DeBerry Wants to Be More of a Vocal Leader in Final Season
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Josh DeBerry lets his play do the talking. While fierce on the field, the Boston College senior defensive back has a quiet demeanor with reporters.
Fittingly so, given that, for more than a season, his helmet-less face was mostly hidden by a canopy of dreads.
Gone are the locks. And DeBerry, a cornerback on the All-ACC Preseason Team, is in the spotlight.
The do-it-all DB is arguably the Eagles' most valuable player on the defensive side of the ball. He's ready to embrace that responsibility.
"The biggest thing I've been working on is my leadership," DeBerry said during last week's ACC Kickoff. "Being more of a vocal leader ... not just being the guy that people look at as being the guy that can get on somebody, that can lock somebody up."
What makes DeBerry so important is his versatility. Last season, the 5-foot-11 Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, native primarily played nickel, and he thrived inside. DeBerry lined up in the slot for 367 snaps, on the corner for 117, in the box for 51 and on the defensive line for 11, according to Pro Football Focus.
DeBerry was used in blitz packages, as a run defender and, naturally, in coverage. He allowed just 23 catches on 44 targets, yielding a career-low reception percentage of 52.3%, per PFF. He also picked off a pair of passes.
DeBerry missed the final two games of the regular season with an ankle injury yet still finished fifth on the team in total tackles and ranked atop the BC leaderboard with 36 solos, en route to All-ACC second team honors.
DeBerry registered the highest PFF defensive (82.2) and coverage (79.2) grades of any Eagle in 2021, a year removed from being recognized as an All-ACC honorable mention corner who was second on the team in pass break-ups (six). That season, he intercepted one pass and forced a pair of fumbles, the first of which he wrestled away from Duke wide receiver Damon Philyaw-Johnson in BC’s season opener.
"I can play whatever," DeBerry said. "I can come up in the run. I can guard the slot on the outside. Just doing whatever this team needs for me to win is what I'm down to do."
DeBerry is a centerpiece of a defense that has steadily improved since Jeff Hafley took over as BC's head coach in December 2019. Since, the Eagles have climbed from 101st to 60th to 31st in scoring defense. And from 122nd to 82nd to third in pass defense.
Last year, when BC's offense floundered at the start of ACC play, the Eagles' defense often kept the team in games. Even so, the unit hardly gets the same attention as BC's offense, which features a pair of potential early-round draft picks.
"We're used to not getting a lot of the shine, as defense tends not to in football," DeBerry said. "We've used that as nothing but fuel. We're looking to be the best defense in the conference, [and] in the country, this year, in terms of every aspect—not just passing defense."
One area where the Eagles sorely need help is in the pass rushing department. BC has ranked no better than 10th in the league in sacks per game each of the last three seasons. Last year, BC's PFF pass rushing grade of 63.2 was 126th in the FBS.
DeBerry is confident in the "firepower" the Eagles return on the defensive line. He noted that sixth-year defensive end Marcus Valdez, sixth-year defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka and senior Shitta Sillah are all back.
Additionally, BC is strapped with younger defensive line talent that has made up a good chunk of Hafley's last two top-40 recruiting classes. Sophomores Donovan Ezeiruaku, Ty Clemons and Neto Okpala should make more of an impact in 2022.
Most importantly, though, Hafley's gotten those players, as well as the bridge guys like DeBerry, to trust his vision for the defense.
"I feel like Coach Haf defines what we are," DeBerry said. "We're bought in. I'm bought in, and I'm bought into everything he has to offer.
"That just shows how great of a coach and leader he is."
