College Football's Top 10 DBs Entering 2015 Spring Practice
Defensive backs: They never get enough attention (except when pass interference flags are being thrown). With spring practices underway, it's time to change that.
We'll take a look across the country at the best corners, nickel corners, safeties and hybrids. Yes, stats matter. They're fun and easy to point to. However, in the case of cornerbacks, sometimes silence is golden—typically, the less you hear about them, the better they're doing.
What type of game does a defensive back have? Where does he excel? Is he versatile? What kind of intangibles does he possess? These are the other questions we're asking.
With the help of B/R colleague Michael Felder, a former defensive back himself who added insight for this piece, here are the top 10 returning defensive backs heading into spring practices.
10. Ishmael Adams, UCLA
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There are a lot of corners/safeties on this list who get a nod because of their size. UCLA corner Ishmael Adams isn't one of them.
At a listed size of 5'8" and 190 pounds, Adams plays bigger than he is. As profiled by Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times, Adams is aggressive and plays with a mean streak.
"He's a smaller guy in that secondary, but he attacks the football and wants to make tackles," said Felder. "He's got a feel for the game, and when UCLA needs a big play, he'll be one of those guys that can give it to them."
He's not lying. Adams had two interceptions last season—both of which went for touchdowns.
No. 9 Vonn Bell, Ohio State
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Vonn Bell didn't see a ton of action as a freshman for Ohio State, but he made a name for himself in last year's Orange Bowl against Clemson. He was a far bigger playmaker for the Buckeyes last season.
Bell led the team with six interceptions and was second with 92 tackles and six pass breakups. Bell was especially active in the Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama with eight tackles.
But one of Bell's best moments last season came in a 31-24 win over Minnesota. Called for pass interference against Gophers tight end Maxx Williams, Bell came back a few plays later and prevented a third-down conversion—another pass to Williams.
Bell's competitiveness is off the charts, and he has a knack for making huge plays.
With most of Ohio State's secondary returning in 2015, Bell should a leader on a loaded defense.
No. 8 Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
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There was a time when it felt like Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez went 50 games in a row with an interception. The non-exaggerated truth is that Sanchez went five straight games with a pick, a streak that spanned from the 2014 Sugar Bowl to a 45-33 win over West Virginia last September.
Still, not too shabby.
Sanchez led the Sooners with six interceptions and eight pass breakups last season. Given the overall youth of the secondary—six of the eight players in the two-deep were either freshmen or sophomores—Sanchez had to become a leader, and quickly so.
Oklahoma's pass defense was average last season statistically—the Sooners gave up seven yards an attempt—but also consider that opposing offenses passed the ball against them 39 times a game—that was the highest mark in the Big 12.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7 Adoree' Jackson, USC
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Watching Adoree' Jackson play for USC in 2014 required a bit of repetition, as in uttering, "My God, he's just a freshman," over and over again.
Jackson was a multipurpose player for the Trojans on defense, offense and special teams. He excelled in each area in his own way. As Mike Huguenin of NFL.com wrote in December, Jackson was one of the few touted true freshmen who "actually lived up to (and maybe even surpassed) his hype this season."
Jackson finished the season second on the team with nine pass breakups. He has natural athleticism and looks like a cover corner two or three years his senior. He also has excellent recovery and closing speed.
Speaking of USC, defensive back/linebacker Su'a Cravens is another interesting option for this list. The fact that he's versatile enough to not have one true position is a good thing, but he spent a lot of time at linebacker.
No. 6 Tony Conner, Ole Miss
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If you haven't seen it, UFC fighter Ronda Rousey apparently broke a man's ribs during an interview in an epic takedown. I would imagine being hit by Ole Miss defensive back Tony Conner feels similar to that.
Identifying Conner as a defensive back is about as specific as you can get. He plays it all: nickel corner, safety and a little bit of linebacker. At 6'0" and 217 pounds, he's a physical specimen who isn't bogged down by his own size.
"I wish we had more built like him," coach Hugh Freeze told Hugh Kellenberger of The Clarion-Ledger last November. "He’s a guy I feel like can play the run and guard in space some, so he’s invaluable to us, particularly in games like this. He’ll have a key role in being able to play both."
Conner finished second on the team with 69 tackles and tied for first with nine tackles for loss.
