Communication, Physicality at Forefront as Kent State Safeties Build Toward Week One
8/12/2026 6:38:00 PM | Football
KENT, Ohio — A little more than a week into fall camp, Kent State's safety room has taken clear strides forward, according to assistant head coach Cherokee Valeria, who has watched the group's communication and understanding of opposing offenses grow steadily since last season.
"They've improved dramatically from the offseason coming into this camp," Valeria said. "I thought last season, coming out of the season itself, they had a lot to grow on. We went through spring, and that development started there, and it continued through all summer with the communication, the identification of offense, and understanding how do I communicate with everybody around me on what we're doing."
Entering his second season overseeing the group, Valeria said the room looks largely similar to a year ago, anchored by the same two players who led it in production.
"I really have a very similar room, the two guys, the top two guys that played a lot last year for us, are now number two and number three, you got Joel Cordoba and D Jack [Derrick Jackson III], they're both back," Valeria said. "And then my guys that showed up after that, I got a newcomer, LB3 [Lionel Burns III], who has arrived and done a really good job with his development. And then I got a transfer guy that came in that is still learning the system a little bit and understanding what's happening around him."
Valeria pointed to Burns as one of the standout newcomers through the first stretch of camp.
"I would give some credit to LB3, back from Hawaii, we might call him fresh off the boat, he's FOB, right, he just showed up," Valeria said. "But he is extremely excited, wants to be around, wants to learn the offense, wants to learn the defense, and he is developing at a faster rate than some of the other guys around him."
Valeria also credited returners Clinton Robinson, Martell Buchanan, and DJ Barnes for stepping into bigger roles.
"You got guys like C-Rob [Clinton Robinson] that's been here a year that now is starting to have his voice to do things, to be out there and put in packages and own those packages and understand how to direct people and what we're supposed to do," Valeria said. "And then you have Martell Buchanan, that is always flying around. He's our hitter, he'll fly around and hit somebody and make plays. And you got DJ Barnes, who I could actually put into three different packages. He'll be able to control that defense and understand and allow me the versatility to run several different calls."
Looking ahead, Valeria said physicality and communication remain the group's top priorities.
"I need them to be a lot more physical. We have one guy that shows up every practice, okay, we need to be physical," Valeria said. "We need to be able to communicate; we all need to be on the same page. They have to be the leader of the defense and be able to get everybody in the right direction."
As for what a successful camp looks like, Valeria's standard is straightforward.
"Coming out clean, no injuries," Valeria said. "Getting better than day one, getting better from yesterday, getting better from last week, getting better from the summer, getting better from spring ball."
Safety Derrick Jackson III, entering his second season, said the biggest shift from a year ago has been settling into a leadership role rather than still learning the defense from scratch.
"Big difference is just being a veteran on the defense, being a whole year in the defense," Jackson said. "Instead of last year, I was learning everything; now it's just getting better at everything and progressing every day, and just being a leader on the defense. I'm a second-year player, and I'm just trying to reiterate to the younger guys and bring them up to our standards, to be a dominant defense."
Jackson, who made a game-sealing fourth-down stop in the Wagon Wheel rivalry game last season and returns as the team's second-leading returning tackler, said his offseason focus centered on becoming a more vocal presence on the back end.
"I think the biggest step I had to make was just becoming more vocal, being a communicative leader on the field, letting everybody know what they got," Jackson said. "Just trying to be that guy on defense that guys lean on, when stuff's not going right, they lean on me, and when stuff is going right, they continue to lean on me. And continue to make plays, got to make more plays in the air, whether it's picks, pass breakups, or whatever the case may be. That's the main thing I've been working on."
Jackson pointed to Martell Buchanan, Clinton Robinson, and transfer Norey Johnson as players who have stood out through camp.
"Guys like Martell Buchanan and Clint Robinson, those guys played last year a little bit as well, but they're starting to pick it up," Jackson said. "As Joel has said prior, we're holding it down, but they'll definitely be able to work in and give us a breather and make some plays for themselves. Also, Norey Johnson is a senior in our group, the oldest guy in our group, but he's going to bring some good depth to our room. We just got guys all over the room that can fly around, communicate, and play together."
Jackson said the mark of a successful camp will show up in the team's tempo once the season opens.
"I think you would just see the tempo we play at, whether it's offense or defense," Jackson said. "On offense, you'll see the up-tempo. Once we get a first down, we're right on the ball, moving to the next play. On defense, if the offense is doing tempo, you'll see we get our calls out quick, get our checks and everything like that. I think you'll see a lot of guys who can make plays on both sides of the ball, just going out there playing our hardest and making the game competitive. You'll see a lot of guys making plays week one for sure."
Joel Cordoba, last season's leading tackler and a Preseason All-MAC honoree entering his second year, said the game has slowed down for him considerably compared to his first camp.
"Coming into fall camp last year, I was really new to it. I didn't really know how to expect how fast the game was going to go, how fast play calls come in and out," Cordoba said. "But now I feel like I could be more focused on giving my calls out, telling everybody what to do, since I'm a whole year into the defense now. I can really focus on being a loud communicator, that voice on the back end that everybody needs to hear."
Cordoba said his offseason work targeted the technical side of his coverage after establishing himself as a tackling force as a true freshman.
"I know I was one of the leading tacklers last year, but I feel like I really need to work on my technique in man coverage, zone coverage, and that's what I've been focused on in the offseason," Cordoba said. "I feel like I've progressed a lot in that."
Cordoba echoed his teammates in highlighting Burns' early impact, including a takeaway in today's practice.
"We have a very talented group at safety, Jack and I hold it down right now since we played the most last year," Cordoba said. "But I feel like transfer Norey Johnson is making some plays. We just got a young transfer, Lionel Burns III, who had an interception today. He's been making plays out there, getting better, learning the defense. We're all going to come together. Even Tell [Martell Buchanan] has been making plays, coming down and smacking stuff. It's been good."
Cordoba summed up the group's identity around one simple objective.
"I feel like we're just a group that's going to run to the ball, play hard and get the ball out of there," Cordoba said. "Anytime the ball is in the air, that's our main objective: get the ball down and take away the ball in all phases of the game."
Safety Room Breakdown
Returners: Derrick Jackson III (So.), Joel Cordoba (So.), DJ Barnes (Sr.), Martell Buchanan (R-So.), Clinton Robinson (R-So.)
Newcomers: Lionel Burns III (R-Fr., transfer from North Carolina Central), Norey Johnson (R-Sr., transfer from Houston Christian), Jeremiah Johnson (Fr.)
The Golden Flashes open the 2026 season on the road at South Carolina, on September 5, at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Season tickets for the 2026 season are available now at KSUtix.com.
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