JuCo Signee Has Chance to be Impact Player in Secondary

The versatility that cornerback Jakorian Bennett has could vault him into two-deep in upcoming season.

Name: Jakorian Bennett

Position: Cornerback

Class: Junior

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 192 lbs

Maryland will rely on the next wave of young talent to build on their 2019 experience to help fill the void in the 2020 secondary, but one early enrollee enters College Park with the chance to play day one. Junior defensive back Jakorian Bennett opted for Maryland over Ole Miss among others out of Hutchinson C.C. as the longstanding relationship with then-position coach Cory Robinson and ace JuCo recruiter Brawley Evans kept the Terps in the fight. His official visit in December helped the staff show the day one impact the 5-foot-11, 192-pound cornerback could bring to defensive coordinator Jon Hoke’s backline.

With Maryland now looking to replace both starters Tino Ellis and Marcus Lewis, Bennett is a prime candidate to slide into the two-deep as he fights for playing time. The instinctive corner showed off his range as he played both cornerback and safety as he tallied 25 tackles, three interceptions and three tackles for loss last season before being named 2019 First Team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. A big piece to his coveted status out of juco is Bennett’s flexibility along the backline as he can line up at both safety and cornerback, but with Antwaine Richardson and Nick Cross manning the back line, Bennett’s impact at cornerback can be felt more in the Terps’ scheme.

Bennett’s added ball skills and high football IQ are evident on tape as his added experience is pivotal along the Terps’ young secondary, where new cornerbacks coach Henry Baker could lean on Bennett in the starting lineup or rotation day one.

Just as the Terps leaned on the junior college market to fill the void in the trenches, the addition of Bennett helps serve as an experienced, mature cornerback as Maryland looks to bounce back from the Big Ten’s worst pass defense from a season ago. Bennett, who has three years to play two, is another in the Terps’ 2020 class that saw ample success prior to joining the program as the Mobile, Alabama native was a key piece as Hutchinson went 19-5 during Bennett’s two years.

Maryland also dipped back into Hutchinson in the 2021 cycle to add their lone linebacker commit to-date from Maryland native Gereme Spraggins, but as Maryland will look to the linebacker depth beyond 2020, Bennett could emerge as a key name along the Terps’ new-look defense this upcoming season.