Young, Talented Secondary Continues to Grow
8/8/2018 9:21:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jonathan Crawford and Marcelino Ball stayed out on the Indiana football practice field, demonstrating techniques and reads to freshman Cam Jones.
This was after a long Wednesday formal session – featuring controlled scrimmaging and a healthy set of post-practice wind-sprints in the heat and humidity – had concluded.
Earlier, there were more than a few encouraging signs during the scrimmaging.
And the Hoosier secondary certainly had its share – such as interceptions by Crawford and Kahlil Bryant, and true freshman safety Jordan Jusevitch helping stuff a 4th-and-1 run at the 5.
But perhaps no sign was better than veterans Crawford and Ball, after most of their teammates had headed toward well-earned showers, staying to work with Jones – who as a true freshman has already shown potential to augment Ball at the crucial Husky spot, a linchpin between the secondary and linebackers.
Those who need to lead are leading. And the freshmen they are tutoring are talented.
And fleet.
Jones is just one of several such freshmen already surfacing in IU's defensive backfield. Cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby and first year safeties coach Kasey Teegardin have taken note.
"Very talented group," Shelby said of his freshmen corners. "Reese Taylor and Jaylin Williams, those guys have world-class speed, now. They can roll. But the main thing is to get them going fast in the right direction."
Shelby, who also has Noah Pierre among his frosh, said it shouldn't take all that long.
"I'm really excited about where they are," Shelby said. "They're students of the game. They take me coaching (them) hard – you guys know me – and they've responded well.
"So I'm excited about the direction we're going. We've got a long way to go. It's just practice No. 6, here, and we have a long way to go. But I'm excited about what they can do. I expect a lot of (good) things to come to fruition here in the next few weeks."
Williams is already challenging – and in Shelby's estimation exceeding – sophomore wideout Whop Philyor as the entire squad's fastest man.
IU "speed specialist" Dr. Matt Rhea, who considers 22 mile-per-hour peak speed at "elite at any level," has clocked both Philyor and Williams at 23.
And Rhea said this about the secondary during IU's Media Day:
"From a speed standpoint, our defensive backfield is really, really fast … the fastest unit, as a whole. A lot of speed back there."
There is depth, too.
Redshirt junior Andre Brown Jr., junior A'Shon Riggins and sophomore Raheem Layne all posted starts last season, though Riggins' participation was limited to six games due to injury. Brown and Riggins have already combined for 29 career starts.
Isaac James, a redshirt junior from Carmel who started his IU career as a receiver, has now shifted to corner. Add Pierre, Williams and Taylor to the mix and …
"As a whole group, when you think about depth – I don't think, since I've been here these last seven or eight years, we've never had three groups (of corners) who could go in and play," said Shelby, who arrived at IU in 2011. "And I think I feel kind of comfortable about all of them going in there. It hadn't been that way, since I've been here.
"So the main thing is to keep them healthy. And, as young freshmen, that's largely a mental deal, and taking care of your body … right now, we're the healthiest we've ever been and we've got to keep it that way."
eegardin evinced similar sentiments about his safety corps, blessed with veteran leadership and a boatload of young talent.
"Love my group," Teegardin said. "There's no doubt about it. From top to bottom. Jon (Crawford) is the unquestioned leader, but I've been really pleased with the development of the younger guys. Their mental game has come a long way from practice one to today.
"Today was by far, as a group, our best practice in the secondary, in my opinion. We struggled with a few checks yesterday. The install has been consistent. But those guys are working extra hard, during meeting time and on their own, to really step their game up. I'm very pleased with where they're at, physically and mentally."
Crawford – a starter since his freshman season, with 38 starts already under his belt, and an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last fall – and junior Kahlil Bryant are joined on the safety depth chart by redshirt freshmen Bryant Fitzgerald and Juwan Burgess and standout true freshmen in Devon "Monster" Matthews and Jamar Johnson.
"He's earned more playing time," Teegardin said of Matthews. "He's got some raw feet and his mental (side) is raw, but he's really starting to grasp a lot of the shifts and motions. You could see him yesterday … he's breaking across the field 40 yards and breaking up a pass.
"He's got those long limbs and he's got a quick trigger. And when he plays fast, he's on a different level. He has earned himself more playing time. He's run with the 1s a little bit. I wanted to see how he matched with Jon out there. I know how Kahlil and Fitz match up with Jon, so I wanted to see how he would take that job and handle it. He did a phenomenal job today. He's going to earn himself a lot of playing time.
"(Johnson is) starting to develop his game based upon what Jon is doing. Jon has kind of taken those guys into the meeting room (to watch film), and they're watching with me afterwards. But he's got great feet. He's a physical kid. When he sees it, the way it's supposed to play out, and pulls the trigger, he's really, really quick. He's going to help us a lot in our (man-to-man) stuff."
Teegardin noted that the freshmen certainly aren't any hungrier than the redshirt freshmen.
"They weren't able to sit through (offseason) meetings and things like that. I think that was tough on both of them," said Teegardin, who was an IU defensive graduate assistant from 2014-16, when Fitzgerald was already starring for in-state Avon. "When I got the job, I sat down and asked Fitz – because I've known him a lot longer than Juwan – and I asked him point-blank how he felt about everything. And it made him a little bit hungrier.
"When you miss the game, when you have to sit out, whether you're hurt or can't participate with those guys, and do something you love, it just burns that fire even brighter. And I think, with both of those guys, you can see it.
"Juwan wants to be here and wants to be great. Bryant Fitzgerald wants to be here and wants to be great. And those guys are putting in the extra work, and you could see it all summer. They were hitting me up when I got back from vacation, texting me, asking me questions. They are hungry to get out there and get it."
That was certainly evident Wednesday.
Not everything went perfectly. One of the true freshmen, playing Cover 3, bit early and didn't stay on top of a route that could've turned into a touchdown had not the pass been underthrown. But he was out there with the No. 1 unit, which was no accident.
Asked if he relished tossing the freshmen "into the deep end to see if they could swim," Shelby laughed and replied:
"Oh, they been swimmin'. They were out there with the 1s today. That's the only way you get them (up to speed). Because it's a different expectation when you're out there with the 1s. You have to be on your game, or a Jon Crawford is going to call you out. And that's what we need to do. Marcelino Ball is going to call you out.
"Those guys understand that. They've accepted that. And I think thus far, with six practices, they've done a good job."
Even, with Crawford and Ball's help, working after hours.
LIKE KIDS GOING AFTER CANDY
Reese Taylor, named Indiana's 2018 Mr. Football after quarterbacking Indianapolis Ben Davis to an unbeaten Class 6A state title season, is spending most of his time so far at cornerback. But not all of his time.
The offensive and defensive staffs are vying for his services the way kids might argue over Reese's at Halloween. Shelby was asked to confirm that some "friendly fighting" among the staff along those lines had arisen.
"Friendly, but I've been winning, because the head coach is a defensive guy," Shelby said of Tom Allen, who still doubles as IU's defensive coordinator. "So at the end of the day, I can usually go give him a couple of elbows, and I get Reese.
"Reese is going to help us out on both sides, and coming in in spots. Right now, we're kind of focusing on defense, and then he'll go over to offense and do some things. It's a fun time to watch him run around with the ball in his hand. He's going to be a really good player for us."
