JUCO Defensive Back Corey Ferguson Commits To The Cincinnati Bearcats

(Courtesy Hudl)

The Cincinnati Bearcats have add their 13th commitment of the class of 2014 in the form of Fullerton College cornerback Corey Ferguson.  To date, Tommy Tuberville has done a nice job bringing in these 2/3 year players to fill immediate needs on his team. He seems to recognize areas of the depth chart where there are major question marks and hems those concerns by adding a player from the JUCO circuit. So Tuberville likely intends for Ferguson to come in and contribute right away. The soon-to-be sophomore is flying under the radar with offers from just Utah State and South Alabama but appeared to draw interest from a number of other programs.

Overview

Freshman Year Highlights (no embedding this time!)

From the onset you can probably tell that Ferguson reads the offense brilliantly. Perhaps that comes from his time as a quarterback in high school but he seems to have his head in the huddle on some plays. It’s a type of innate ability that is rare in a young defensive back. And when Ferguson reads a play he finishes it with the force of a Mack truck. The bone-crushing hits are certainly impressive but he really does a nice job in his overall technique on the tackle. He’s extremely aggressive and does an exemplary job tackling through the ball-carrier rather than using arm tackles or trying to “bounce” him to the ground. In coverage he has the speed (listed at 4.46 via 247 Sports) to stay with a receiver in stride despite giving up some in the size department. Overall he seems to have an advanced understanding of the game and is an excellent addition to the Bearcats.

Outlook

The cornerback position in 2014 is a bit of a mystery. Deven Drane will be gone and it’s unclear at this point who among Leviticus Payne, Trenier Orr, or someone else will emerge as the favorites to start that season. There’s a lot of raw, untested talent on the roster but Ferguson will have the added advantage of having semi-D1 reps under his belt. While the JUCO circuit isn’t as competitive as FBS football, it’s certainly a step up from high school. And while Ferguson will have to make adjustments just like any new player at this level he will be slightly further ahead compared to other underclassmen in the secondary. As such I could see him playing right away when he steps onto UC’s campus in 2014 be it at cornerback, safety, or on special teams.