Cornerbacks room gives Coach Eriq Moore plenty of matchup options
- Tom Weber
- Aug 4
- 4 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern’s seven-man cornerbacks room features a little bit of everything — length, speed, experience, youth, savvy — you name it.
Coach Eriq Moore, who joined the staff in the middle of spring ball from Missouri Western State, likes the versatility at his disposal.
Returnees Jeremiah McClendon and Sebastian Vargas have eight games of starting experience combined at SIU. Wyoming transfer Naz Hill brings length at 6-foot-3. Redshirt freshmen Gavin Shepard and Denym Mitchell are dynamic, young players. And true freshmen Cameron Cason and Arshawn Powell add youth to the mix.
“They all bring something to the table, a piece of the pie, that gives us the chance to be really good,” Moore said. “You have your identity, but then you have the versatility to cater to each team you play. I think together we can do something special.”
#8 Jeremiah McClendon (aka JBlack), 6-0, 185, Senior
Played at Charleston Southern and Marshall before transferring to SIU last season and started four games…Had an interception versus Illinois State and a fumble recovery at Missouri State.
“He brings a lot of experience to the table. He's played a lot of ball. Not only last year for us, but at different schools. So that experience is something you just can't coach. He also has a great feel for the game.”
#7 Sebastian Vargas Escobar, 6-1, 190, Junior
A former walk-on at Florida who transferred to SIU, played in every game last season and made four starts…Had 23 tackles and three pass breakups.
“Sebastian's got a lot of savvy. He understands football at a high level. When we talk about zone coverage, I think he's definitely going to be able to add something there for us, but he's also doing a really good job just showing his discipline.”
#2 Naz Hill, 6-3, 185, Sophomore
A former 3-star recruit who played one season at Wyoming.
“He’s got a great 6-3 frame. He's got great length. Receivers, even tight ends are going to struggle to block him with his physicality, just the way he plays the game. If an offensive coordinator thinks a cornerback can’t tackle, with Naz, you're gonna be wrong, because he's gonna match the physicality. He's gonna bring it.”
#27 Denym Mitchell, 6-0, 185, Redshirt Freshman
Recorded 12 interceptions in high school and got to play in three games at SIU last season.
“We call him D1. He's got just a dog mentality, just scrappy. He refuses to be blocked and is always gonna fight to get the ball out all the way to the ground. He's doing a really good job for us right now, and just continues to grow. I have to remind myself that technically on the field, he's still a freshman.”
#29 Gavin Shepard, 5-11, 175, Redshirt Freshman
Played in the Miami Dade vs. Miami Broward All-Star game in high school and helped lead Chaminade to a 13-0 record and state title as a senior.
“He’s got really, really good feet. I mean, he's always active, he’s smooth in his crossover run, getting his hips open to protect the posts and some of our coverages. Just being able to change directions really quickly, getting his eyes and feet to the target when he's coming out of a break.”
#35 Cameron Cason, 6-0, 170, Freshman
Two-time all-state football player from Missouri and an accomplished track athlete who set the school triple jump record (14’3’’) and finished second at state … Also recorded a 40’8’’ vertical jump.
“He’s very coachable, he's fixing his mistakes, he’s got great length, understands football. Sometimes with freshmen, they get here and they're like, “this is different” but for Cam, he comes from a good high school program and has been able to get acclimated here rather quickly.”
#37 Arshawn Powell, 5-10, 150, Freshman
An all-around athlete who excelled on both sides of the ball in high school, including five interceptions at cornerback.
“I think he's done a good job of understanding football, being able to fix some of his mistakes. We've got, what, practice five today. Sometimes, you'll be correcting the same mistakes that they've made in practice one. But with those freshmen, both of those guys have done a good job of correcting mistakes and being coachable.”
Practice #5 Insiders Notebook
