When Ole Miss Football Resumes: The Cornerbacks



As has been stated repeatedly in this position-by-position look at the 2020 Ole Miss football team, uncertainty abounds due to the lack of spring training and the infusion of a new coaching staff, but at least at cornerback the Rebs have a couple of veterans returning who have plenty of experience and give those two slots a solid foundation.

The issue will be – besides learning new techniques and a new defense – finding out which of the candidates other than the top two will be able to inject some quality playing time. As we all know, going into the season with two “ready” cornerbacks is simply not enough.

But let’s start at the top – senior Jaylon Jones and junior Keidron Smith.

Jones was coming off a knee injury last year and took most of the season to regain his old form and he was the first to admit he never did really get everything – lateral movement and burst – back like it was before he injured his knee in the opener of the 2018 season. He did, however, have gradual improvement from start to finish of 2019 and is expected to be fully recovered by the time the season rolls around. There is, though, some talk about him also playing some safety, depending on how the rest of the corners pan out when practice does resume. He’s a corner for now though and if he has recaptured his ’18 prowess, he’s a good one to start with.

Smith is the rangy, 6-2 corner that everyone covets and he’s got enough experience under his belt to move his game up a level or two. It wasn’t bad last year, but with his ability, coupled with experience, he should improve and make him a solid performer.

Junior Jamar Richardson redshirted last year, after transferring in from Jones CC, while trying to clean up some academic issues, but during practices the then-coaches commented often that he would be a welcome asset to the secondary. He’s a 6-footer with good range, but hopefully he has put a little weight on his thinnish frame to hold up to the physicality of run support in the SEC.

Sophomore Jalen Jordan showed some promise last year as primarily a special teams player as a true freshman. He’s physically capable of manning a corner in this league, but he needs to gain experience. Hopefully his time on special teams gave him the seasoning he needed to advance to more significant playing time moving forward.

Jones CC transfer Lakevias Daniel is another 6-footer who there are high hopes for to be a contributor quickly due to his maturity, but as history shows us, it usually takes JUCO transfers a few games to catch on to the rigors of SEC play.

True freshman Derek Bermudez, who enrolled mid-year and was in need of spring practice, is yet another 6-footer with some range and quality athleticism. His charge will be learning and transitioning form high school to college without the benefit of spring training. Doable, but somewhat rare at corner.

The wild card in the cornerback equation is where the new coaches determine each player fits in the scheme of things, which was supposed to be determined in spring. For instance, will Jakorey Hawkins shift to corner from safety? He’s capable of CB or S. Will Jaylon Jones remain at CB or move to safety, where he has played before? Will any other candidates come out of the woodwork to bolster the cornerback positions?

There really is now way of knowing for sure, but at least cornerbacks has a chance to have a solid base. . . .

. . . . when Ole Miss football returns.


SOURCE: Rounsaville, Chuck. "When Ole Miss Football Resumes: The Cornerbacks." OMSpirit - 247Sports.com, 8 May 2020, https://247sports.com/college/ole-miss/Article/When-Ole-Miss-Football-Resumes-The-Cornerbacks-146930210/