Florida Cornerbacks Sharpe, Monds III Following in Footsteps of Indiana All-American Mullen

Jamari Sharpe and James Monds III were members of the highest-ranked recruiting class in Indiana football history in 2022, and part of the reason they chose Indiana was the example fellow Florida native Tiawan Mullen set as a Hoosier, earning first-team All-American honors. With Mullen off to the NFL, now it's time for Sharpe and Monds III to step up.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Recruiting the state of Florida has been a consistent emphasis at Indiana under coach Tom Allen, noticeable throughout his now seven-year tenure. 

Allen began his coaching career in 1992 at Temple Heights Christian School in Tampa, Fla., and his role as South Florida's defensive coordinator in 2015 kept those ties strong.

One of Allen's more notable Florida recruits, Tiawan Mullen, played a key role during two of Indiana's most successful seasons. Although he's in the NFL now with the Los Angeles Chargers, his impact is still being felt in Bloomington.

Along with Mullen's departure, Indiana lost a trio multi-year starters from its secondary following the 2022 season, including Jaylin Williams, Devon "Monster" Matthews and Bryant Fitzgerald. 

In their wake, Indiana has several spots to fill and open competition throughout the secondary. And two of the young defensive backs – Jamari Sharpe and James Monds II that have emerged during the first two weeks of fall camp chose Indiana in part due to the path paved by Mullen. 

Ahead of the 2019 season, Mullen, a three-star recruit, committed to the Hoosiers over a slew of Power 5 offers. He made the journey from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Bloomington and made an immediate impact, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention as a true freshman in 2019 and becoming the first Indiana cornerback to earn first-team All-American honors in 2020. Indiana went 14-7 with two bowl game appearances, and Mullen recorded three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 20 pass breakups, all in two-year span.

As fellow high school recruits from Florida, Sharpe and Monds III couldn't help but notice Mullen and other Florida natives succeeding at Indiana, including Michael Penix Jr., Devon Matthews, Jamar Johnson, Micah McFadden and others. Sharpe and Monds III were both part of Indiana's 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 25 in the nation – the highest ranking in program history, per 247 Sports.

 "I think the class that we had is really amazing," Monds III said. "Every single dude in that class has really been putting in that work and is trying to emerge as that guy, and I feel like this class is definitely going to change things that have been around here in the past."

While Florida is one of the more talent-rich states when it comes to football, Mullen showed that Indiana can be a destination where Sunshine State natives can excel.

"I knew his little brother, Trevell Mullen, and then when I saw Tiawan and how he was doing here, that made me want to come here," Sharpe said Monday.

"Definitely, that impacted some of my decision," Monds III said. "Just because you know those guys came from Florida where it's hot and sunny, and obviously you don't really play in the cold, so when you come here you have other guys you can relate to."

Out of Northwestern High School in Miami, Sharpe was tabbed a three-star recruit and the No. 75 cornerback in the class of 2022, according to 247 Sports. He picked Indiana over offers from LSU, Mississippi State, several school in Florida and others.

Monds III graduated Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Fla., where he grew into a three-star recruit and the No. 98 cornerback in the class of 2022, according to 247 Sports. He held 17 Power 5 offers, including Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee and others, but ultimately picked Indiana. 

Behind veterans like Mullen and Williams on the depth chart, both Sharpe and Monds III appeared in less than four games in 2022 in order to maintain redshirt status and four years of eligibility heading into the 2023 season. And now that those multi-year starters have graduated, it's their time to step up accomplish what they set out to do when they committed to Indiana. 

Sharpe played wide receiver until his senior year of high school, when he made the switch to cornerback. It admittedly took him about five-to-six months to feel comfortable on the other side of the ball, but he began to enjoy the aggressive nature of the position. 

And the IU players he looked up to as a high school recruit surely helped him continue that development as a freshman in 2022. Nearly through the first two weeks of fall camp, Sharpe said he's been playing with the first-string defense.

"Tiawan Mullen and Jaylin Williams, they both taught me the game and how to play the game of corner," Sharpe said. "They just taught me everything I needed to know."

Indiana cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby named Monds III as one of the young cornerbacks that have stood out during fall camp, and Monds III said that he feels more comfortable in his second year in the program due to his improved knowledge of the playbook.

And now that it's his time to shine, Monds III aspires to be even better than the groups that inspired him to come to Indiana. 

"That's kind of like a stepping stone of where they want us to be," Monds III said. "Obviously we want to go over that, so that's just kind of the base of what we could be if we actually lock into the system and have everything in the right situation."