Florida corner James Monds III commits to IU

Indiana’s coaching staff didn’t merely celebrate Independence Day on Sunday. The Hoosiers scored another commitment for their 2022 class, taking a verbal pledge from Florida corner James Monds III.

The three-star prospect chose IU over offers from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona and Cincinnati, among others. According to the 247 Sports Composite rankings, Monds is the No. 67 corner in the country and the No. 98 overall player from his talent-rich home state.

As a junior last season, Monds was targeted 10 times and broke up nine passes, per TC Palm. He tallied one interception and also worked as a return man on punts and kickoffs. Monds received his IU offer on April 30, 2020, before finally getting the chance to visit Bloomington last month. He reportedly followed his Indiana trip with visits to Nebraska and Wisconsin before making his decision.

Monds has good football genes. His father, James, played at Toledo and Bethune-Cookman, his cousin, Mario, played at Cincinnati and was later drafted by the Bengals, and his uncle, Wonder, played at Nebraska and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He’s also good at the other game of football, scoring 21 goals and adding seven assists during his sophomore year on the pitch. For his efforts, TC Palm included Monds on its all-area soccer team.

With Monds in the fold, Indiana now has nine players committed for 2022. Per 247 Sports, the average recruit rating for the class is .8843 — the highest in school history.