Previously, we have looked at Liberty’s defensive line and linebackers as the Flames continue to move toward a scheduled season opening of Sept. 26 at Western Kentucky.
Today, we turn our attention to the cornerbacks.
Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, it looked as though the cornerback room might be one of the strengths of the team. Even despite losing Bejour Wilson, the Flames were returning a wealth of experience and young talent. That changed earlier this summer when Kei’Trel Clark and Tayvion Land elected to transfer.
Both true freshmen in 2019, Clark excelled at corner for the Flames, becoming a weekly starter and one of the best at the position. He was going to be a starter and position group leader this season. While Land had settled in at nickel, he began his time at Liberty at corner and could easily be slotted back at that spot if needed for depth purposes.
“Our guys really accepted that,” cornerbacks coach Rickey Hunley said of not backing down from the challenge of having to step up to replace the loss of Clark. “They didn’t flinch. They understood, from their standpoint, the decision Kei’Trel made and wished him the best, but then they went to work. It’s no hard feelings to him, from what I can tell in our room, but our guys they want to work. They want to compete. I think that’s part of our culture from a team standpoint, when you hear it from Coach (Freeze), when you hear it from coaches and everybody on our staff.”
Frontrunners
CB 8 Jimmy Faulks R-SR 6’1″ 185
With the losses of Wilson and Clark, Faulks has been cast into a leadership role this season. He’s the only corner in the room that has been a key contributor for multiple seasons, and the Flames will rely on his experience in 2020.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “A guy like Jimmy Faulks, who obviously played every game for us, started 12 of those 13 games for us, he shoulders a lot of the leadership, and that’s my expectation with him. I thought that he did some good things last year and really had a good off-season and working on continuing to get better with his technique and accepting that leadership role.”
CB 2 Emanuel Dabney SR 5’11” 180
After a disappointing first season with the Flames, Dabney has quickly risen to the top of the depth chart at corner and will be a key contributor this season. He fought through a hamstring injury last season that bothered him for much of the year. Now, fully healthy, Dabney is prepared to take his game to the next level.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “A guy who’s returning that has really stepped into that light has been Emanuel Dabney. At this point, we expect a lot out of him. He’s an athletic kid. He’s got all of the tools. We want to keep him healthy, first and foremost, but then we want to put him in a position where he is a guy that we can lean on.”
CB 19 Chris Megginson SO 6’0″ 185
As a true freshman last year, Megginson was thrown back and forth between the corner and safety position as the Flames needed his depth at both spots at different points in the season. Now, he gets to focus on his primary position at corner and is pushing to be a starter. Coach Hunley said Faulks, Dabney, and Megginson have solidified themselves as the top corners on the team early in camp.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “A guy that has been, I wouldn’t say a surprise, we knew he was going to be good coming in, but as a freshman we had him as a safety. Now, we moved him back to corner. I expect him to challenge to be a guy that you see out there first snap this year. I think him being able to focus on one position, the techniques of the cornerback position that I’m asking him to play, is putting him in a position where he is going to, and is already, having a good camp.”
Competition
CB 18 Isaiah Avery JR 6’0″ 180
Avery is now in his second year in the program after joining the Flames as a JUCO transfer a season ago. He’s pushing to be that 4th guy included in the weekly rotation.
CB 14 Deon Biggins FR 6’1″ 170
CB 16 Quinton Reese FR 6’0″ 185
Hunley and Freeze have both spoken very highly on the two new true freshmen to join the program this summer. Both Biggins and Reese can be expected to play this season, it’s just a matter of how much time they get on the field.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “Deon and Q are guys that come in and they press the pedal right away, just because they look completely different as far as their length. Then, their athleticism puts them in a position where they’re going to challenge, not just in our room, but from a defensive standpoint. We are excited about that. The sky is the limit for those guys.”
Depth
CB 26 Hunter Goetz R-SO 6’1″ 185
Goetz has fought the injury bug since he arrived at Liberty, and it has kept him from making a serious push at playing time so far.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “I just want him to be healthy so he can go out there and compete, and I can really get a good evaluation of who he is and what he is on the field.”
CB 22 Kimani Donaldson R-JR 6’1″ 175
CB Ian Ector R-SO 6’2″ 165
Ector joins the program as a walk-on transfer from Division II Wingate University. The Flames are still going through compliance to see if he’s going to be eligible for 2020 or not.
CB Coach Rickey Hunley – “Just being able to see him thus far, and being able to see what he did before at his previous institution, he’s a guy that I expect things from, whether that be this year if he is eligible to play or the following years.”
