KALAMAZOO, MI – It’s no secret that the cornerback position has been a weak link in Western Michigan’s defensive armor since the graduation of fifth-round NFL draft pick Darius Phillips in 2018.
In each of the three seasons since Phillips’ departure, the Broncos have finished in the bottom half of the Mid-American Conference in passing yards allowed per game, and in 2018, the team ranked last in the league in pass defense efficiency.
During that span, WMU has sent just one cornerback – 2019 Third Team All-MAC pick Patrick Lupro – to an all-conference list, and when the team announced the junior defender would miss the 2021 campaign to focus on academics, the beleaguered position group got significantly thinner.
To bolster the unit, former starting wide receiver DaShon Bussell decided to switch to cornerback at the start of spring practice in a move that was more player-driven than coach-driven, he said.
“I would say I kind of forced the issue, and I stepped up and said I wanted to (move to cornerback), and then one day I get a call, and (WMU head coach Tim Lester) asked if I’m looking forward to doing it, and I said, ‘Yeah, I really want to do it,” and so I just went on and made that transition,” Bussell said.
Lester, WMU’s primary play caller, took special interest in the defense – specifically the cornerback position – during the offseason and praised Bussell’s physicality at the end of spring ball, then acknowledged the junior’s ball skills and press coverage ability after WMU’s first day of fall camp.
“He’s a really good athlete. He’s been working so hard… That’s a big transition to go from wideout to corner,” Lester said of Bussell. “He can run; he’s physical; he’s got great ball skills, and he’s really, really good at the line of scrimmage.”
To receive the attention of not only cornerbacks coach Marvin Clecidor, but also the man atop the WMU football team, was beneficial to the position switch, Bussell said.
“It’s been good,” he said of having Lester focus on the cornerbacks. “We really have to tone some stuff up. For a few years, corner’s been kind of iffy, but he’s come over, and we’ve been toning it up at a lot.”
“The transition’s been really great to me,” Bussell added. “I kind of wish I started as a cornerback with how my mindset is, and what I’ve been working on just getting the plays, learning the scheme and that’s really about it.”
At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Bussell has good size for the position, and his knowledge of the receiver position, where he caught 27 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns during a breakout 2019 campaign, has allowed him to pick up on what his opponents are trying to do.
The toughest part of the adjustment has been learning the nuances of the defense when an offense isn’t lined up in a standard formation, he said.
“Just learning alignment, honestly, like when we have a nub tight end (a tight end without any receivers outside of him) and stuff like that – just bringing it down when we’re playing different types of defenses,” Bussell said of the most difficult things to master.
Listed as a three-star recruit coming out of Knoxville Catholic, Bussell showed some versatility as a prep athlete, and upon his commitment to WMU, 247Sports scouting director Steve Wiltfong said he could see him being “a difference maker in the secondary.”
While he won’t be throwing him touchdown passes this season, WMU quarterback Kaleb Eleby has seen Bussell making an impact with the first-string defense throughout spring practice and the first six practices of fall camp, and the sophomore signal caller added that having the chance to compete against him has been “pretty great.”
“Having him at receiver and have now having him at DB, that definitely provides a challenge to the guys,” Eleby said. “He’s a little bit smarter; he knows exactly what’s going on. He’s fast; he’s physical. I’m excited to have him over there. I think he’s going to be a great fit, and I’m excited to see him ball this season.”
WMU begins its 2021 season with a noon kickoff at the University of Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 4.
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WMU football’s DaShon Bussell using receiving skills for smooth transition to cornerback - MLive.com
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