College football is almost here. USA TODAY Sports is getting you ready for the 2018 season by breaking down the best players at each position in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Up next: the defensive backs. An LSU cornerback tops the list but safeties abound, including one overlooked standout from the Group of Five ranks. Here are the best defensive backs in college football for 2018.
1. Greedy Williams, LSU
Williams joins teammate Devin White in giving LSU our top-ranked player in both the secondary and at linebacker. It makes you think that LSU’s defense should be pretty good. Williams is a stopper, pure and simple, with a nose for the football and a ceiling that seems impossible to measure. Remember last season, when Williams started every game, pulled down six interceptions and broke up 11 passes? He did that as a redshirt freshman. His potential is off the charts.
2. Andrew Wingard, Wyoming
Wingard is one of the top defensive players in the country, one of the best defenders in Wyoming’s history and very likely the most overlooked player regardless of position in the Bowl Subdivision. A multiple-time all-conference pick, Wingard is a tackling machine in the box with the speed and smarts to protect the middle of the field, as shown in his five interceptions as a junior.
3. Byron Murphy, Washington
This is a pick based in no small part on potential, since Murphy missed a significant part of last season due to an injury in practice. But when healthy, the sophomore flashed the sort of ability that’s rare. That the Huskies can let the cornerback run solo on one half of the field is a significant aspect of one of the nation’s most dominant defenses. He’s going to have a fantastic 2018 season.
4. Jaquan Johnson, Miami (Fla.)
Johnson led Miami in tackles and tied for the team lead in interceptions a season ago as the leader of a rejuvenated defense that nearly lifted the Hurricanes to a conference title and College Football Playoff berth. Like the other top safeties on this list, Johnson has a level of versatility that makes him an invaluable piece of the Hurricanes’ defensive puzzle.
5. Lukas Denis, Boston College
Last year’s move from cornerback to free safety paid off for Denis and the Eagles defense. Denis finished tied for second nationally seven interceptions and finished third on the team in tackles in his first year at the new position, essentially giving Boston College a star on the back end to join its strong group up front. Why is B.C. a trendy pick in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Because between Denis, lineman Zach Allen and running back A.J. Dillon, the Eagles have no shortage of preseason All-America contenders.
6. Deandre Baker, Georgia
The most telling number from Baker’s junior season: zero. As in, the number of touchdowns Baker allowed in starting 14 games during Georgia’s run to the championship game. That’s pretty telling. As the Bulldogs move forward without star linebacker Roquan Smith, look for Baker to take on the mantle as the team’s top playmaker on defense.
7. Taylor Rapp, Washington
Rapp’s career is proceeding on schedule. A great surprise – to those outside of Seattle, at least – as a freshman safety during Washington’s road to the College Football Playoff in 2016, Rapp earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. Now, as a junior, Rapp stands as one of the top players at his position with the potential to eventually fall in the first round of the NFL draft. Perhaps as early as 2019.
8. D’Cota Dixon, Wisconsin
Dixon has spent the past two seasons as a stalwart for one of the top defensive units in college football. The two-time all-league pick was at his best a year ago, as a key cog in the nation’s top-ranked pass defense, and will take on an even more important role as the Badgers’ secondary breaks in a number of new contributors.
9. Jordan Fuller, Ohio State
Fuller’s status as one of the Buckeyes’ unquestioned leaders extends his value beyond just the depth chart. In terms of his on-field performance, Fuller is developing into the program’s next All-America defensive back. A sure tackler who excels in space, Fuller led last year’s team in solo stops by a significant margin and might have been the most consistent performer on a defense just loaded with NFL talent.
10. Mark Gilbert, Duke
Gilbert joins teammate Joe Giles-Harris to give Duke two national contenders on the back seven of its defense – Gilbert at cornerback and Giles-Harris at linebacker. Both rank among the best players at their respective positions. Gilbert flashed closing speed and ball skills in pulling down six interceptions in 2017, though that total may be hard to match as a junior as quarterbacks shy away from challenging the All-America contender.
Five that just missed
Lavert Hill, Michigan
Julian Love, Notre Dame
Brian Peavy, Iowa State
Levonta Taylor, Florida State
Marvell Tell, Southern California
