Iowa’s C/O 2022 Ballhawks: DB Focus Part II

A successful defensive back is a very cerebral player; someone who is able to process immediately and react instantaneously. The mental toughness, alertness, and discipline of an athlete that can play the position at a high level needs to be off the charts. What that recipe calls for can create an absolute ballhawk who, through a big hit or interception, can change the course of a game. [player_tooltip player_id="23981" first="Darrell" last="Matchem"], Earlham, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11530978/5e4d5ea83df5b503ec9515e1">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrellMatchem">Twitter</a> CB, 5’9, 160 Matchem is a premier zone corner who does a second to none job of patrolling a deep half. He doesn’t allow any big plays and frequently shows that he has high end knowledge of route concepts. Watching Matchem cover, for example, a deep drag or post and then trade to pick up a wheel or fade that enters his zone is really impressive. Matchem understands the responsibility of letting nobody get behind him; he uses elite speed and footwork as he drops and plays in reverse to get the leverage he needs against opposing receivers. Matchem really excels when the ball is in the air and capitalizes on opportunities to make plays. He can rapidly break on routes underneath his deep zone, knowing he has support from teammates, and rack up interceptions. Matchem also does a spectacular job of running with vertical routes, staying over the top of his opponent, reading their eyes, and then timing his jumps to intercept the ball or knock it away. Matchem provides great run support; he can be physical in beating wide receivers who try to block him to set an edge or flowing into the box to assist on tackles. [player_tooltip player_id="23960" first="Clayton" last="Muszynski"], Linn-Mar, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EaRNJ">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/claytonmuszyns1">Twitter</a> SS, 5’10, 190 Muszynski provides top-tier run support from the strong safety position; he is all over the field and is a textbook tackler. Muszynski does an incredible job of diagnosing a play while taking his read step, reacting accordingly, and then flying downhill to his run responsibility. If his key indicates the ball is coming to his side of the field he bursts into the alley, avoids blockers really well by getting small as he passes them, and then stops the ball carrier in his tracks with a clobbering hit. When the action takes him to the opposite side of the field Muszynski shows outstanding sideline to sideline speed to prevent big plays and take away cutbacks. Muszynski is also fearless if his key takes him in the box and he needs to fill an inside gap. His closing speed is as impressive as his open field tackling. Muszynski is versatile in coverage: he can patrol a deep zone, man up a slot receiver or tight end, or cover the flat with a lot of success. He has tremendous instincts when breaking on passes, which lead to plenty of interceptions, pass break ups, and jaw dropping hits. Muszynski fulfills all expectations at a high level. Jackson Morton, Greene County, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9918878/5fb94704ab92e6105cdb0943">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonMorton8">Twitter</a> FS, 6’2, 160 Morton has a nose for the ball; he is always around it and is a lights out big hitter. He is a very gifted edge blitzer and when blitzing he does an impressive job or recognizing run or pass. On pass he gets to the quarterback with elite speed and bend; he looks like he was shot out of a cannon at the snap. If he identifies run he does an excellent job of taking a flat angle to the ball carrier. Either way, he is very disruptive and blows up the backfield. Morton’s big hits carry over when he is coming from space. He takes excellent downhill angles, in the alley or box, and brings the hammer as he meets the ball carrier at or near the line of scrimmage. Morton shows no hesitation when providing run support. Morton is electric in coverage; he shows impressive instincts when breaking on routes to make plays going for the ball or the man. Wide receivers should be terrified of running over the middle of the field because Morton is going to separate them from the ball and lay them out as they try to make the catch. Morton is smart and knows when to make a play on the ball, which leads to plenty of picks and pass break ups. Jagger Schmitt, Clear Lake, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8556221/5f975270bed74307502c17ff">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JaggerSchmitt">Twitter</a> FS, 6’0, 165 Schmitt is a highly athletic defensive back who can play on an island and man up an opposing offense’s top receiving threat. He has the athletic ability to run with receivers on vertical routes or maintain footwork and good body position through routes that have a change of direction. Regardless of what his opponent is doing, Schmitt can stick with anyone and deter the quarterback from throwing his way. If the ball is thrown his way in man coverage Schmitt contests the catch; he tallies plenty of pass break ups and interceptions. Schmitt makes a lot of very athletic plays in man and makes it look easy. He can leap over receivers and high point the ball to make a big pick or burst into position to knock the ball away. The most impressive part of Schmitt’s game, though, could very well be his run support as he forces a lot of fumbles with very well timed punches and rips. He shows a lot of maturity and advanced technique as he secures the tackle and then goes for the ball or flies in when teammates have secured the tackle to try and knock the ball out. Schmitt can make a game altering play at any moment. [player_tooltip player_id="100888" first="DeAndre" last="Isaac"], Ames, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10655907/5f94a53619afb108c87ab4e5">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/d_isaac7">Twitter</a> FS, 6’3, 172 Isaac is an exceedingly versatile player who could line up almost anywhere on defense and play at the highest level. As a Free Safety he is very rangy and twitchy; he makes plays all over the field. In coverage he can play in a one or two high look and patrol a deep portion of the field or press and play man. In a deep zone he identifies routes and picks them up, doing a really nice job of keeping everything in front of him. Once the ball is in the air he breaks and can get to just about anything thrown deep. Isaac makes a lot of big hits as wide receivers attempt to bring the ball in. More impressively, though, he uses his height, reach, and jumping ability to snag the ball from his opponent and make interceptions. Isaac can go up and make plays soaring through the air where nobody else can. In man he has the physical strength to keep an opponent at the line of scrimmage or knock them out of their route. He also has the speed and motor skills to run with anyone and eliminate them from the play. Isaac can also play near the line of scrimmage; his versatility in alignment effectively gives his team an extra linebacker. [player_tooltip player_id="23989" first="Will" last="Cornwell"], Ankeny, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EfidS">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/willcornwelll">Twitter</a> CB/S, 5’10, 180 Cornwell brings so much energy to the game and that, paired with his many talents, makes him a very opportunistic defensive back that is all over the field. He is incredibly disciplined in his zones and has proven he has the capacity to patrol any area of the field effectively. Cornwell picks up receivers as soon as they enter his territory: he shuts them down, understands when to trade them off, and immediately finds the next threat. He is as active as you can be and knows how to limit mistakes; he makes his opponent earn everything they get. Cornwell is really excellent in underneath coverage as he breaks so quickly with excellent footwork once the ball is thrown. It is very hard to complete a pass when he is in the flat. When Cornwell has to carry a deep route he does a remarkable job of playing in front of his opponent knowing that he will have help over the top. This makes it difficult for a wide receiver to ever make a non-contested catch. Cornwell fights so hard in run support and shows a significant amount of determination to be a complete player. He has quick hands that defeat blocks and is a sure tackler.