The Flames are slated to return most of their top producers at the corner back position from last year’s team, as only Charles Yates and Alex Oliver have departed.
Amarian Williams is the most recognizable name to return to the position for the Flames. He has four years of playing experience under his belt, playing 40 games during his career at Liberty while amassing 74 tackles, three interceptions, and 9 pass breakups. He is the leader of the unit and should help stabilize the production for the Flames at corner entering 2025.
In addition to Williams, Liberty also has the veteran experience of Dexter Ricks who has played in 28 games over the past three seasons. Quietly, Ricks had a really productive year for the Flames in 2024, playing in 11 games with 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He will likely be expected to start at corner alongside Williams entering the fall.
Behind Ricks and Williams, there’s not a ton of proven talent, but there are some younger players that have potential. The team will be looking for one or more of these names to emerge as a reliable option at corner. One of those is Elijah Hopkins. He began his career at Coastal Carolina, spending the 2022 season there when he redshirted, before transferring to Liberty. Over the past two seasons, while fighting through injuries, Hopkins has played in 13 games for the Flames with three tackles.
Jamal Miles could also emerge this fall. After redshirting in 2023, Miles played in nine games last season. Ronald Moore turned heads early in the spring a year ago when he first arrived on campus before suffering an injury that forced him to miss all of the 2024 season. Now getting back to full strength, we could see Moore make a push for significant playing time during training camp.
Liberty also has two true freshmen that joined the program as mid-year enrollees this past spring in Uriah Points and Myke Gunn. Points hails from Grayson High School where he helped them to a 12-1 record in 2024 and advancing to the semifinals of the Georgia 6A state playoffs. He chose Liberty over numerous offers including Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Indiana, and West Virginia. Similarly, Gunn was also a decorated high school prospect where he helped Auburn High School to a 10-1 season during his senior year. He had offers from East Carolina, FAU, Jacksonville State, Marshall, South Florida, West Virginia, and others.
The Flames also have brought in a couple of transfers in the spring transfer portal that could factor in at either safety or corner in Jayden Whaley and Jiquavious Marshall. Whaley is a 6’2″, 185 pound athlete who played in 10 games in 2024 as a freshman for Hampton. He finished the year with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups while playing more than 400 snaps. Whaley, who could play either corner or safety, has three years of eligibility remaining and was named an HBCU Freshman All-American. Whaley is originally from James Island, South Carolina and James Island High School. He helped lead them to a 12-1 record in 2023 as a senior, finishing with 45 tackles in 12 games with two tackles for loss and three interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown. He was a three-year starter in high school and should be expected to compete for playing time immediately.
Marshall is a 6’4″, 180 pound corner who has all four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in his first season at Kentucky this past season. Since entering the portal, Marshall picked up numerous offers including from Arkansas State, Toledo, Western Michigan, Ohio, Marshall, and Appalachian State. He took visits to Georgia State and Coastal Carolina in addition to Liberty.
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Quarterbacks
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Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Line
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