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Athlon Sports
College Football's Top 20 Defensive Back Units for 2024
By Steven Lassan,
12 hours ago
The Big Ten is home to college football's top defensive back units for the 2024 season, as Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan each rank inside of the top five. Georgia and Notre Dame are the lone teams from outside of the Big Ten in that range, but both could threaten for No. 1 in this ranking if the pieces fall into place to answer preseason personnel concerns. Led by cornerback Denzel Burke and safety Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes grabbed the No. 1 overall spot and will be a stingy group to throw against in '24.
How did we come up with these rankings? A couple of factors were considered. Depth, overall talent, production, level of competition and projected output in 2024 all factored into the rankings for the defensive backfield. While some teams may have experienced a down year last season, having a change of scheme, impact freshman or transfer or new coach can make a huge difference. These rankings reflect projections for '24, not solely what teams accomplished in '23.
College Football's Top 20 Defensive Back Units for 2024
The Buckeyes finished No. 2 nationally in pass efficiency defense in 2023 and could be even better in the secondary this fall. The bulk of the two-deep returns on the back end, and coach Ryan Day landed arguably the top defensive transfer in the portal in former Alabama safety Caleb Downs. Starting cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun are back, with sophomore Jermaine Mathews Jr. providing depth and Jordan Hancock returning to the slot. Downs and Lathan Ramson form one of the best safety tandems in college football.
The Bulldogs have a few big-time losses here, as Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith, and Kamari Lassiter depart a secondary that finished No. 7 nationally in pass efficiency defense last year. However, thanks to coach Kirby Smart's elite recruiting, the transition period will be minimal. Junior safety Malaki Starks is one of the top returning defenders in college football, with Daylen Everette, Julian Humphrey, Daniel Harris, and five-star freshman Ellis Robinson IV headlining the top options at cornerback. Dan Jackson, true freshman KJ Bolden or Alabama transfer Jake Pope could claim the other starting safety job to tandem with Starks.
Cooper DeJean will be missed, but Iowa's secondary is still a major strength for the 2024 season. Junior Xavier Nwankpa is a rising star at safety, and he's joined by steady senior Quinn Schulte on the back end. Jermari Harris should push for All-Big Ten honors at cornerback, while John Nestor, Deshaun Lee, and TJ Hall are slated to battle for snaps as the top backups or to replace DeJean. Cornerback/hybrid defender Sebastian Castro is an Athlon Sports preseason All-American after recording 67 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions last year.
The Fighting Irish led the nation in pass efficiency defense last season and allowed only eight scores through the air in 13 games. This unit should have two All-America-caliber players this fall in cornerback Benjamin Morrison and safety Xavier Watts. Last season, Morrison allowed only 25 catches on 51 targets (per PFF), while Watts intercepted seven passes. Sophomore Christian Gray and junior Jaden Mickey will push for snaps opposite of Morrison at cornerback, while Arizona State transfer Jordan Clark should slot in at nickel. Another transfer (Northwestern's Rod Heard II) is expected to claim the other safety spot.
Will Johnson returns to anchor Michigan's secondary as the top cornerback in college football. The pieces around Johnson are a bit unsettled at cornerback, but new coordinator Wink Martindale has options, including Jyaire Hill, Albany transfer Aamir Hall, Myles Pollard, Keshaun Harris, and UNLV transfer Ricky Johnson. Zeke Berry and Ja'Den McBurrows are slated to battle for snaps at nickel. Standout safety Rod Moore suffered an ACL injury in the spring and is out indefinitely. Moore's spring setback clouded the safety outlook a bit, but Makari Paige should push for All-Big Ten honors here, and Quinten Johnson's return gives Martindale another veteran presence. Coach Sherrone Moore also hit the portal for help in the spring, adding Jaden Mangham (Michigan State) and Wesley Walker (Tennessee) to the safety rotation.
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