The Big 12 Conference has no shortage of all-time great defensive backs that have come through its halls — before and after the Big 12 shattered into pieces then put itself back together again by adding eight new teams over the last two years.
Here's a look at the greatest defensive back of all time from all 16 teams currently in the Big 12.
Arizona, Antoine Cason (2004-2007): One of two Thorpe Award winners from Arizona, Cason was a three-time All-Pac-10 pick who finished his career with 15 interceptions. Cason was a consensus All-American and won the Thorpe Award as a senior in 2007, then was a first-round pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2008.
Arizona State, Mike Haynes (1972-1975): Mike Haynes was a bad man on a football field. He was a three-time All-WAC pick and two-time All-American at Arizona State, where he led the nation with 11 interceptions as a senior then returned two punts for touchdowns as a senior. Haynes was the No. 5 overall pick by the New England Patriots in 1976 and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Baylor, Thomas Everett (1983-1986): Everett was a two-time All-American and two-time SWC Defensive Player of the Year, winning the Thorpe Award as a senior in 1986. Everett played nine seasons in the NFL and won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
BYU, Tom Holmoe (1978-1982): Holmoe played both cornerback and safety for the Cougars on four consecutive WAC championship teams, where he’s still among the school’s leaders with 13 career interceptions. Holmoe played seven seasons in the NFL and won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. He was the head coach at Cal from 1997 to 2001 and has been BYU’s athletic director since 2005.
Cincinnati, Sauce Gardner (2019-2021): Gardner was a three-time All-AAC pick for the Bearcats, earning consensus All-American and AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021 as he led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff. Gardner was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, where he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and is a two-time NFL All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler through his first two seasons.
Colorado, Deon Figures (1988-1992): Deon Figures left college as one of the most decorated defensive backs in the history of the college game. Figures was named Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 1988 and Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. Along the way he also won the Jim Thorpe Award and helped lead Colorado to a national championship in 1990.
Houston, Marcus Jones (2019-2021): Jones earned All-Amerian honors as a return specialist at Troy before transferring to Houston, where he was an All-American as both a return specialist and as a defensive back. In 2021, Jones won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player.
Iowa State, Barry Hill (1971-1974): Hill played both cornerback and safety for Iowa State and was an All-Big Eight pick — he was a good enough athlete he had an offer to play basketball in the Ivy League for Brown but chose college football.
Kansas, Aqib Talib (2004-2007): Talib only played three seasons for Kansas and capped his career as a consensus All-American, leading his team to an Orange Bowl victory, where he was named the game's Most Valuable Player in a win over Virginia Tech.
Kansas State, Terence Newman (1998-2002): Newman was a two-time All-Big 12 pick who won was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, unanimous All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior in 2002. He was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played 15 seasons in the NFL.
Oklahoma State, Justin Gilbert (2010-2013): Gilbert was just as dangerous as a cornerback as he was a return specialist — he had 6 career kickoff returns for touchdowns and was a Thorpe Award finalist as a senior in 2013 with 7 interceptions. Gilbert was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns but after he was suspended for the entire 2017 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy he was out of the league for good.
TCU, Trevon Moehrig (2018-2020): Moehrig switched from cornerback to safety in college and became a two-time All-Big 12 pick and won the Thorpe Award as a junior in 2020 before leaving school early for the NFL Draft.
Texas Tech, Tracy Saul (1989-1992): Saul patrolled the secondary and returned kicks for Texas Tech, becoming the first player in school history to be named a four-time consensus All-SWC selection. Saul still holds the Texas Tech and SWC career records with 25 interceptions
UCF, Jacoby Glenn (2012-2014): Glenn was a Freshman All-American in 2013 before he was named AP All-American and AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
Utah, Eric Weddle (2003-2006): Weddle started at cornerback as a true freshman then moved to safety, where he became a two-time MWC Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American as a senior in 2006. Weddle played 15 seasons in the NFL and was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
West Virginia, Adam “Pacman” Jones (2002-2004): One of the more controversial figures in recent NFL history, Pacman Jones was a phenom at West Virginia, where he was a two-time All-Big East cornerback and the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year in 2004. Jones was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and holds a dubious record as the NFL player with the most arrests in the 21st Century.
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