From the start of spring, Idaho coach Paul Petrino made it clear that no player had a starting position locked up.
Coaches constantly rotated players in and out and challenged them to out-perform their counterparts for the starting roles. As spring progressed, though, players rotated less and starters began to emerge at most positions — except at defensive back.
“They’re just really battling, and I think it’s a good thing,” Petrino said. “I think there’s a lot of competition.”
While most of the team’s positions appear to be settled heading into summer, the cornerback position looked to be far from it.
Junior cornerback Jayshawn Jordan is the only returning starter from last season, and even he is battling to keep his job. The Seattle native played in all 11 games last season and racked up 62 tackles while netting two interceptions.
Dorian Clark is the only other returning cornerback who has experience. The 6-foot, 173-pound sophomore played in eight games last season and had five tackles to his name.
With the lack of depth, Petrino signed four junior college cornerbacks in his latest recruiting class, three of which were with the team this spring — D.J. Hampton, Isaiah Taylor and Kendrick Trotter. Willie Fletcher is the fourth and is expected to arrive in time for fall camp.
“Kendrick Trotter has probably played the best early on, he’s been doing some good things,” Petrino said. “I think Isaiah has a ton of talent, I think D.J. is really tough, so I think all three of them will help us.”
During the team’s third scrimmage April 20, both Clark and Taylor returned interceptions for touchdowns.
“That was nice,” senior defensive end Quinton Bradley said of the two plays. “That’s what we need, we need big plays from the cornerbacks and safeties. They’re coming along great, too.”
Throughout the spring, all five of the cornerbacks saw time with the first-team defense.
While all five of the cornerbacks appear to still have a shot at starting, the two safety spots on Idaho’s defense appear to be set, as sophomore’s Jordan Grabski and Russell Siavii received the majority of first-team reps.
Come fall, however, both will have some competition.
One of the better players in Petrino’s latest recruiting class, Trenton McGhee has the potential to make an immediate impact as a true freshman for the Vandals this season.
“On defense, they don’t come any better,” Petrino said of McGhee in February during his signing day press conference. “Trent started four years at Bolles … (and) played in four state championships. Trent is going to be a special, special player for us.”
The 6-foot, 211-pound safety hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and played for perennial powerhouse Bolles High School, where he earned second-team all-state 4A honors as a senior.
Another player to keep an eye on at safety is Jordan Frysinger. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound junior joined Idaho last year after he started his college career at Illinois. This spring, he made the switch from wide receiver to safety.
Last season, Petrino constantly harped about the team’s lack of speed — especially in the secondary, but he said it has improved after spring football.
“Just overall with the general speed in the secondary, it’s way better,” Petrino said.
“I think we’re fast enough, I think we’ve improved our speed … They have to tackle better, there’s still a lot of competition there. A few of them are playing well, but we have to get them all playing better.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @KorbinMcD_VN