Wayne State University Athletics

Football 8/18/2022 9:05:00 AM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

2022 Football Position Previews - Defensive Backs

Listen to new coach Antwon Robinson talk about his position group.

DETROIT -- As we near the start of the 2022 Wayne State University football campaign, we preview the secondary with new defensive coordinator Antwon Robinson.

At the start of fall camp redshirt junior Drake Reid (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester) is the most experienced cornerback on the roster with classmate Dalen Peeks (Akron, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) redshirting in 2022. Two others -- redshirt sophomore David Green (Calumet City, Ill. / Thornton Fractional North) and redshirt senior Martell Hill (Akron, Ohio / East) -- saw limited playing time a season ago.

Reid started nine contests in 2021 and totaled 53 tackles (38 solo, 15 assisted), along with seven pass break-ups and a fumble recovery. A GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team selection, Reid earned Honorable Mention All-GLIAC accolades, and was also voted WSU's Special Teams Most Valuable Player.

Green appeared in the final nine games a year ago and finished second on the squad with five (4-1) kickoff coverage tackles with Hill seeing action in seven contests last fall, including action at cornerback in four games.

Battling for a spot in the rotation are redshirt freshman Chuck Worsham III (South Bend, Ind. / John Adams), and veterans Joe Wright III (Romulus, Mich.) and Chandler Edwards (Norton Shores, Mich. / North Muskegon). Worsham earned First Team All-Northern Indiana Athletic Conference (NIAC) accolades as a senior in 2020, then was selected WSU's Scout Defensive Player of the Week for the Missouri S&T contest last fall, while Wright begins his fifth year in the program. Edwards spent the last three seasons (2019-20-21) on offense appearing in 10 games in 2021, as a running back and on special teams.

Two true freshmen in Elijah Fowlkes (Cleveland, Ohio / Cleveland Heights) and Alan Smith (Kankakee, Ill. / Bishop McNamara) will push the veterans, and add depth along with redshirt sophomore Justin Siggers (South Euclid, Ohio / Parma Padua Franciscan). Fowlkes received Second Team All-Lake Erie League honors as a senior on both offense and defense in 2021, while Smith was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and track) for the Fightin' Irish.

Shawn Allen (Flint, Mich. / Grand Blanc) will redshirt in 2022 due to GLIAC transfer rules after attending Michigan Tech during the 2021-22 academic year.

Redshirt senior Shavez Hawkins, Jr. (San Tan Valley, Ariz. / Williams Field) started eight times a season ago at safety and led the WSU secondary with 3.5 tackles for loss (2 solo, 3 assisted) among his 45 tackles (22 solo, 23 assisted). Redshirt sophomore Myles Harris (Clinton Township, Mich. / Chippewa Valley) started at safety in two of his four games played last year and led the squad with 267 kickoff return yards and a 24.3 kickoff return average.

Redshirt junior Brian Hill (Dayton, Ohio / Huber Heights Wayne) returns to the active roster after being sidelined by a non-football injury in 2021. Redshirt sophomores Hayden Loya (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt) and Brayden Vredeveld (Hudsonville, Mich.), along with Hill, will push for playing time at safety. The other non-rookie at the position is Mercyhurst transfer Draven Wilson (Macomb, Mich. / Chippewa Valley), who redshirted with the Lakers in 2021.

Redshirt freshman Charles Coy III (Romulus, Mich. / Summit Academy North) and Morehouse College transfer Darron Moore II (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) are also competing for a spot on the travel roster.

The Warriors recruited four safeties to add depth to the position. They are Chidiebere Anaele (Chicago, Ill. / Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep), Chris Gillam (Cincinnati, Ohio / Princeton), Jaden Lewis (Shaker Heights, Ohio) and Devon Brown (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King).

Anaele earned First Team All-City and All-Chicago Public League honors as a defensive lineman, while Gillam helped CPHS to an 11-2 record as a senior by making 36 tackles, including six for loss along with five pass break-ups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Lewis earned Second Team All-Lake Erie League honors as a senior. He recorded 16 pass-breakups in 2021, along with four interceptions including tying the OHSAA mark with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Waubonsie Valley on Sept. 10, 2021. Brown helped the Crusaders to a 13-1 record and a 2021 MHSAA Division 3 state title. He recorded an interception in a 2020 state playoff game win over Eastpointe.

Other Position Previews
Season Preview
Running Backs Preview
Quarterbacks Preview
Linebackers Preview
Offensive Line Preview
Defensive Line Preview
Tight Ends Preview
Wide Receivers Preview

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Players Mentioned

#6 Charles Coy III: S; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

# 13 Chandler Edwards: CB; 5' 10"; Senior

#23 David Green: CB; 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore

#9 Myles Harris: S; 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

#1 Shavez Hawkins, Jr.: S; 5' 11"; Redshirt Fifth Year

#19 Brian Hill: S; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

#25 Martell Hill: CB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

#28 Hayden Loya: S; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore

#13 Dalen Peeks: CB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Drake Reid: CB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#6 Charles Coy III
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: S

# 13 Chandler Edwards
: 5' 10"; Senior
: CB

#23 David Green
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore
: CB

#9 Myles Harris
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore
: S

#1 Shavez Hawkins, Jr.
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Fifth Year
: S

#19 Brian Hill
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: S

#25 Martell Hill
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior
: CB

#28 Hayden Loya
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore
: S

#13 Dalen Peeks
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: CB

#3 Drake Reid
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior
: CB