Ranking Jackson area's best DBs in 2024 Tennessee high school football season

It's almost high school football time again in West Tennessee .

The TSSAA football season kicks off Monday with official practice opening up and games starting on Aug. 22.

Over the offseason, The Jackson Sun has been ranking the top returning players by position group going into the season. Now, it's time for the defensive backs.

Nominations and stats were compiled from coaches submission and from MaxPreps.

Here is The Jackson Sun's top-10 for returning defensive backs heading into the 2024 season.

Best Tennessee high school football DBs in Jackson area for 2024

No. 1 Cade Beaver

South Gibson | Jr.

Why chosen: Beaver racked up 94 tackles as a sophomore last season for the Hornets and was named an all-state defensive back.

No. 2 Skyler Fornera

McKenzie | Sr.

Why chosen: Fornera made an impact with 93 tackles and tallied an interception as a key part of the defensive backfield during the Rebels’ run to the state championship game.

No. 3 Connor Fason

Haywood | Sr.

Why chosen: Fason was a lock-down defender last year for the Tomcats. He started every snap in 14 games at cornerback last season and allowed just two catches. Coach Josh Puckett said Fason will move to safety for his senior season.

No. 4 Easton Jones

Jackson Christian | Sr.

Why chosen: At cornerback last season, Jones was the Eagles’ leader with 49 tackles (20 solo) and tallied five interceptions and forced two fumbles for an Eagles defense that averaged just 15.3 points per game in making a run to the TSSAA Division II-A state quarterfinals.

No. 5 Gabe Dupree

Crockett County | Jr.

Why chosen: Last year as a sophomore, Dupree had 60 tackles (32 solo) with an interception and five pass deflections for a Cavalier defense that allowed 22.6 points per game in 2023.

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No. 6 Tyreke Hutch

Huntingdon | Jr.

Why chosen: Hutch was prolific for the Mustangs last season with 49 total tackles. He also had three interceptions and seven passes defended as the Mustangs advanced to the TSSAA Class 2A quarterfinals before falling to state champion, Riverside.

No. 7 Jayden Williams

Chester County | Jr.

Why chosen: Williams was the second-leading tackler on the Eagles’ defense last season with 57 total tackles from his safety position.

No. 8 Gabe Eliff

Hardin County | Senior

Why chosen: Eliff made plays, including 49 tackles and an interception, for a Tigers’ defense which allowed 19.7 points per game during its incredible run of an undefeated regular season.

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No. 9 Isaac Howard

Adamsville | Jr.

Why chosen: Howard had a strong sophomore season for the Cardinals with 40 tackles and a tackle for loss from his safety position. He had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries for a Cardinals defense which allowed 21.3 points per game.

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No. 10 Ben Melton

USJ | Sr.

Why chosen: Melton racked up 40 tackles as a cornerback, including nine for loss and four sacks. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Bruins last season.

Austin Chastain is a sports writer covering West Tennessee high schools. Reach him by email at achastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Ranking Jackson area's best DBs in 2024 Tennessee high school football season