Of all the position battles on Kansas State’s football team this preseason, the fight for starting cornerback might have been the most competitive.
With Joshua Moore’s departure to the NFL, that part of the secondary was left wide open. Terrance Sweeney, Stephen Harrison, David Garrett, Matthew Pearson and Troy Butler all were in the mix.
According to the first depth chart of the season, Sweeney and Harrison won the two starting spots. But until they prove themselves in games, they will share playing time with the other three.
“Sweeney and Harrison will play out there and Garrett will get some time as well,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “We feel comfortable that we are two deep there at the cornerback spot and maybe not quite two deep at the safety spot.
“What I like about our secondary is that you can see the improvement that has taken place over a period of time. Troy can play inside or outside and David Garrett can as well.”
Butler will start the UCLA game at linebacker, but he looked good during a recent open practice playing cornerback. He will likely move back and forth between the positions when needed.
With Emmanuel Lamur and Tysyn Hartman helping them out, K-State’s cornerbacks will be allowed to reach their full potential.
Sweeney, Garrett and Harrison all stand less than six feet tall, but they use their speed and toughness to match up against wide receivers.
They have experience together, and expect to be the strongest unit on K-State’s defense.
“Emmanuel, Tysyn and myself are all back from last year, so we have been in this situation before,” Harrison said. “We have experience, so we know what to look for, and we know what each other is going to do and what to expect from each other out there.”
Lamur agrees.
“I think the secondary as a whole has a better connection this year,” Lamur said. “Tysyn and I have another year of experience, so that helps us out a lot. We expect more from each other, and we know our strengths and weaknesses. We need to try and play fast and play on the same page. We are very confident right now in what we can do as a secondary.”