Throughout fall camp, LetsGoPeay.com will take a look at each of the position groups as the Austin Peay State University football team goes through preparations for the 2020 season. While we'll leave the nickels and All-American Kordell Jackson for a later date, the secondary is chock full of corners and safeties long on big-game experience. The loss of Juantarius Bryant leaves a leadership void, but one a number of talented returners are vying to fill.

Last week, we talked about an Austin Peay defensive line that went two-deep at every position, a problem that can be categorized as a good problem to have.

We thought about copy-and-pasting the opening from that piece to this one about the corners and safeties, because it still very much applies. And maybe there's not the marquee name of a Josephus Smith in this bunch, but it's also possible that's merely true in this moment. By season's end (whenever that is), it may seem quaint that we once considered Isaiah Norman merely a "very good starter."

Smith only had two appearances to his name before last season, after all.

One word kept coming up when talking with defensive backs coach Dominique Bowman: competitive. With so much talent returning, and so many newcomers eager to make a mark, the level of competition has been high during camp.

"We've got a lot of guys who have played a bunch of snaps in their collegiate careers, so everything is a competition," Bowman said. "The competition has been there, back and forth, every day. We're trying to get the best group with the best camaraderie. We're not where we want to be yet, but we'll be there on the 29^th. I tell my guys all the time, it's okay to make mistakes; that gives me an opportunity to coach. But it's not okay to make the same mistakes over and over again. And they've been fantastic at bringing it every day."

Norman is the name that leaps out; as Bryant's partner deep on the strong side a year ago, the Cordova native made 64 tackles and broke up six passes across 15 games. Norman's versatility, like many of his contemporaries in the secondary, adds to his value. He's a safety, sure, but if he needs to take a turn marking a receiver one-on-one as a corner, he's more than capable of locking up the man across the line from him.

Other safeties returning include senior Johnathon Edwards and Coreon Jackson. Edwards was a huge part of the rotation a year ago, and his 6-2 frame makes him a problem in double coverage. Jackson, a local product from Kenwood, was a stalwart in the secondary and on special teams a year ago and has flashed the potential to expand his role in 2020 or whenever.

Jackson leads the next generation back deep, with a pair of freshmen in KJ Murden and Kory Chapman and sophomore Aquantis Saunders growing into their roles. Lorenzo Frazier, who saw action in two games in his redshirt season, is back to push for more playing time.

Terrell Vassell leads a trio of transfers vying for playing time when the season gets underway. A Villanova transfer who sat last season to complete his residency year, Vassell is in a battle with former Ole Miss four-star Kam Ruffin to solidify a safety spot, assuming Norman isn't moved around the field. Nathan Page, late of Arkansas State, is going to be in the mix at corner and could participate in the return game as well, while Koby Perry figures to factor heavier into the nickel spot as a disrupter but could also line up at corner as the situation dictates.

"It's all about fit," Bowman said. "I want to put guys where they're comfortable. We started Koby Perry at corner his first couple of days, but he wasn't as comfortable there as he was at nickel, so we moved him to nickel. It's my job to get guys in the right position to make plays."

The corners have plenty of depth and a thirst to prove themselves. With Trent Taylor and Erskine Francis departing following last year, the experience of Rashon Davis, Joseph Newberry and James Tobin will be tested. The trio combined for 31 tackles and eight pass break ups last season. Junior DeMilton Rocker also factors into the equation to fight for playing time.

A trio of true freshmen may be able to avoid being thrown straight into the fire, but the talent is there to make a play for a spot on the field. Nashville natives Jordan Turks (Montgomery Bell Academy) and Caleb Horton (Ensworth) are joined as newcomers in the room by Charlotte product Eljiah Culp; all three have good size and display a lot of promise.

If you're not convinced, leave it to Bowman to put it succinctly.

"This is an FBS secondary; we could go into the Sun Belt tomorrow and compete with these guys," Bowman said. "I think we go as our back end goes. We're the last line of defense and we take pride in that. The defense expects a lot of us, there's a small margin for error and we can't afford to make many mistakes. And guys know they can't afford to make mistakes with all the talent in this room."

POWELL'S PERSPECTIVE: "We have some versatile guys in the secondary. We can put Isaiah Norman anywhere. We have a ton of guys we can trust, and it's because Coach Bow does a hell of a job cross-training his guys. It's the most fun position to watch during practice, because every single rep is getting graded and every single rep the guy behind you could take your job. Koby Perry is a Swiss Army Knife we could play anywhere. We're eight or nine deep of talented guys, and that's so important in a year when we didn't have spring ball and haven't had a ton of time to work over the summer."

2020 Returnees / 2019 Stats

Rashon Davis (R-Sr.) / 10 games, 18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 3 PBU
Johnathon Edwards (R-Sr.) / 14 games, 26 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 6 PBU
Lorenzo Frazier (R-Sr.) / 2 games
Coreon Jackson (R-Sr.) / 15 games, 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL
Joseph Newberry (R-Sr.) / 15 games, 2 tackles, 1 pass break-up
Isaiah Norman (R-Jr.) / 15 games, 64 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF, 6 PBU
DeMilton Rocker (R-Jr.) / 15 games, 5 tackles  
Aquantis Saunders (R-Soph.) / 4 games, 2 tackles
James Tobin (R-Jr.) / 4 games, 11 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF, 4 PBU
Terrell Vassell (R-Sr.) / Redshirted to complete his residency requirements last year

2020 Newcomers

Kory Chapman (Fr.)
Elijah Culp (Fr.)
Caleb Horton (Fr.)
KJ Murden (Fr.)
Nathan Page (Jr.) / Transfer from Arkansas State
Kam Ruffin (Jr.) / Transfer from Ole Miss
Jordan Turks (Fr.)