With football season approaching, we’re going through Indiana’s roster to look at each position group going into fall camp.
Indiana’s cornerback room has a good blend of youth and experience — and the group has a lot of talent all around. Curt Cignetti lost one starter at the position during the offseason, but he, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, and cornerbacks coach Rod Ojong have some key transfers and promising freshmen to work with alongside first team All-Big Ten returnee D’Angelo Ponds.
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Cedarius Doss (exhausted his eligibility)
- Jamier Johnson (transfer — UCLA)
- JoJo Johnson (transfer — Bowling Green)
- Josh Philostin (transfer — Rhode Island)
Roster turnover — who’s back
- D’Angelo Ponds (junior)
- Jamari Sharpe (redshirt junior)
- Dontrae Henderson (redshirt freshman)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Amariyun Knighten (redshirt junior; transfer — Northern Illinois)
- Ryland Gandy (redshirt sophomore; transfer — Pitt)
- Jaylen Bell (3-star, Loganville, Ga.)
- Seaonta Stewart Jr. (3-star, Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Zacharey Smith (3-star, Atlanta, Ga.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s cornerback starters and who the other key players will be.
- D’Angelo Ponds, junior, 5-foot-9, 170 pounds (22 career starts at IU and JMU)
- Amariyun Knighten, redshirt junior, 6 foot, 174 pounds (14 career starts at Northern Illinois)
- Jamari Sharpe, redshirt junior, 6-foot-1, 187 pounds (12 career starts at IU)
- Ryland Gandy, redshirt sophomore, 6 foot, 180 pounds (13 career starts at Pitt)
- Jaylen Bell, freshman, 5-foot-10, 179 pounds
Ponds is locked in on the boundary, as one of the top returning defensive backs in the country. Sharpe currently projects to start on the other side, but that job is very much up for grabs in fall camp. At Big Ten Media Days, Curt Cignetti indicated that Knighten is more likely to play the boundary and back up Ponds, while Sharpe, Gandy, and Bell are candidates to play the field side.
Why it will work
Ponds was so reliable last season against plenty of tough competition. The sky is the limit for how good he could be this year. Haines’ defensive system can regularly leave cornerbacks on an island, and Ponds’ ability to win his matchups and keep opposing receivers quiet is such a big key to Indiana’s defensive success. IU lost its main starter on the other side in Jamier Johnson, but there are several good options to take over that spot. The Hoosiers also have some promising freshmen at cornerback, particularly in Bell and Stewart, that will give them good depth this year and a bright future outlook at the position.
Why it won’t
Sharpe performed much better last season than he did as a redshirt freshman in 2023, but the improvement came in a lesser role. The Hoosiers have other options if Sharpe regresses, but that could be a real hit to the team’s cornerback depth. Additionally, Ponds may be the most important player to IU’s entire defense in terms of health. The team would suffer if he, linebacker Aiden Fisher, or stud Mikail Kamara miss any time, but Indiana feels more well-equipped to handle Fisher or Kamara missing time than Ponds. The Hoosiers have solid depth at cornerback, but the dropoff from Ponds to Knighten, Gandy, or one of the freshmen could be a big difference. A Ponds injury, especially during Big Ten play, could be particularly troublesome for IU.
Prior previews:
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