Maryland football film breakdown: CB Jalen Huskey

Between the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, Maryland’s cornerback room will look a bit different next year with Lionell Whittaker currently expected to be the lone returning upperclassman. An encouraging performance from Perry Fisher in the bowl game helped quiet early concerns about next year’s depth, while Kevis Thomas and Mykel Morman drew praise from head coach Mike Locksley with the new-look room revamping its depth, former Bowling Green cornerback Jalen Huskey filled a big void for the Terps when he became the first portal commitment of the offseason with Maryland beating Oklahoma and others for his pledge.

Huskey, originally a Quince Orchard product, is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound cornerback who had a breakout year in his second season with the Falcons. Huskey earned first-team All-MAC honors after posting four interceptions, enough to put him at 19^th in the nation and second in the MAC in this category. One of his interceptions came against JJ McCarthy. Huskey is also not afraid to get physical as he finished with 52 tackles in the 2023 season.

Continuing throughout the offseason we will turn to the tape to evaluate what Maryland has brought in via the portal as we dive into Jalen Huskey and his potential to become the Terps’ top cornerback in 2024.

The first thing that stood out for Huskey was his incredible vision and his ability to read the quarterback’s eyes. Often Bowling Green deployed Jalen Huskey in man coverage. His interception against Michigan exemplified his ability to read the quarterback. Huskey was lined up tight to the line of scrimmage and had the Michigan tight end in man coverage. Realizing the tight end route was complete and a possible decoy, Huskey shifts his eyes towards JJ McCarthy. Huskey reads McCarthy’s eyes and drops to pick off a pass intended for the receiver behind him. It is incredible awareness from Huskey as he comes in with a clutch play from the redzone. McCarthy took care of the football all season long and these were the types of throws he routinely made, but Huskey simply made a great play that McCarthy could not avoid. Great stuff from the new Terrapin.

Another interception came against Akron when Huskey read the quarterback and jumped a route. Huskey was in man coverage when the receiver ran a slant route to the inside. Huskey displays great hip work to stay glued to the receiver but keep his eyes on the quarterback at the same time. The ball was a bit behind the intended receiver, however, Huskey jumped the route and created a clean takeaway. Bowling Green followed this turnover with a score of their own as Huskey was the catalyst for great field position.

Huskey’s speed does not jump off the page, but he can still stay locked on receivers. His body positioning was solid throughout the season on deep balls thrown his way. Quarterbacks did not often test him deep which is usually a good sign. In the limited times they did test him it usually did not turn out well. Huskey stays tight to receivers and makes it difficult for them to create separation.

He thrives in press coverage where he can limit separation for his opponent. When he was beaten it usually came when receivers were given cushion to make space for quick out routes and comeback routes. And while he doesn’t have the top-end speed, Huskey shows a quick reaction time. An example below is a receiver that gets an easy chunk of yards on a curl route where Huskey is lined up seven yards off the line of scrimmage. Huskey reacts quickly but is usually beat on these play designs.

Huskey’s tackling is inconsistent as he can come in and stop big plays but can also tend to miss tackles. Huskey was often lined up tight to the tackle box where he was put in better position to make tackles. He was not afraid to stick his nose in the dirty areas to make plays. Here he is lined up towards the top of the screen and quickly fills to make a tackle for a minimum gain.

Huskey is very disciplined in the run game. He keeps his eyes in the backfield and breaks off his receiver at the right time to go make a play. Having a discipline corner is key to limiting breakout plays as a 25-yard gain can be limited to a 10-yard gain with good run fits in the secondary. The following plays display Huskey filling in the run game and making big tackles on potential big plays.

The portal addition isn’t the strongest player and where that shows is in his open-field tackling form, an area that leaves ample room for growth. It is never pretty when Huskey has to make a solo tackle against a larger player, but he is overall efficient in getting them to the turf. However, this poor tackling form leads to missed tackles in the open field. Arm tackling was a bad trend that resurfaced throughout his season tape. A bad habit for the cornerback when it comes to being the last line of defense.

A final flaw in his run game ability was his ability to shed blocks. With his smaller frame, Jalen Huskey struggled to get off blocks to make tackles. On outside runs and screen plays Huskey often gets stuck on his block which can lead to big plays along the sideline. A weakness to be expected for corners, especially at his size, but a weakness, nonetheless.

Overall, Jalen Huskey is a very reliable corner in coverage. His vision is elite, and he displayed great ball skills in the limited times balls were thrown his way. His overall size and speed are average but his hips and reaction time allow him to limit separation for opposing receivers. Huskey was often deployed in man coverage so it will be interesting to see how he can perform in zone coverages in Maryland’s diverse defense. His tackling is inconsistent, but he is still willing to get physical and make plays. Huskey will get every chance to step in as the top cornerback this season at Maryland as the options available are mostly unproven. This spring will give new position coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim a chance to work with his unit more, but Huskey will look to continue his ability to create turnovers and make clutch plays for the Maryland defense.

May 18, 2024

Maryland football film breakdown: CB Jalen Huskey

Richard Welch