A big reason IU’s football team is in Friday’s national semifinal game is undersized defensive back D’Angelo Ponds.
At 5-feet 9-inches, Ponds sometimes gives up six inches or more to the elite receivers he’s covering.
Ponds says doubts about his size have driven him to become the player he is — a second-team All-America cornerback this season.
"I would say just from having that chip on my shoulder, hearing that I'm undersized, being under-recruited out of high school and stuff like that, always overlooked," Ponds said. "I would say that's where it comes from, just that dog in me. I feel like it's come from being overlooked.”
Ponds says his speed allows him to compete against bigger receivers. He won the 100 and 200 meters in Florida’s state high school track meet.
"I'm way faster than guys," Ponds said. "I got good technique. I have better feet than most of the taller guys. I would say that's why it's a plus for me. It's easier for me to move. I can move fluidly. I feel like that's what makes me excel as a player."
IU defensive coordinator Bryant Haines said Ponds's athletic attributes compensate for his height.
"First, he is a very, very sudden, twitchy, loose hipped athlete," Haines said. "So I know he's a little bit undersized, but his body control, his ability to say sticky to a receiver, is, I think, his best physical quality. Whether he's pressing you or he's playing in zone, he's so reactive.
"He can plant, point, drive and really cover ground, because he's got great body control. He can also make plays on the ball in the air, which is important. I mean, you can have a 6-3 corner, but if they never have their body or their feet beneath them in order to jump up for the ball, they're not playing at 6-3."
Haines said Ponds is astute in film study as well.
"He's got a great mind for the game, and his competitive spirit is elite," Haines said. "I mentioned this to everybody I talked to about D'Angelo, because people understand D'Angelo Ponds is not going to let you catch a ball on him — in walk through, in practice, in the circuits. He's going to compete with every fiber of his being on every single play and that's unique."