Capping off our defensive positional groups, let’s take a look into the cornerback room, which includes a trio of upperclassmen with experience at Power Four programs.
According to Delaware Pass Game Coordinator and Cornerbacks Coach Corico Wright, this is the deepest room that he’s coached in his three years with the program. “It’s been a very competitive camp. This is the most depth we’ve ever had, which is an amazing thing for us… especially covering all the fast receivers that we have on our roster every day,” Wright announced in his opening statement.
“We have some guys who played an unbelievable amount of football for us last year, including A’Khoury Lyde and Nate Evans, who both played around 340 snaps,” Wright added when speaking about the top returning members of the room. Lyde, appearing in all 24 games since his arrival from Wisconsin in 2023, has recorded 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 3 pass breakups in 2 years as a Blue Hen. Evans, who transferred in from NC State last season, was selected to the 2024 All-CAA Honorable Mention Team after having 16 tackles, 7 pass deflections, and an interception. The pair, both with experience in high-level programs, will be relied upon in Delaware’s first FBS season.
A popular pick for a 2025 breakout season is junior Kshawn Cox Jr. “Kshawn took it upon himself to really change his body this offseason. He has added a lot of muscle from really crushing it in the weight room, which has helped his game tremendously. He’s always had the ability to cover on the outside, come up and make tackles, and do everything we ask him to do in the secondary,” praised Wright when asked about Cox pushing for an elevated role on the defense. Producing 10 tackles and a pass breakup in his first full season in 2024, Kshawn embraced his opportunity to step up as a leader this offseason, stating, “It’s helped me grow. It’s me becoming a better version of myself, as well as helping others.”
In the same signing class as Cox Jr., Nyaire Domnie was asked to immediately contribute as a true freshman in 2023. “It’s just really great to see him now take that next step and become a guy that this camp has seen been very, very consistent,” Wright described when asked of Domnie’s growth. Making impacts on both defense and special teams, Domnie has recorded 14 tackles and 2 pass deflections through his first two seasons as a Hen. Now, Nyair is ready to shine in 2025. “We give out this thing every day called the ‘Alpha Hen’ chain, and through the first 14 practices, Nyaire has at least 8 of them,” Wright finished.
Joining the list of returnees is sophomore Alex Adebayo, a walk-on from Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland.
The program announced the signing of veteran cornerback Keontae Jenkins in the spring, who arrived to Newark after two seasons at Coastal Carolina. “(Keontae) has done a phenomenal job of bringing a lot of things to the table from his experience at other places. He has been awesome to watch compete every day in practice,” Wright stated. The former 4-star speedster originally started his collegiate career at TCU. He now receives the opportunity to team up with his brother Nate Evans for the first time since 2019, when the duo last played together at Frank Cox High School in Virginia Beach. “This is my first time coaching brothers, so this is awesome,” Wright claimed. “They hold each other accountable… it’s just amazing to watch them operate.”
Speaking of the younger cornerback room that Kshawn mentioned above, the program also signed three freshmen corners in Azir Lee, Jalen Ross, and Jamarion Kolagbodi. Wright, who described the trio as a “breath of fresh air” in camp, praised their high school coaching staffs in preparing them for the next level. “They’re coming in ready to go. Obviously, they had to learn how we do things, but those guys haven’t flinched.”
“It’s a competitive group,” Wright concluded. “We’re looking forward to seeing where we stack up against the FBS competition that we will be up against this fall.”
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