I think Keys will be getting some snaps later on in the season.
#12 – Lem Watley-Neely – Freshman
The speedster from Michigan was a big get for the Hoosiers and I think he could see a spot on special teams sooner than later. He is a versatile player but the Hoosiers like him at defensive back. “Lem Watley-Neely is another one,” Tom Allen said. “He played both sides of the football in high school. We recruited him as a defensive back and I think he’s got a lot of potential.”
Safety
I really like the potential of the safety group but the Hoosiers need more from this position in 2020 if they are to reach their ceiling as a team. A number of very different types of players give the coaches quite a bit of versatility. The Hoosiers only added one safety in the 2019 class but that one guy (Bryson Bonds) has a real chance to be a factor before too long.
-#5 – Juwan Burgess – Redshirt Junior –
Juwan Burgess Image: Indiana University Athletics
Juwan Burgess had what could best be described as a successful 2019 season. He started seven games at strong safety and played in all 13 contests. The redshirt junior had 29 tackles with two pass breakups and he added two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Burgess has not been great in coverage but he is a solid tackler and has the ability to make plays (see the key fumble recoveries at Maryland and at Nebraska). Burgess is a strong candidate to start at strong safety and he will certainly be in the rotation.
#22 – Jamar Johnson – Junior –
A junior from Sarasota, Florida, Jamar Johnson had an impactful sophomore season. He had 25 tackles with three sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups as he played in all 13 contests and started one game at the husky position. Johnson’s two biggest plays came at the end of the season as he intercepted a pass in the end zone against Purdue and intercepted a pass against Tennessee and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown in the Gator Bowl. Johnson was a safety during freshman season but moved to husky before his sophomore campaign in the spring of 2019. With a year of experience under his belt, it will be very interesting to see if he can unseat Marcelino Ball at the position. This is a position battle to watch.
-#21 – Noah Pierre – Redshirt Sophomore –
Pierre redshirted the 2018 season and didn’t see the field much early in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. However, he started to gain some traction and ended up appearing in ten games. Pierre is a physical tackler that needs to show some progress in camp to move up ahead of more established veterans.
-#1 – Devon Matthews – Junior –
Devon “Monster” Matthews (1) Image: Indiana University Athletics
“Monster” Matthews posted 37 tackles with two pass break-ups as he started six games and appeared in all 13 contests. During the bowl game against Tennessee, Matthews had a pair of pass break-ups. Matthews is a physical safety and he will be a major factor in the competition for playing time at this position.
-#30 – Jordan Jusevitch – Redshirt Sophomore –
A native of Lowell, Indiana, Jusevitch was a finalist for the 2017 Indiana Mr. Football award but he has played very sparingly thus far in his IU career. He redshirted the 2018 season and then appeared briefly in only three contests in 2019. This is a big camp for Jusevitch and he needs to show the staff that he deserves a spot in the rotation at safety or as a contributor on special teams.
#17 – Raheem Layne – Senior –
The only senior in the rotation, Raheem Layne switched from corner to safety prior to the abbreviated spring practices. He was named IU’s special teams player of the year after the 2019 season and he started the first five games of the 2019 season before giving way to younger corners. Given his physical nature and solid tackling skills, this could be a nice move for the final season of Layne’s career as he was clearly going to be below a few guys at corner.
#24 – Bryson Bonds – Freshman –
A true freshman from Crowley, Texas, Bonds was a top target at safety for the IU coaching staff for much of the previous recruiting cycle. He was an incredibly productive high school player, amassing 300 tackles during his prep career. Bonds is viewed as a physical in-the-box safety that I thought would be crowded out of the rotation this season by returning players but Tom Allen’s recent words have me thinking otherwise: “Bryson Bonds has come in here and has been one of the surprises of Fall Camp. He’s very polished with his technique and his understanding of the game. He’s a quick learner and he has a really high football IQ. He is already learning two positions, which is crazy for a true freshman. He has adapted well.” I now assume the newcomer from Texas will be getting some snaps and I would hazard a guess that he is ahead of Jusevitch, Layne and possible Pierre but time will tell.
Husky
#9 – Marcelino Ball – Redshirt Senior –
The most experienced player in the Indiana secondary, or on IU’s defense as a whole, was scheduled to be back for his final campaign. A torn ACL has now cost him this season. Ball will have the option of returning for 2021’s season if he chooses to do so.
-#31 – Bryant Fitzgerald – Redshirt Junior –
After a terrific redshirt freshman season in 2018, Bryant Fitzgerald was expected to compete for All-Big Ten honors in 2019. However, things never quite seemed to click for IU’s starting free safety. He was fine but the impact wasn’t felt the same way it was in 2018. Fitzgerald recorded 27 tackles with three pass breakups in five starts at free safety. Fitzgerald has shown the potential to be much better and much more consistent and I think it is tremendously important for IU’s defense that Fitzgerald reaches his 2018 level again. With Ball’s injury, Fitzgerald becomes a critical piece as the new starting Husky.
Other candidates for time at the Husky include D.K. Bonhomme (converting from LB) and perhaps freshman Bryson Bonds or even an athlete like Cam Williams in a very tight pinch.
Walk-Ons
The walk-ons are difficult to place into position groups but I am going to mention each of them here. Joseph Daniels received a bit of playing time as a redshirt freshman and has a chance to earn some special teams snaps moving forward. Gabe Cohen, Dekaleb Thomas, Nicholas Grieser, Jeremy Boyd and Samuel Slusher round out the walk-ons. Slusher appeared in 11 games on special teams last season while the others played sparingly.
Predictions
We have basically zero information since the 2019 season ended so making any predictions is even more of a crapshoot than usual. However, we strive to give the people what they want. I will guess the first team corners when the Hoosiers take on Penn State will be Tiawan Mullen and Reece Taylor followed by Josh Sanguinetti and Jaylin Williams. Larry Tracy and Chris Keys will see the field as well as IU will need at least five reliable defensive backs. At safety, I’ll go with starters of Jamar Johnson and Juwan Burgess. Devon Matthews is going to play a bunch as well and I think Bryson Bonds is in the rotation. Bryant Fitzgerald is going to start at Husky and DK Bonhomme seems likely to play in run situations. The IU secondary is about as talented of a defensive back group as I can remember having in Bloomington. It’s a good thing because the schedule is loaded with good quarterbacks and top-notch pass-catchers.