Indiana's defense will look a lot different than it did in 2023, and defensive back D'Angelo Ponds should be a prime reason for that.
The transfer from James Madison had an impressive freshman season, so Hoosier fans should be excited for a chance at an even better campaign in his sophomore year.
With all that being said, here's a look into one of IU's projected starting cornerbacks, D'Angelo Ponds.
2023 SEASON RECAP
In Ponds' first year in college football, he had quite the season at JMU.
Ponds started 10 of 13 games for the Dukes and, despite being just a freshman, was a contributing member to a very impressive defense. He recorded 51 total tackles last season.
In addition, Ponds also made his presence known while stopping the opposition's air attack. He had 12 pass deflections and two interceptions, the interceptions totaling 10 yards on returns.
These numbers show that even as a first-year player, Ponds would not be exposed in a conference with several underrated offenses.
Ponds also returned a punt for a touchdown in 2023, possibly signaling another area in which he could help the Hoosiers win this season. Although he is not projected to return punts for IU, having another guy with that skillset on the roster can always help.
All in all, Ponds' freshman season was a very successful one, showing promise that could translate into an even better year in 2024 for the Hoosiers.
2024 SEASON OUTLOOK
As previously mentioned, Ponds is slated to be a starter in this new-look Indiana defense. The corner transfer from James Madison may only be a sophomore this year, but he is expected to be a leader in this defensive back corps as well.
Ponds is also transferring to IU with several other JMU defensive players. Maikal Kamara, James Carpenter, Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker are all former Dukes defensive starters, meaning that this defense should be already acclimated with playing with each other.
With the experience playing as a unit, usually unseen in teams with many transfers like IU, this defense has a chance to be better than nationally expected. With Ponds leading the defensive back group, expect IU to be extremely solid in the pass defense category, with Ponds potentially having several INT's on the year.
FROM CIGNETTI
Curt Cignetti has spoke several times about his returning JMU players, but he also has referenced Ponds specifically.
Cignetti said "I don't know if we've beat him yet on a pass route," also adding. "He's just swallowing that side of the field up."
Cignetti has high praise for Ponds, and for good reason, as Hoosier fans have every right to believe he can be one of the best defensive backs in the Big Ten in 2024.
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