Just days before Northwestern’s season-opener against Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31, redshirt freshman cornerback Josh Fussell gained an unforeseen shot at significant playing time. He’d rotated in with the second-team defense throughout fall camp, and his coaches spoke highly of his developmental promise.
But when redshirt junior cornerback Ore Adeyi sustained a major leg injury in late August, Fussell found himself on the cusp of a starting spot. The physical corner with lockdown capabilities knew he had to seize his unlikely chance.
“You never know when your role could change,” Fussell told The Daily on Tuesday. “At that point, I was still getting reps, but I was a No. 2 for sure. Ore’s my brother, and I was just hoping and praying that it wasn’t that bad. But, then reality started hitting real fast like, ‘Oh, you’re really about to be in the mix now.’”
During the season’s first five games, Fussell split reps with redshirt sophomore cornerback Evan Smith, who started the bulk of those contests.
However, once the Wildcats flipped the page from a 41-24 loss to Indiana on Oct. 5, Fussell saw his name listed on the depth chart as an NU starter against Maryland prior to Friday’s College Park clash.
A player who gave up just four catches for 29 yards in his entire high school career, Fussell faced off with the Terrapins’ high-octane passing attack — and the redshirt freshman rewarded his coaches’ trust with three tackles and a goal-line pass breakup on a target for Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton.
“There’s always competition in the room,” cornerbacks coach LaMarcus Hicks said. “You have to be at your best every single day. When Ore went down, the next guy was ready to roll and excited for his opportunity to get in there and show what he had. And, that’s exactly what Fuss has done the last few weeks.”
While Fussell’s quiet, workmanlike demeanor often shifted him away from the spotlight throughout his football journey, the West Chester, Ohio, native said his years of training behind the scenes prepared him for this moment.
Now, the 6-foot, 189-pound defensive back stands right where he belongs, gaining valuable in-game repetitions with each passing week and striving for improvement whenever he steps on the field. Fussell said his current role serves as a testament to his consistent commitment to his individual process, which he bought into long before he came to Evanston in 2023.
“I just give my all every day because that’s all you really can do,” Fussell said. “Just attack every day with the same mindset and never get complacent. You never know who’s coming for you. You never know who else is working. If you continue to attack, your role will eventually change.”
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During his tenure as Eastern Michigan’s cornerbacks coach, Hicks came across a then-unheralded prospect on the recruiting trail in 2021 and knew he’d encountered a gem at Lakota West High School. Hicks said he was quickly enamored with Fussell’s ability on film.
Despite leading the Greater Miami Conference with six interceptions as a junior, Fussell didn’t receive his first Division I offer until a month following his third season.
He played in an elite secondary corps alongside Ohio State’s Malik Hartford, LSU’s Jyaire Brown, Notre Dame’s Ben Minich and Kentucky’s Alex Afari Jr., but Lakota West varsity football coach Tom Bolden promised every college coach he came across that they wouldn’t regret giving Fussell an opportunity.
“Josh a lot of times got overlooked because he was quiet, no-nonsense,” Bolden said. “Other teams were like, ‘Well, we need to throw at him.’ Then, they figured out within the first quarter of a game something like, ‘Oh my God. We can’t throw at this kid. He might be better.’”
For Fussell, playing alongside a slew of Power Four prospects proved especially beneficial, as they pushed one another every day in practice.
He said the secondary members established strong bonds while holding the entire group accountable with their collective effort.
“It taught me to always compete and give it (my) all every day because if you don’t, guys at that level are going to expose you,” Fussell said. “We were like a brotherhood. We always found fun in competing and pushing each other to the highest level possible because we knew the type of potential we had as a team.”
Fussell entered high school as an undersized linebacker, but Bolden and his defensive staff swiftly shifted him into the secondary. While they first tried him at safety, Fussell’s footwork and technique made him a natural fit at corner.
To learn his new position, Fussell dove into countless hours of tape. He said he studied corners like the Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward, the Denver Broncos’ Pat Surtain II and the Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey, marveling at Ward’s ability as a technician.
“His dedication to perfecting his craft is incredible,” Lakota West co-defensive coordinator Tyler Huls said. “If there was a video out there he could watch to improve his technique, he watched it. We haven’t seen anybody like him since. He just put an unbelievable amount of time working on the small details that not many kids do anymore.”
