Position to Watch: Cornerback

Cornerback will be a position of interest, but we likely won’t have a true idea of who will be starting until fall. The biggest question in this sector is who can replace Brad Watson in the lineup? Watson led the team last year in passes broken up, and also had two interceptions and two forced fumbles. That kind of productivity is not easy to replace, especially when it was at a position locked down for a long time.

It remains to be seen which freshmen will be playing cornerbacks, as several can play both corner and safety positions. Clawson has stated already that there is very high chance that a true freshman could be starting at corner next season.

I think the two freshmen who have the best chance to compete for the starting job are Hardimon and Simon.

Amari Henderson and Dionte Austin both saw significant playing time last season, and both should be challenged throughout the spring by Essang Bassey.

Bassey stuck out at the scrimmage on Saturday, totaling 8 tackles and two pass breakups.

Keep an eye on these three and see which two emerge as the favorites to compete for the starting spot, since it appears only one upperclassman will be starting at cornerback come fall.

Malik Grate was also recently converted to cornerback to provide some more depth there throughout the spring.

This is a position where there is a lot of competition and we probably won't know who has won the two spots until August.

Be sure to check out the recruiting profiles on BSD for more information on each of the freshmen listed above.