DB Preview

Three out of four starters return in the secondary, yet many are left wondering if Wande Owens was the glue holding together a weak unit last season. Guyton’s return from an injury for the Dartmouth contest proved to be a gamechanger for Yale but his performances were up and down throughout the remainder of the season. Daniyan kept improving at safety each week transforming from a fledgling freshman to a hardened veteran by the season’s end. Tarver was a liability all too often at safety in 2023, so he has a lot to prove to retain his starting position. Benn is back at safety after injuries limited him to just one game last year bringing much needed veteran leadership to the unit. Kamara could be one of the most talented players on the entire roster with his only drawback being that he doesn’t fit cleanly into the category of a safety, linebacker or cornerback. The cornerback position vacated by Owens is the main area of concern with our secondary. Damian Anderson was listed as Owens’ backup in 2023 and should have a great opportunity to earn the starting nod. Webster filled in as a freshman last season due to injuries but struggled to contain top passing threats. In 2022, Da’Quan Gonzales saw quality time as a freshman and even intercepted a pass against Harvard, yet somehow managed to fall off the coaching staff’s radar in 2023. Russ III, Barnes, and Saffold could all get into the mix of the defensive backfield with strong preseason play. Haaland, Grant, and Joseph Gonzales all return with experience at safety and will be key components of the special teams units.

Defensive backs were clearly a priority for Reno in the recruiting cycle with Yale welcoming a whopping 8 new defensive backs to the roster in Breylan Thompson, Chris White, Charles Barkley-Smith, JP Schmidt, Ty Ingram-Eiser, Brandon Banks, Dillon Rickenbacker and Billy Eastep. Thompson has the versatility to play safety or cornerback with great ball skills and punt returning abilities. White is a lockdown corner that plays with physicality and has an extra year of experience after a season at Cheshire Academy. Barkley-Smith will hopefully earn the Sir Charles nickname in the coming years as he’s a very fluid athlete with the ability to change directions on a dime. Schmidt is a sure-fire tackler that provides great run support and likes baiting quarterbacks into making risky throws. Ingram-Eiser hails from the same high school as the great Reed Klubnik and is a technician who stays true to his assignments. Banks does a tremendous job of playing the ball in the air, a trait our defensive backs have notoriously lacked. Rickenbacker was a 3-star recruit and is a very balanced safety with the ability to stuff the run or punish receivers over the middle. Eastep was also a 3-star recruit and uses his great closing speed to consistently disrupt passes.

11 replies on “DB Preview”

Does anyone have a link to the WTNH video that had the QB announcement? I’m still in shock that Jordan is the chosen one! A pounding from Holy Cross could change Reno’s mind though.

Terrible analysis of the DB Room. Guyton bringing back nfl- level cover talent. Daniyan returning as a freshman all-American. Tarver returns after tying with captain Wande Owens in pass breakup, so a liability is a stretch. Abu Kamara’s analysis seemed to be accurate besides the terrible remarks about his body type. Whoever wrote this should be ashamed of themselves.

You must be an offended parent or player! Our DBs have never been dominant under Reno and I doubt we will see that this season after losing a captain at corner. I have no idea what you are taking offense to regarding Daniyan or Kamara as it was all praise. Guyton might have flashed NFL-level skills but was not that consistent and calling Tarver a liability was an understatement at best.

I actually like that our moderator is willing to stick his neck out to criticize.

Our moderator tells it like it is, he knows the game, and his writing is first rate. I’m a fan.
Like “Unknown” I’m sick of our DBs watching the ball settle into the hands of the receivers they’re “covering” before doing anything to rectify matters. They seldom play the ball or turn their heads to keep an eye on it.

Put it this way the cubbard isn’t bare. They’re is a lot of upswing , on all these players and team. See what HolyCross has in store for Yale. Hopefully the 3 game head start that the Crusaders have. Won’t be to much of a liability. For the Bulldogs. But that’s another matter. Cheers

Defensive backs at Yale are only as good as the pass rush allows. A good pass rush that hurries the opposing QB’s makes for mistakes and INT’s. No pass rush makes for DB’s getting torched.

INFO re YALE FOOTBALL AVAILABLE ON THE YALE FOOTBALL WEBSITE( INCLUDING THE TWO DEEP p.5) vs HOLY CROSS.

Comments are closed.