A four-year varsity letter winner, Fussell became a key cog for his squad as a junior. Time and time again, Bolden and Huls tasked the cornerback with shutting down his side of the field. Huls said Fussell delivered night in and night out.
Fussell’s diligent progress came to fruition in a state playoff showdown with his rival Saint Xavier High School on Nov. 12, 2022. In a gutsy defensive effort, Fussell cemented a 12-2 victory for the Firebirds, recording a game-sealing interception in the end zone. Huls said he knew at that moment that the then-junior cornerback could thrive at the highest level.
“Josh was never a big rah-rah guy because he was so focused all the time,” Bolden said. “He truly led by example. When he wasn’t in, he’s standing over there on the sideline and all of a sudden — unprompted — he’s going through the first couple steps of his backpedal, working his hands. Kids would see that and understand that’s why he’s so good. That’s what it takes.”
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Fussell’s father, Jerry Fussell, taught his son one of his most pertinent athletic and life lessons as his basketball coach. A marine veteran, Jerry Fussell instilled in his son and his teammates that no matter the circumstances, they should move forward and focus on the next play.
It’s an invaluable mindset for a cornerback, who must trot right back to the line of scrimmage immediately following an opposing shot play.
“It was always no excuses, no matter what,” Fussell said. “He would always get on me, (and my) biggest thing was getting too emotional, getting too down on myself during the game. At corner that really applies because things happen so fast. You may give up a catch here and there, but you never want to get too down on yourself. Just got to think about the next play.”
Fussell honored his father’s words throughout his recruiting process, as Bolden said the defensive back never sulked or envied his high school teammates’ elite offers.
He applied that same perspective following the loss to the Hoosiers. Fussell said he was disappointed in his performance, but he and the entire defense needed to focus on the next opportunity at hand.
Redshirt junior cornerback Theran Johnson, the foremost veteran in his position group, said he’s seen Fussell’s confidence grow leaps and bounds since the campaign kicked off more than a month ago.
“We’ve seen him do it in practice for a year,” Johnson said. “It’s just a confidence thing, going out there and doing it against the best of the best. After Duke, (he and I) were talking, and he felt really comfortable getting those reps in. Those reps have really taken his play up a level.”
Just as he did in high school, Fussell made an immediate impression on the ’Cats’ coaching staff when he arrived on campus as a three-star recruit.
Hicks, who had just stepped into his new role as cornerbacks coach at NU, said it was a full-circle moment to enter the fold alongside a player he recruited at a prior stop.
“When he first stepped on campus, you could see the talent that he had,” Hicks said. “It just needed to be refined, fine-tuned. He’s a very intentional guy about technique, about where he’s aligned, so his focus is always there. You’ve really been able to see the growth since Day 1, when he stepped into the building, until now.”
Coach David Braun said he and his staff have been excited about Fussell’s game-changing potential since his first practice. While Fussell preserved his eligibility last season, he saw game-action against Penn State and consistently leaned on experienced collegiate corners like Rod Heard II, Garnett Hollis Jr., Johnson and Adeyi for guidance.
Fussell said he wouldn’t be half the player he is without the support his veteran teammates have given him.
“It just showed me the type of dedication and preparation that it took to play the (college) game,” Fussell said. “Being able to play some special teams helped me get adjusted to the speed of the game a little bit, but practicing with them day in and day out showed me what it all took and what I had to do to get to that level.”
Braun, who has long lauded his aspirations for the ’Cats to become a developmental beacon in the Big Ten, said Fussell’s desire to be coached and accept guidance makes him an ideal culture fit.
With one final test on Lake Michigan at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium Saturday against Wisconsin, Braun said he looks forward to seeing Fussell continue his upward trajectory as both a present program piece and fundamental component of the team’s future.
“You’re starting to see a level of confidence show up through Josh’s play that comes with reps in the arena,” Braun said. “Josh, coming off the Indiana game, knew it wasn’t his best performance. What a credit to his character of bouncing back … Josh Fussell is going to be one heck of a corner in the Big Ten for a long, long time.
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