Hoosiers Spring Football Preview: A Wide Open Competition at Cornerback

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton) 

If you were a player looking to start in the Power Five and go against the best receiver in college football in 2023-24, Indiana figures to be a pretty good match for you. With long-time starters Tiawan Mullen and Jaylin Williams off to the NFL Draft, IU will roll two new starters out at corner when Marvin Harrison Jr. comes to town to open the season. Add in Chris Keys and Brylan Lanier hitting the portal, and IU is looking at a position group with their top four players on the depth chart last season not on the roster for 2023-24.

New co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerreri will have to rely on veteran IU cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby to bring essentially an entirely new group of corners up to speed - and fast. Besides quarterback, I personally think the position battle at corner is one of the more fascinating ones in spring and fall camp, as it is probably the most “wide open” of any group on the team. Sorting through all the newcomers and balancing experience (at other schools) versus upside will be a defining task for Coach Tom Allen this offseason. With the departures out of the way, let’s take a look at where IU’s room stands and where it needs to be by week one for Indiana to have a shot at hanging with the Buckeyes. 

The Starters – Kobee Minor & Jamier Johnson

I’ll start by saying two things - these are guesses, as this group (as I previously mentioned) is WIDE OPEN, and we still don’t even know if some of these guys will line up at corner or safety, or if they will work at both spots all season long. With that being said, for now, I’m giving the inside track at starting to two transfers that are on campus for spring ball, which could make a big difference with so many new faces. 

First up is Kobee Minor, a redshirt junior courtesy of Texas Tech. In two seasons (plus a redshirt year) he has played in 23 total games with 12 tackles and 2 PBU last year at Tech. He was originally recruited as a safety and played both positions at TTU, but our feeling at this time from what we’ve heard is that he’ll likely work at corner for at least the start of spring ball. He checks in at 6’0” 195 and his ability to play both positions made him attractive to IU’s staff when he was in the portal. Allen’s best defenses had versatile defenders on the back end, and the hope with Minor is that he can step in, continue being durable, and fill that mold of a versatile DB in IU’s 4-2-5 scheme. 

Next is Jamier Johnson, a one-time blue-chip recruit that comes to Bloomington after two seasons at Texas. While a Longhorn, Johnson appeared in 17 games and showed flashes of what made him a former top-250 recruit out of California. He has all the tools to be an NFL corner with rangy ball skills and long arms, and the hope for IU is that he stays on the field consistently and can translate his potential into production. Based on pure snaps alone at this point when compared to the rest of the guys in the room, I think Johnson would be your CB2 if the season started today. Whether or not he starts or remains a starter, Johnson will have to play solid snaps on defense if IU wants to turn their record around in 2023.

Returning Depth – James Monds III, Trevell Mullen, Jamari Sharpe

Three guys oozing with potential that all redshirted last year after playing no or minimal snaps, IU will have to rely on each of them to play tangible roles at corner and on special teams. Highly recruited and highly regarded, each of the three bring something different to the table and it will be fascinating to see how the depth chart shakes out and how each of these guys impacts the season as the year rolls along.

Monds appeared in two games last year after enrolling early and taking part in spring ball. Incredibly fast-twitch and instinctive, he was recruited as a true cover corner. As he continues developing at corner, the hope is he can line up on both sides of the field as well as in the slot and take on the other team’s best or hottest receiver at the time. In addition to playing corner, Monds is a guy that figures to get a look at returning punts and kicks and could also make a really special punt team gunner should he get looks there.

Trevell is the younger brother of Tiawan, and was a four-star recruit in the 2021 class. While he didn’t appear in a game last year, he was a two-time scout team player of the week and is a guy that could really burst onto the scene this year. The emphasis for Mullen last year was adding weight and muscle, so it will be interesting to see how he develops with a full year of both spring and summer camps on campus in Bloomington. A former top-200 recruit, Mullen is a guy that figures to see the field sooner rather than later to figure out what he can bring to the table. Last in this trio of guys is Jamari Sharpe, the fastest player on the team that also redshirt in 2022. He also has an incredibly high ceiling, and didn’t appear afraid last year in limited action. Probably better at zone than man at this point, he’s a guy that could add weight and really develop into an all-B1G type player. He’s probably flying under the radar the most of anyone in the room right now, but Sharpe is the guy I would pick to take advantage of the snaps up for grabs and make a name for himself in 2023.

Newcomers – Nicolas Toomer & Jordan Shaw

It took longer than coach Allen wanted, but he finally got Nic Toomer to Bloomington. The former Stanford Cardinal could line up at either safety or corner, which is part of why Allen wanted him so badly coming out of the 2019 class. For now, I think he sticks at corner, and could actually end up starting Week One. As mentioned at the top of this piece, I’m giving the inside track to starting jobs to guys on campus for spring ball. Toomer has a few things to finish up at Stanford before he gets to Bloomington for the summer, but his experience at Stanford should stand out immediately once he get on campus. He’s probably the most physical player at corner in the room right now - and even had a 10 tackle game (7 solos) against #3 Oregon last season. Keep an eye on Toomer this summer. 

Last, but certainly not least, is All-American Bowl participant Jordan Shaw, a one-time Deion Sanders x Colorado commit that Coach Allen flipped right before signing day. One of the most electric kick and punt returners in the high school class of 2022, Shaw is simply a playmaker, and the type of player that just seems to force himself onto the field. A California native, Shaw picked IU over a large mix of offers, including a host of Pac 12 schools. He’s another guy, similarly to James Monds III that the staff is hoping can follow a receiver all over the field during games to match up against them. Man-to-man coverage is probably his best trait at this point, so it will be interesting to see if he can get up to speed once he gets on campus this summer. With a limited number of bodies and such a lack of overall experience in the room, Shaw could be a guy that ends up playing snaps and is someone I don’t think will redshirt in 2023. 

Overall Projection - Boom, Bust, or Somewhere in the Middle? 

It’s a fascinating group overall, and one that of course will have major implications on IU’s success this season. All the players are super intriguing for their own reasons on paper, but Coaches Allen, Guerreri and Shelby will all have their work cut out for them to balance reps between the desire to sort out the depth chart while also bringing the rotational pieces along. In prior years, this has been one of Allen’s fatal flaws in regards to roster management, where he’s been too focused on getting reps for the starters and has not been as willing to play new faces. Whether he wants to do that or not this offseason may not matter, as IU will be playing almost all-new players at cornerback up and down the roster throughout the season. Only time will tell what happens, but it will be interesting to follow either way! The smart money is to say the room overall will end up somewhere in the middle, with some players playing well and some players being slightly disappointing. If IU can stay healthier at corner this year while playing more guys overall, it could make for an improved, and deeper room.