BLOOMINGTON – Indiana football cornerback D’Angelo Ponds imitated Curt Cignetti at the podium earlier this week.
The James Madison transfer echoed his coach’s arguments when asked about the attitude that led him to be named a Freshman All-American last season.
“Get one percent better,” Ponds said when he first spoke to reporters. “Be the best version of myself and find ways to get better.”
That’s how Ponds came straight from Chaminade Madonna High School to JMU’s starting lineup last season and was part of the team’s 2023 junior class.
Cignetti told reporters in June that Ponds was a “boost for a pass defense” that struggled in its first two games. With Ponds in the starting lineup, they lost nearly 100 fewer yards per game through the air.
Indiana hopes Ponds will have the same transformative impact in Bloomington.
“I don’t know if we’ve beaten him on a passing route yet,” Cignetti said Monday. “He’s been eating it up on that side. A good guy that everyone else should look at in terms of the way he goes.”
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D’Angelo Ponds: “Wherever you go, you have to earn your spurs”
Given all the accolades he took home last year, Ponds could have walked through the doors of Memorial Stadium with some confidence.
In addition to those All-American honors, he was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, was selected to the Second-Team All-Sun Belt, and received the 12th best coverage grade in the country from Pro Football Focus.
Ponds took a different approach.
“Wherever you go, you have to earn your stripes, especially when you’re new,” Ponds said. “You have to show everyone that you can compete.”
One of the people he wants to prove his skills to is Rod Ojong, Indiana’s cornerback coach.
While Cignetti brought many of his assistants with him from JMU, cornerbacks coach Jared Holley was not one of them. Ojong came to the Hoosiers after stints at Buffalo and UNC Charlotte.
“He helped me a lot, he helped the whole room a lot,” Ponds said. “He’s very good technically, I think that’s good for corners. We need technique, he helped us to be consistent.”
This emphasis on technique is especially helpful for a cornerback who has a size disadvantage. Ponds’ bio on IU’s official roster lists him as 5’10” and 175 pounds. He is one of two scholarship players (Cedarius Doss) under 6’10” and the lightest player on defense.
That’s why fans will see Ponds go full throttle on the ball every game.
“I have to do whatever I can to stand out, and running to the ball is one thing,” Ponds said. “That’s one thing I keep coming back to.”
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Big Ten receivers receive invitation to Ponds Island
Ponds called the decision to sign with Indiana a “no-brainer.” One of the reasons he cited was the success he had under defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. He wanted to stick with Haines’ 4-2-5 system and build on the trust they built last year.
“I find that the curves are really big because of the way the system is set up on an island,” Ponds said. “So it’s very technical. You’re literally on your own and you have to trust your technology.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Ponds was in man coverage on 55 snaps (12.7% of his reps), but the team had a young secondary in which Ponds played alongside sophomore Chauncey Logan. They spent nearly 25% of the time in man coverage when the Dukes had fifth-year senior Jordan Swann at cornerback in 2022.
Ponds allowed just four passes for 36 yards (just five yards after the catch) on 11 attempts in man coverage. He averaged 73.6 with two pass breakups and one interception.
He also excelled in zone coverage, posting an 82.5 rating on 295 snaps – 13th among FBS corners. He allowed 19 of 44 attempts for 188 yards. He had seven pass breakups and one interception in zone coverage.
Having the opportunity to practice against IU’s talented group of receivers will help Ponds prepare for this fall.
The Hoosiers boast a deep pool of talented receivers after signing four talented transfers – Elijah Sarratt (JMU), Myles Price (Texas Tech), Ke’Shawn Williams (Wake Forest) and Miles Cross (Ohio) – while retaining many of their key talents from last year, including leading receiver Donaven McCulley.
“I think we have one of the better receiver rooms in the conference,” Ponds said with a smile. “We’re getting better every day. Going against those guys makes me better, so when the game comes, it’s easy.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana reporter for the Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X. @michaelniziolek and read his full report by clicking here..
