Written by: TJ Inman
The past few seasons for the Indiana secondary have not been kind. After a lot of hype and excitement surrounding a returning young core, the potential was never realized and Indiana gave up average passer ratings of 143.62 in 2023 and a shockingly bad 152.42 in 2022. Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines retained some of IU’s returning secondary players and hit the transfer portal to upgrade at both cornerback and safety. IU needs to create more takeaways in the secondary and make life more difficult for opposing passing attacks.
Today’s preview takes a look at three different position groups: cornerback, safety and rover. All three can be lumped into one “secondary” or “defensive back” grouping and there are a lot of questions about who is going to play where and how the rotation will shake out so buckle up.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7619863708793338
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Cornerback
-D’Angelo Ponds – Sophomore – 5’9”/170 pounds
The sophomore from Miami transferred to IU from James Madison and the hype around him is very real. He was a Freshman All-American after joining the Dukes as an unheralded recruit. That was likely due to his size as he is listed at only 5’9” and 170 pounds, less than ideal for a corner. Cignetti and Haines clearly believed in him though and plugged him into the lineup right away and he did not disappoint. Ponds was credited for 15 passes defended in 2023, a number that placed him 11th nationally. He has been dubbed “Big Ten Defensive Newcomer of the Year” by College Football News and Curt Cignetti praised Ponds to the media during fall camp, saying, “I don’t know if we’ve beat him yet on a pass route”. Ponds is an ultra-competitive player and he continues to prove doubters wrong. He’ll be a day one starter at corner for the Hoosiers and could be an All-Big Ten caliber corner for the next couple of seasons.
-Jamier Johnson – Redshirt Junior – 5’11”/181 pounds
Can Jamier Johnson stay healthy? There was a lot of excitement around the Texas transfer last season but he missed eight games in 2023 and was never able to find his footing. Johnson has the talent to be a starting corner in the Big Ten but he’ll need to stay healthy and show he can get the job done on the outside. With Ponds being only 5’9”, IU’s second corner having good size takes on increased importance against bigger receivers.
-JoJo Johnson – Redshirt Junior – 6’0”/184 pounds
Redshirt junior JoJo Johnson began his career at Notre Dame before transferring to Iowa Western and then ending up at Bloomington in 2023. He appeared in all 12 games last season as a backup cornerback.
-Jamari Sharpe – Redshirt Sophomore – 6’1”/187 pounds
If, as expected, Nic Toomer does not line up as corner, Jamari Sharpe is the biggest cornerback the Hoosiers have. The redshirt sophomore is 6’1” with good length and he started nine games in 2023. Sharpe needs to improve his consistency in pass coverage but that is to be expected from a young player and he showed flashes of his talent last season. Sharpe is likely the favorite to land the second starting job for the 2024 campaign.
-Cedarius Doss – Redshirt Senior – 5’8”/179 pounds
Cedarius Doss began his collegiate career in 2019 at Tuskegee after playing high school football in Alabama. He transferred to Austin Peay after the 2020 season and took off during the 2023 season. Doss was named a first-team FCS All-American by Pro Football Focus and he appeared in all 12 games for the Governors. He is only 5’8” but has proven he can succeed at the collegiate level. The jump up to the Big Ten is another step up but he impressed the Hoosiers on a spring visit and convinced Curt Cignetti to take a chance on him for his final season of eligibility. Doss is expected to be a slot or nickel corner for the Hoosiers.
-Josh Philostin – Freshman – 5’10”/180 pounds
One of the top recruits in IU’s freshman class was Florida native Josh Philostin. The four-star recruit committed to Tom Allen and stuck with the Hoosiers through the coaching change. Philostin has good length and he showcased outstanding fluidity and athleticism on his high school highlight film. Ideally, he’d see action in four games and redshirt.
-Dontrae Henderson – Freshman – 5’11”/180 pounds
North Carolina native Dontrae Henderson was recruited by Curt Cignetti at James Madison and he chose to bring him to Bloomington as a member of his first recruiting class. Henderson’s brother played defensive back at Campbell and his cousin (Jaire Alexander) is in the NFL. Much like Philostin, the Hoosiers would like to redshirt Henderson.
-Nic Toomer – Redshirt Senior – 6’2”/199 pounds
A more in-depth analysis of Toomer is further on in this article as he likely won’t be used at cornerback but he could be featured at the position in a pinch.
Position Synopsis – The IU coaching staff deserves a ton of credit for completely reshaping the cornerback room. This is a more talented and younger group than it was a season ago. They now must prove it on the field though. My guess is that Ponds and Sharpe start with Cedarius Doss in the nickel. Jamier and JoJo Johnson will be the primary backups and Nic Toomer can be used if needed. If one of the freshmen surprise, they could break into the rotation and avoid the redshirt tag.
sas.cmd.push(function() {
sas.render(“71428”); // Format : 728x90_RON 728×90
});
Safety
-Shawn Asbury II – Senior – 5’10”/199 pounds
After beginning his career at Boston College with seven appearances in 2021, Shawn Asbury transferred to Old Dominion and excelled in the Sun Belt. He started 15 games for the Monarchs and was on the All-Sun Belt team. He was fourth on the team in tackles and showed good instincts in both pass coverage and run support. Curt Cignetti’s JMU teams saw Asbury (and fellow ODU transfer Terry Jones) up close and know just what he can do. Asbury is expected to start at free safety this season.
