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Former Ole Miss DB officially joins Indiana’s 2021 roster

Teddy Rydquist

By Teddy Rydquist

Published:

Indiana made a potentially impactful addition to their secondary official on Thursday, announcing the enrollment of redshirt senior safety Jonathan Haynes.

Registering 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Haynes comes to Bloomington after spending the last two seasons with the Ole Miss Rebels, where he registered 86 tackles (one for loss) and two interceptions.

Prior to his time in Oxford, he played two seasons for the Jones College Bobcats in Ellisville, Mississippi.

The Hoosiers are unique in that the program employs five defensive backs on nearly every snap. Sometimes, this is the more traditional three-cornerback look, but could also be three safeties, with the third referred to as the “Husky.”

Senior Devon Matthews, a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media in 2020, returns at one of the safety spots, with redshirt senior Raheem Layne, a former linebacker, projected to start at the other, according to reports out of summer camp.

It remains to be seen where Haynes fits into this equation, but having proven production in the Southeastern Conference, he is a nice weapon for head coach Tom Allen and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Charlton Warren to have at their disposal.

A tough season-opener, Indiana’s 2021 campaign will begin with a trip to Iowa City on September 4 to tangle with the Hawkeyes at 3:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.

Teddy Rydquist

A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.