Indiana Hoosiers junior cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was recently named one of the best defensive backs in all of college football in 2025 by panel of ESPN analyst.
Ponds is coming off of a huge breakout 2024 season after transferring from James Madison in 2023. Ponds received second-team All-America honors from The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, Football Writers Association of America, Phil Steele, and USA Today Sports.
The panel ranked D'Angelo Ponds at No. 4 overall among all defensive backs in the nation and the third-best cornerback, behind Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Notre Dame corner Leonard Moore, and Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy.
Here’s what ESPN’s Chris Low said about Ponds:
Ponds had a breakout sophomore season in 2024 at Indiana after transferring from James Madison. A second-team ESPN All-American, he doesn’t have great size (5-9, 170 pounds), but he is a physical cornerback who also locks down opposing receivers in coverage. He was third on Indiana’s team with 36 solo tackles and led the team with nine pass breakups. He finished with three interceptions, 4.5 tackles for loss and blocked a kick.
"“If there’s a play to be made, Ponds is usually there to make it, over the past two seasons, his 91.8 grade by Pro Football Focus leads all returning FBS cornerbacks.”"Chris Low
He was graded the No. 3 coverage cornerback in the Big Ten per Pro Football Focus (84.7) during the regular season.
“He’s everything you want in a corner,” Indiana CB coach Rod Ojong said of Ponds during spring practice. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder because he was overlooked. … The kid, he’s a pro, he’s everything you want.”
Ponds appeared in all 13 games with 12 starts. He totaled 55 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss. The sophomore also had three interceptions and broke up nine passes.
Indiana will have three returning All-Americans in Ponds, inside linebacker Aiden Fisher and defensive end Mikial Kamara all led by Broyles Award finalist coordinator Bryant Haines.