When Josiah "JoJo" Ganues got to the University of South Dakota, he was a cornerback. He has the standard dimensions for the position, plus he's very good at covering receivers on pass routes.
 
The Coyote football program likes getting their best 11 guys on the field, though, which meant they were going to find a spot for Ganues, a 5-11, 170-pound freshman who played in three of USD's four games last spring. 
 
Before the opening game against Kansas, there was an opportunity at safety. After a few conversations among coaches regarding possible candidates, they arrived at Ganues, who grew up in Miramar, Florida, and was a high school teammate of Coyote cornerback Myles Hardin, another young and promising part of the Coyote secondary.
 
It turns out the coaches' instincts – and Ganues' instincts, too – were on target. He'd been impressive in his work habits, football intelligence, footwork and overall willingness to improve.
 
"He hit the ground running," said Coyote outside linebackers coach Abdul Hodge, who recruited Ganues to USD. "We've always thought with his skill set and being able to cover ground the way he can, he can be a really good player. When he first came in, he bought-in and worked his tail off. A year later, he's really developed. On top of that, he's not the biggest guy on the field but, going back to high school, he doesn't shy away from contact."
 
For Ganues' part, the switch to safety didn't seem like that big a deal. His efficient conversion to the position bears that out, as do his six consecutive starts.
 
"The coaches have done a great job of helping me adjust," Ganues said.  "I have to give them their props for that. There are certain things that are different – I'm expected to make more tackles, but that's the only real change."
 
Ganues is part of a defense that is top-rated in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after three games, permitting 300 yards per game against league opponents. The Coyotes have given up just six total touchdowns in those contests and are coming off a strong effort against then-No. 13 rated North Dakota in a 20-13 win at the DakotaDome. 
 
It is emerging as a theme for the 2021 season that this a much improved defense. The win over UND serves as a robust example of that. Last spring the Fighting Hawks rolled up 489 yards in total offense with 249 of them coming on the ground in a 21-10 win. 
 
Last week was a different story with the Coyotes holding UND to 258 total yards and just 50 on the ground. 
 
"This year has been great," Ganues said. "I've been learning more and more about our defense and I'm truly blessed to be a part of it. Things are going really well for us."
 
Ganues' recruiting process went through Hodge, the former Hawkeye great who spent five years in the NFL and knew the Miramar football program Ganues and Harden were coming from produced fundamentally sound football players. 
 
"One of the things that stuck out to me was his ability to play press man-to-man coverage and be able to cover guys," Hodge said. "A lot of times in high school guys don't have the skill set to do that on a consistent basis. At this high school, they do."
 
The football side was one thing. As Hodge spent more time talking with Ganues, however, he got a glimpse of the non-football side and was even more interested in bringing him into the program. 
 
"He was a very competitive kid on the field who plays smart and physical football," Hodge said. "Off the field, he's kind of quiet. He's one of those kids who is going to put his head down and go to work. I also learned JoJo is from a great family. His parents are great, his siblings are great and he's doing very well academically. He's the kind of kid you know has been raised correctly."
 
Ganues has two older brothers and a younger brother and sister, and when asked about them replied with obvious enthusiasm. This is a good part of his life. 
 
"There was definitely a lot of roughhousing," he said when asked about growing up. "That's how it goes with three brothers. Our sister was the youngest so we made sure to protect her and take care of her. It's all been really fun for me with the family. We had lots of adventures, lots of trips, lots of love. I definitely had a great childhood."
 
There may have been one morning in particular that qualified on the adventure part of it for the Ganues family but not on the fun part of it. This was the morning the snake came to visit. 
 
"I woke up one morning and everyone was screaming," Ganues remembered. "I keep hearing 'There's a snake! There's a snake!' I think they're all joking. But there was an actual snake by the back sliding door. It was pretty wild."
 
One thing about the difference between southern Florida and eastern South Dakota is that the snakes are bigger down there than they are here. 
 
"I can't remember what kind it was but it was all black – probably four-and-half or five feet long," he said. "My dad got it out of there by chopping it up. My mom helped clean up the blood. We were all terrified for about two weeks. Every night it was 'Make sure all the doors are closed. We don't want any more snakes in here.'"
 
It's not likely to be a problem this winter in Vermillion, where Ganues shares a student apartment with a group that, in his words "look out for each other." 
 
The transition to South Dakota life overall has been without problems. He likes the relative quiet, something that is bolstered by his respect for his coaches and a community he's still getting to know. 
 
"The culture and the coaches here are what sold me on coming to USD," he said. "It's the way they go about things, whether it's tucking in your jersey or going hard on every play. I truly love them and how they do things knowing that's how I'm going to be coached each and every day for the next four years."