Indiana Beats Out Nebraska and Wisconsin for Cornerback James Monds III

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Image: Tim Verghese 247 Sports

Image: Tim Verghese 247 Sports

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers continue to put together one of the, if not the, best recruiting class in the modern recruiting era by getting a pledge from cornerback James Monds III. The Hoosiers beat out Nebraska and Wisconsin for Monds III as the Hoosiers continue their success recruiting the Sunshine State,

Monds III, a three-star prospect by 247 Sports composite ranking, is out of Vero Beach (FL) High School and is listed at 5-foot-11 and 177 pounds. He transferred to Vero Beach out of Fort Pierce Westwood. Monds III comes from a family with a rich football pedigree as well. His father, James Monds, played at Toledo and Bethume Cookman, his Uncle Wonder Monds was a star with Nebraska in the 1970s and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also has five cousins who have played FBS and two of them in the NFL.

Monds III is a terrific athlete who also excelled in soccer who totaled 21 goals and added seven assists as a sophomore to earn TCPalm Boys Soccer All-Area Team honors in addition to being named a FloridaHSFootball.com 6A first-team all-state selection. In addition to playing cornerback, where Monds III brings good instincts toward the ball, toughness and a swagger that a defensive back needs, he returned punts and kickoffs where he reached the end zone from on a couple of occasions.

He visited IU in mid-June and came away impressed with the culture IU has been building in the defensive back field. In an interview with Matt Weaver of Peegs.com Monds III said, “what impressed me the most was talking with Tiawan (Mullen) and just learning things from someone who is the face of the program. He and the other players I was with told me they love Indiana. They also talked about the structure of the program and what it’s like to play there.”

Monds III is the ninth commitment in the Hoosiers 2022 class which now stands at 7th in the Big Ten and 31st nationally according to 247 Sports.