-DJ Warnell Jr. – Redshirt Senior – 6’3”/200 pounds
A late transfer portal addition for the Hoosiers, DJ Warnell has played 40 career games at UCLA and Arizona. His most recent two seasons were with the Arizona Wildcats and he is a large and imposing presence in the secondary, something IU really needed. Warnell offers positional versatility as he could play at either safety position or at the Rover spot.
-Nic Toomer – Redshirt Senior – 6’2”/199 pounds
Redshirt senior Nic Toomer might be the most versatile player in the IU secondary. He has experience at both safety positions and as a cornerback and at 6’2”, he can provide plus-size at any of those spots. He missed four games last season due to injury but started seven of the eight games he appeared in after transferring to IU from Stanford. Toomer seems most likely to be plugged in at safety but he could moved around frequently by the coaching staff.
-Terry Jones Jr. – Redshirt Senior – 6’1”/200 pounds
A native of Baltimore, Terry Jones Jr. began his career in 2019 and he has played 40 games with 26 starts for the Old Dominion Monarchs before transferring to Indiana. Jones Jr. and Shawn Asbury were both All-Sun Belt in 2023 as safeties with Jones featuring as a strong safety and run support specialist. He has ten career double-digit tackles and had a great 2023 season with 107 tackles. Jones Jr. could play the strong safety spot or slide to the Rover position behind Amare Ferrell.
-Josh Sanguinetti – Redshirt Senior – 6’1”/194 pounds
Josh Sanguinetti is the rare player in the secondary that IU fans will be very familiar with. He began his career in Bloomington in 2019 and has appeared in 39 career games at safety for the Hoosiers. Sanguinetti is a rangy free safety that started four games for Indiana. He can be a frustrating player as he appears to get lost in coverage but he has a nose for the football and seemed to find a way to make plays. He had two interceptions in 2023, one in 2022 and one in 2021.
-Tyrik McDaniel – Redshirt Senior – 6’0”/195 pounds
Yet another former Old Dominion Monarchs secondary player, Tyrik McDaniel was at ODU in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to Independence Community College in 2022 and then Indiana for the 2023 and now 2024 seasons. McDaniel played in 12 games last season, primarily on special teams.
Position Synopsis – The only thing we think we know for sure is that Shawn Asbury is going to start at free safety. Nic Toomer, DJ Warnell and Terry Jones Jr. are all candidates for the strong safety position and I am projecting Toomer to get the nod. Sanguinetti will certainly see time at free safety and Warnell and Jones will rotate in at strong safety. This is a solid and very experienced group that will look very different again in 2025 as most of these players exhaust their eligibility this season.
sas.cmd.push(function() {
sas.render(“77934”); // Format : 728x90_2 728×90
});
Rover
-Amare Ferrell – 6’2” – Sophomore – 6’2”/200 pounds
The “Rover” position is a hybrid safety/linebacker/corner position that asks for a player capable of supporting the run, helping in pass coverage and getting to the quarterback in blitz packages. Amare Ferrell seems like a terrific fit. The sophomore from Florida came to Indiana and was expected to add weight and move to a Stinger linebacker position but Bryant Haines asked him to cut weight, get faster and play the Rover. He seems like a locked-in starter here and if Ferrell was a stock, I’d be buying as much as I could.
-Bryson Bonds – 6’0” – Redshirt Junior – 6’0”/199 pounds
Bryson Bonds could also be listed at safety but he’s listed at the Rover spot because this position really needs depth. Bonds appeared in 11 games last season and 12 games in 2022. He’s a capable depth player that is better in run support than he is pass coverage. His true value comes on special teams and Pro Football Focus graded him as the third-best special teams player in the Big Ten a season ago.
-Terry Jones Jr. – Redshirt Senior – 6’1”/200 pounds
Jones Jr. is likely to see more time at strong safety but IU does need bodies behind Ferrell and the position would fit his skillset quite well.
-Jah Jah Boyd – Freshman – 5’11”/173 pounds
Jah Jah Boyd is an electric freshman that was the highest-ranked commit in James Madison football history. He decommitted and signed with IU after Curt Cignetti and his staff moved to Bloomington. He was ranked the ninth-best prospect in the talent-rich state of Pennsylvania and Boyd could have played on offense or defense for the Hoosiers but he is being tried first on defense at Rover. He’s only 173 pounds and ideally would not be asked to do much as a true freshman as he grows into his frame for a season.
Position Synopsis – Amare Ferrell has the tools be an absolute stud at the Rover position and I am very excited to watch him play. The depth behind him is potentially a bit concerning but there are enough versatile players in other areas of the secondary that can fill holes, if needed.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7619863708793338
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Walk-ons
Reece Bellin, Jaz Boykin, Luke Haupert, Neil Campbell, Anthony Chung, Aaron Stewart, Clay Conner, Heath Kizer, Lincoln Murff
Hoosier Huddle’s preseason coverage rolls on daily!