Positional Preview: Defensive Backs
Sep 1, 2020 | Football
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane defensive back unit will be a mix of newcomers and returners for the 2020 season. The returning defensive backs logged 177 tackles, nine interceptions, 6.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, 15 pass breakups and one fumble recovery in 2019. The Green Wave will boast 10 returners and 10 newcomers in 2020.
The Unit
- The defensive back unit returns two starters in seniors Jaylon Monroe and Chase Kuerschen.
- Kuerschen led the Olive and Blue with 76 tackles last season. He also added two interceptions, two pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for loss.
- The Knoxville, Tennessee, native was also nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy after establishing a strong reputation in the classroom and in the community.
- Monroe returns after registering 38 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four pass breakups in 2019.
- The Dallas native earned Third Team Preseason All-AAC Honors from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports going into the 2020 season.
- Junior safety Larry Brooks was one of the first players off the bench for the Green Wave last season. He registered a team-leading four interceptions and added 25 tackles and four pass breakups in 2019.
- Brooks’ four interceptions ranked second in the conference and 23rd nationally last season.
- Redshirt junior Willie Langham logged 19 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, three pass breakups, one sack and one fumble recovery for the group last season.
- Junior Macon Clark recorded 14 tackles, one interception and one pass breakup in 2019.
- Redshirt junior safety KJ Vault and redshirt freshmen Kiland Harrison, Jonathan Meystayer II, Kanyon Walker and Levi Williams round out the returners.
- The ten newcomers include two graduate students – Ajani Kerr and Kyle Meyers – and eight freshmen – Aidan McCahill, Chadwick Bailey, Cornelius Dyson, Gabe Liu, Kevaris Hall, Reggie Neely, Rishi Rattan and Shi’Keem Laister.
- Kerr spent the last four seasons in Atlanta at Georgia Tech. He tallied 66 tackles in 29 games for the Yellow Jackets.
- Meyers comes to Uptown from Florida State. He received a medical redshirt for the 2019 season.
- He logged 29 tackles, including 4.0 for loss and 2.0 sacks, in 2018.
- The Green Wave defensive backs lost P.J. Hall, Thakarius Keyes, Will Harper and Sean Harper from the unit.
- Defensive backs coach Joshua Christian-Young is entering his first season with the Green Wave. He spent the last four seasons at Army, where he coached safeties. The Black Knights were fifth I the nation in passing yards allowed and 30th in total defense in 2019.
- Secondary Coach J.J. McCleskey is entering his third season at Tulane.
- In the past five seasons, Tulane has seen a defensive back drafted in the NFL.
OF NOTE
- The Green Wave secondary snagged 12 interceptions last season, which ranked tied for third in The American ad 31st nationally.
- Keyes was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- The Tulane defense ranked fourth in the American Athletic Conference in total defense.
Tulane is set to kickoff the season in Mobile, Alabama, against South Alabama on Saturday, September 12. The Green Wave are coming off a record setting 2019 campaign that was highlighted by a win in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to give Tulane back-to-back bowl victories for the first time in program history. The Green Wave captured the AutoNation Cure Bowl in 2018.
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