Kent State Defensive Backs Ready to Prove Themselves in Fall Camp

KENT, Ohio – With veteran leadership and hungry newcomers, the Golden Flashes' secondary enters camp as one of the most competitive position groups on the roster.

Tucker Steps Into Leadership Role

Redshirt Sophomore Tevin Tucker has embraced his role as the veteran leader of Kent State's secondary after the departure of several experienced players from last season. According to safety coach Cherokee Valeria, Tucker is "stepping up into a leadership role" and providing crucial communication at a high level.

"That leadership role provides him an opportunity to communicate at a high level, and that is important in our defense, and he understands that," Valeria said. "So he's taken on that role enthusiastically and is making it happen."

Wide Open Competition

With only a handful returning defensive backs, the battle for starting positions remains wide open through the first week of fall camp. Cornerbacks coach Bart Tanski emphasized the fierce competition among the players in the defensive backs room.

"There's no clear-cut starter going into the season, and so everybody's hungry for a role, to earn some playing time," Tanski said. "The battle has been great. We've got nine guys in our room collectively, and reps have been rotating."

Freshmen Making Early Impact

Two newcomers have particularly caught the coaching staff's attention early in camp. Freshmen Joel Cordoba and Derrick Jackson, both safeties who joined the program in the spring, have made strong impressions in their first fall camp.

"Both came in the spring and are here for their first fall camp. Those two have made some big impressions in the back-end room," Tanski said. "Done well with communication and flying around to the football."

Merit-Based Rep Distribution

The coaching staff manages playing time based on performance, with players earning increased repetitions through strong practice showings. This approach has intensified the competition throughout the secondary.

"If you rise to the top, you get more reps, which makes the competition even more important for these guys," Tanski explained. "They're not just given to them, and so being able to manage them and trying to make sure it's even, but as people perform better, reps start increasing for those guys."

Valeria emphasized that players must maximize every opportunity regardless of which unit they're working with. "Their role might change one day from the next, but they attack it," he said. "You might have a rep with the ones, and you might have the rep with the twos. It doesn't matter where you currently are right now, you've got to maximize the rep that you currently have."

Versatility as Strength

The defensive backs group's ability to play multiple positions has emerged as a key strength of the unit. Players are being cross-trained at different spots in the secondary, providing valuable depth and flexibility.

"I think there are multiple players in the secondary that could play multiple positions. We have guys that could play nickel and big nickel and buck and swat and shark and all our different things that we do back there," Valeria said. "That's the strength of our defense right now."

Growing Together

Both coaches, who joined the Kent State staff this offseason, have been impressed with the overall growth they've witnessed from the entire secondary. Rather than singling out individual players beyond Tucker, they've seen collective improvement.

"Everybody on the field right now is growing in their own way," Valeria noted. "There are guys who have been here for a couple of years who have stepped into leadership roles, and there are guys who have been here just for the semester, but they all seem to be growing in the right direction."

Experience the Key Challenge

The biggest obstacle facing this relatively inexperienced secondary is the lack of game repetitions. Tanski believes that continued practice time will help address early communication issues and technical mistakes.

"Reps are experience, and it's your greatest teacher," Tanski said. "Early on, there are some hits, there are some miscommunications, but the more reps that these guys get, the growth that they're making, and it's good to see it obviously, through the first six practices."

Communication Paramount

Both coaches emphasized that communication will be the most critical factor for success, given the limited game experience among the group members.

"It's the most important thing, honestly, how we communicate on and off the field, on the sideline, before and after the play," Valeria said. "It will drive our confidence. It'll drive how we work together with things. It'll drive everything after that."

Measuring Success

As fall camp progresses, the coaching staff will measure success by how well the unit plays together as a cohesive group. The goal is to develop depth beyond just four starting defensive backs.

"Playing as one unit, and I think the communication aspect is the piece that helps it out," Tanski said. "Football is a physical game, and so we've got to be able to adjust people and put them in different positions, but we've got to do that together and understand everybody's jobs, responsibilities, and roles."

With Tucker's leadership, emerging freshman talent, and a competitive atmosphere throughout fall camp, Kent State's defensive backs are positioning themselves to surprise despite their relative inexperience. The key will translate practice growth into game-day execution when the season begins.

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