Washington Huskies Football: Questions at Cornerback

A year ago the secondary was a serious strength for the Huskies. Desmond Trufant, who is now an Atlanta Falcon after being drafted in the 1st round of the 2012 NFL Draft, provided his veteran experience and shutdown abilities as the number-one corner. Sean Parker, then a junior, provided a physical, high-motor presence at strong safety while serving as a team captain and defensive leader. Justin Glenn was more than solid at free safety. Sure, that second starting corner spot switched hands a few times, from Central-transfer walk-on turned scholarship player Tre Watson to young redshirt freshman Marcus Peters, who wrestled the role away later in the year, but one weakish spot out of four was a luxury.

Now it’s 2013 and the secondary is very different. At safety, Parker is a senior. Still a team leader and still one of the top safeties in the conference. Glenn is gone, likely replaced by either Will Shamburger or redshirt freshman Brandon Beaver. That position group suddenly mirrors the 2012 corners very well: an experienced, talented team leader at one position, some uncertainty but plenty of potential at the second spot.

Jul 25, 2013; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) during training camp at the Falcons Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

But the cornerbacks in 2013? A bit questionable. In fact, at the risk of sounding gloomy, I feel that the corners are the biggest question mark for this defense, and how the battle for playing time, and starting roles, plays out in camp starting August 5th will be important to keep an eye on.

The aforementioned Marcus Peters, now a redshirt sophomore, is likely going to migrate from 2nd corner to 1st corner. That is where he played in the spring, and unless he makes some serious mistakes in the next month, that isn’t going to change. Not a lot of uncertainty to filling that spot, the uncertainty all comes from Peters replacing Trufant. No one expects him to play like a 1st-rounder and shut down the opponent’s best wide receiver, but until it becomes clear in-game that the Peters who was often picked on across from Trufant last year has improved significantly, it’s something to worry a bit about, mainly because Trufant often kept the Huskies competitive in close games, such as in the win against Stanford or the close loss to USC.

It’s unreasonable to expect Peters to lock down half the field passing-wise against Stanford, or to basically blanket all-world wide receiver Marqise Lee to keep the struggling Husky offense competitive. One can only hope that he shows consistency and improves throughout the year, and even if he does that, it will represent a drop-off at the spot from last year.

The second corner spot is much, much more uncertain. Unproven senior Greg Ducre could seize his final opportunity to start consistently. He has the raw physical tools, especially the speed. Travell Dixon, the former four-star JUCO recruit that sat out last year after transferring from Alabama could fulfill the potential that earned him a scholarship from Saban. His 6’1″ 190-pound frame brings impressive length to the table. Scrappy transfer Tre Watson could come fighting so hard to keep his scholarship that he earns the spot. Oh, and there’s Jermaine Kelly, the four-star true freshman that had scouts raving about his potential to contribute early. He’s 6’1″ as well.

All four have a legit chance to start alongside Peters. I’m not totally confident that any of those four would play at a high-level if picked to start, but I would also have nothing against Coach Sark selecting any of them for the job. They all have their advantages, and they all have at least one major drawback: none has been a proven starter. But that’s about as common a problem as there is to be found in college football.

A small blessing in the complicated position battle? The 2nd corner spot was battled over last year. Even if one player wins the spot only to struggle and find himself replaced by Week 6, it would not represent a decline at the position from last season. It would be business as usual. And hey, if Dixon or Kelly step in and lock down a starting spot for years to come, all this fretting will look silly anyway.

I will continue to report on the cornerback position battle throughout fall camp, which begins on Monday.