Defensive Back | Letter 2008
Ben Mauk is without a doubt the most famous one year wonder in the Bearcats history, Brandon Underwood might just have been the best. The really remarkable thing about Undewood was how well he adjusted on the fly. When he became eligible in 2008 the Bearcats suddenly had an embarrassment of riches at corner back. Mike Mickens. DeAngelo Smith. Brandon Underwood. Those were the top three corners heading into the year. Three guys who had to be on the field but only two spots. The solution was to make one guy a safety, and Kerry Coombs pick was DeAngelo Smith.
And it didn't work, not really. DeLo was often out of position was way outside his comfort zone as the last line of defense for that group. The logic behind moving DeLo was sound. He had spent more years in the system and was more familiar with the concepts and theoretically could handled the added complexity inherent with the position. But it didn't work. On the fly the coaches moved Underwood to safety and DeLo back to corner and the secondary became a rock for the defense. Underwood became a 1st Team All Big East selection at a position he didn't start the year playing. That is remarkable and its an oft forgotten storyline from that 2008 season.
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