Ole Miss' "Landshark" defense was one of the best groups in college football last year. Guys like defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche and safety Cody Prewitt were synonymous with that label. But Conner is a flexible piece of that puzzle as well.
No. 5 Eli Apple, Ohio State
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Adoree' Jackson may have made the biggest impact as a true freshman corner last year, but Eli Apple of Ohio State was right there in that category as a redshirt freshman.
Heading into 2015, there's no doubt that Apple will be the Buckeyes' No. 1 corner.
Apple finished third in the Big Ten with 10 pass breakups and 13 passes defended. He also had three interceptions, one of which came in the national championship win over Oregon.
Apple has incredible size for a corner—6'1" and 198 pounds—and played his best football in the second half of last season (not unlike Ohio State itself). In terms of making a jump from year one to year two as a starter, I'm most excited to see what Apple can do.
No. 4 Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida
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The truth is, Florida has a few key defensive backs, namely Jalen Tabor. That's the guy who lines up across the field from Vernon Hargreaves III at the other cornerback spot.
That can be an important position. Opposing offenses know what Hargreaves is capable of doing. According to Hargreaves, that means the ball is being thrown his way less. That means other players have to be ready.
"It's tough not getting the ball thrown at you," Hargreaves told Scott Carter of GatorZone.com (via FOX Sports Florida). "At first I didn't really want to believe it, but I kind of see it now, that people are starting to go away from me. But that's not really a problem because I trust everybody else on my team. I've just got to keep playing and take advantage of my opportunities."
Still, Hargreaves is one of the anchors of the Gators defense. He led the SEC with 13 pass breakups and was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. He was also a second-team All-America selection. It's been a disappointing two-year stretch for Florida, but it's not Hargreaves' fault.
No. 3 Mackensie Alexander, Clemson
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Clemson's dominant defensive line got the focus last year, but redshirt freshman corner Mackensie Alexander is a true bright spot going forward.
The former 5-star recruit sat out his first season because of a groin injury but shined in '14 with six pass breakups.
"I loved Alexander coming out of high school, but then the injury and redshirt year made us have to wait. It was worth it," Felder said. "He has good patience in press coverage, his body control is outstanding and I'm very excited to see what he does in his second season as teams have to decide whether to throw at him or test the other corner."
Perhaps Alexander's best performance came last September in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Florida State. As Mandrallius Robinson of The News-Press noted, Alexander went toe-to-toe with Seminoles receiver Rashad Greene. Other than one slip-up, literally, that resulted in a touchdown, Alexander was brilliant.
No. 2 Jalen Ramsey, Florida State
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If you think cornerbacks are cornerbacks because they don't like to tackle, then you've never met Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey burst on to the scene as a freshman in 2013, playing both corner and safety while starting all 14 games for the Seminoles. Though he initially appeared bound for safety in 2014, he moved to nickel and crushed it. He led the team with 12 pass breakups, was second with 9.5 tackles for loss and was fourth with 79 tackles.
According to Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel, Ramsey was "half a tackle for loss away from becoming the first player in school history to record double-digit tackles for loss, pass deflections and tackles."
Head coach Jimbo Fisher already knows Ramsey is likely bound for the NFL after 2015.
"It might be our last year we have him, possibly," Fisher told Sonnone. "Gonna be one of the outstanding secondary guys in the country."
With the losses of P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby, Ramsey could move to an outside corner spot in 2015. If you're looking for versatility, look no further.
No. 1 Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
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Basically, if I had to choose one defensive back to be the cornerstone of a secondary, I'd choose Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller. It's that easy.
Fuller has it all. He was one of the best corners in the country statistically in pass breakups and passes defended. He has great size for someone at his position (6'0", 190 lbs) and comes from a long line of football players (his three older brothers each played for the Hokies).
He's aggressive but smart. To put it another way, Fuller "gets it." Last season, he earned All-America honors despite playing the entire campaign with a fractured wrist, according to Norm Wood of the Daily Press:
"Despite wearing a wrap in practices and games to protect the wrist, Fuller led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 15 pass breakups and tied for the conference lead with 17 passes defended on his way to earning second-team All-America honors from both the Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
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Everyone plays hurt, but goodness.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
