Lavert Hill (24) may be the top DB IU will face in 2018(Photo: Joe Robbins, Getty)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Our 2018 season preview coverage continues here at Hoosier Huddle! Throughout the offseason, we are ranking the position groups of each of IU’s 2018 opponents and today we focus on the defensive backfield.

1. Michigan Wolverines

This is not a difficult choice as the Wolverines are loaded in the defensive backfield. They led the nation in pass efficiency defense in 2017 and only allowed 11 passing touchdowns all season. The entire starting group returns in 2018 and there is no reason to expect anything less than elite. Lavert Hill and David Long are terrific starting cornerbacks and young Ambry Thomas is a potential breakout player. Safeties Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel are very experienced as multi-year starters. The Hoosiers don’t play the Wolverines until November 17 and a mid-November contest in Ann Arbor against this secondary is as difficult as it gets.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes have to replace star corner Denzel Ward but there is little doubt they’ll reload just fine. Jordan Fuller and Damon Arnette both return as starters and it is believed the Buckeyes will roll with Kendall Sheffield and Jeffrey Okudah at corner. Young players like Isaiah Pryor, Jahsen Wint and Shaun Wade promise to be the next generation of standouts in Columbus. An elite front four and pass rush makes this secondary all the more difficult.

3. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State had one of the better defenses in the country in 2017 and they return enough pieces to make you believe 2018 could more of the same. Every starter in the secondary is back, including top cornerback paid Justin Layne and Josiah Scott. They are both long and provide a significant challenge for opposing quarterbacks. David Dowell had a very good 2017 and is expected to contend for All-Big Ten honors in 2018. The only non-elite spot is strong safety where Khari Willis is no more than solid. The Spartans are not as deep as Michigan or Ohio State but the frontline is every bit as good in the secondary.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions spot on this list is mostly speculative and a belief in their talent rather than returning production. Every starter is gone from a unit that was good but not great. In my opinion, there is a clear stepdown after the top three defenses in this conference and I’m picking Penn State’s secondary as the “best of the rest”. The leading interception man in 2017 was Amani Oruwariye and he should move from a key reserve to a starting role. The other corner is likely to be John Reid who started in 2016 but missed all of 2017 with an injury. Safety is a bit iffy but James Franklin has recruited very well and it would be a surprise if they are not at least solid in the secondary. The Hoosiers visit State College on October 20.

5. Virginia Cavaliers

The fifth team on our list is where you will find the Hoosiers most difficult non-conference opponent. While the Virginia Cavaliers will come to Bloomington as likely underdogs, they will present some difficult matchups and their secondary is probably the biggest strength for the ACC outfit from Charlottesville. The passing defense finished 40th in S&P+ in 2017 and the Cavaliers were 28th in passing success rate defense. Safety Quin Blanding is gone but every other major contributor returns. Bryce Hall and Tim Harris are a solid pair of corners and Brenton Nelson and Juan Thornhill will start at safety. The Hoosiers will be looking to establish the run early and often before testing this secondary as run defense could be an issue for UVA.

6. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

It may surprise you to see Rutgers in the top half of one of our opponent rankings but the Scarlet Knights could actually be pretty tough on defense, particularly in the secondary. If they could find any kind of consistent pass rush, this part of their squad would be elevated even higher on our list. Isaiah Wharton and Blessaun Austin are very good corners and Saquan Hampton is a senior safety with quite a bit of experience. The only issue for the Scarlet Knights in the secondary is a lack of depth, something that could come into play by the end of September.

7. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota’s run defense was hot garbage in 2017, ranking outside of the top 100 in the country. However, their pass defense was not that bad and they now get playmaking safety Antoine Winfield back from injury. He will partner with senior Jacob Huff to give the Golden Gophers a pair of very good safeties. Antonio Shenault needs to get more consistent but again, he is a senior with experience. The only non-veteran in the group is sophomore Kiondre Thomas. The Gophers don’t have much proven depth so they’ll hope to stay healthy but overall, this pass defense should be able to improve a bit on their 59th place finish from 2017.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa will probably finish in a better position than what I am projecting their secondary on this list but there are just so many question marks. Safety Brandon Snyder and cornerback Manny Rugamba both have experience (Snyder is returning from injury) but they have to replace all four starters from a season ago, including one of the best secondary playmakers in the country in Josh Jackson. Playing Iowa is always a difficult and potentially frustrating proposition but I do believe the Hawkeyes will be a bit vulnerable when they come to Bloomington in October.

9. Purdue Boilermakers

For all the talk about Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm’s offensive wizardry, the main reason for the Boilers resurgence last season was Nick Holt’s defense. The main defense for the defensive resurgence was definitely not the pass defense. While the Boilers were a top ten run defense, they labored against the pass and finished only 76th. Returning safeties Jacob Thieneman and Navon Mosley helps but the cornerback position is a huge question mark. Redshirt freshmen Dedrick Mackey and Kenneth Major are likely to start at corner and there are no proven players in the position group. Add in that this group will likely be leaned on a bit more than last season after major losses in the front seven and I think Purdue could struggle to match even last season’s top 60 performance in passing defense.

10. Maryland Terrapins

The lowest ranking conference on this list is the Maryland Terrapins. Last year’s squad was porous on defense, finishing a lowly 95th in pass defense and 111th in passing success rate. Antoine Brooks is a good player and senior Darnell Savage is solid but there are huge question marks everywhere else. I think they will probably improve on the 2017 numbers but that’s a low bar to clear and IU should be able to move the ball on this Maryland defense.

11. Florida International Panthers

The Panthers will have some talent in the back end of their defense and they should benefit from a fairly stout front four but this group is raw, inexperienced and IU will need to take advantage of that in the season opener. FIU believes they are more talented in the secondary than they have been and that’s likely the case but that talent is young and will likely be much better at the end of the season than they are when the Hoosiers invade Miami in early September.

12. Ball State Cardinals

Last but not least…well, actually, I guess I am saying they are last and the least of IU’s opponents in the secondary…the Ball State Cardinals. Athlon Sports projects the Cardinals to have the MAC’s worst secondary and I see no reason to dispute that. They were ranked 125th in S&P+ and while they do return three starters, there is little reason to believe the Cardinals will be much better in 2018. They were ravaged by injuries in 2017 but the secondary was one of the few units to be largely unaffected by the injury bug so they don’t have that excuse.

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