Best of the Big 12: Breaking down the defensive backs as we rank all 14 conference teams
Ranking the Big 12 football schools on the strength of their defensive backs heading into summer camp:
1. TCU
Don’t expect much drop-off for TCU’s secondary even after the departure of Thorpe Award winner Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. The Frogs boast arguably the deepest set of cornerbacks in the country, including first-team All-Big 12 selection Josh Newton and veterans Jaionte McMillan and Ish Burdine. The portal produced some promising talent, too, with touted junior college players Channing Canada and Mason White as well as Avery Helm, who started four games for Florida last season. If possible, the safety spot looks in even better shape with Bud Clark, Mark Perry, Abe Camara, Namdi Obiazor and Millard Bradford all back after each ranked in the top 10 in team tackles last season. No other team in the conference can boast as much depth at the back line.
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2. Iowa State
The Cyclones have one of the top cornerbacks in the nation in T.J. Tampa, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior who’s expected to get picked early in the 2024 NFL draft. The rest of the secondary looks to have enough playmakers to approach last year’s success, when Iowa State was 10th-best nationally in passing yards allowed per game (178.3). Junior Myles Purchase started all 12 games at the other cornerback spot, and hard-hitting safety Beau Freyler has more than 100 tackles over the past two seasons. If Jeremiah Cooper is healthy, he looks like an emerging star at safety after earning some freshman all-conference recognition a year ago. In addition, 6-4, 225-pound safety Malik Verdon would start for almost every other Big 12 team.
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3. Texas
A loaded unit that helped Texas rank second in the Big 12 in defense a year ago didn’t need much help entering the offseason, but defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski certainly welcomed former Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon and steady Wake Forest cornerback Gavin Holmes. Starting cornerback Ryan Watts returns along with Jahdae Barron, a Connally High product who recorded 78 tackles and 11½ tackles for loss from the nickel position in 2022 but can play anywhere in the secondary. Sophomores Terrance Brooks and Jaylon Guilbeau add depth at corner. Jerrin Thompson had seven pass breakups and 83 tackles in 2022 and will lock down one safety spot. Coaches hope the injury-prone Catalon can stay healthy and help fill the gap left by the departed Anthony Cook.
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4. Kansas
All four starters return, but is that a good thing for a team that gave up a league-high 469 yards a game? Kansas coach Lance Leipold and his staff think so, since the backs were the least of the Jayhawks’ defensive issues. Fifth-year senior safety Kenny Logan has played in 45 career games and has tallied 209 tackles over the past two seasons, while cornerback Cobee Bryant is coming off an All-Big 12 season. Mello Dotson has started 20 games over the past two seasons at the other cornerback spot, and former LSU blue-chip recruit Damarius McGhee arrives from the portal after falling out of favor on the bayou. Throw in savvy and experienced safety O.J. Burroughs, and this unit could lead a defensive turnaround.
5. Texas Tech
A pair of supersized — and superexperienced — cornerbacks anchor a strong unit. Malik Dunlap (6-3, 215 pounds) enters his sixth collegiate season after breaking up 12 passes a year ago while earning all-conference honors, and fellow 6-3 super senior Rayshad Williams had seven breakups with two takeaways. Safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, another senior, provides an experienced last line of defense after racking up a career-high 73 tackles with 5½ tackles for loss, three interceptions and five breakups. C.J. Baskerville, yet another banger at 6-3, 215 pounds, looks as if he has earned a starting safety spot after transferring in from San Diego State. Tyler Owens brings even more experience to the Red Raiders’ 3-3-5 defense.
6. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys will unveil a 3-3-5 defense this year, which means the secondary takes on even more importance for a team that ranked seventh in the Big 12 in pass defense. Kendal Daniels, a physical 6-4, 215-pound safety, will move from a traditional strong safety spot to the revamped rover position after earning the Big 12’s defensive freshman of the year award a year ago. Trey Rucker and Lyrik Rawls bring more experience to the other safety spots. While senior Korie Black returns after starting all 13 games at cornerback, the other corner spot is a question mark with redshirt sophomore Cam Smith and Arkansas State transfer Kenneth Harris among the players battling for the starting nod.
7. BYU
The good news for the Cougars? The returning safety duo of Micah Harper (62 tackles in 2022) and Talan Alfrey (41 tackles) gives BYU one of the better run-support tandems in the nation, and fifth-year senor Malik Moore is a proven ballhawk who played just four games a year ago because of an injury. The bad news? The Cougars had difficulty covering receivers on the outside while allowing 234.3 yards per game, No. 82 in the nation. That means the portal arrival of Eddie Heckard, an All-American corner at Weber State, was especially welcomed. If Jakob Robinson can keep developing after starting five games a year ago at the other corner spot, this unit could become a defensive strength even with a lack of depth.
8. Kansas State
One of the conference's best secondaries a year ago took some hits with the departure of three starters, including two of the team’s top three tacklers and the team’s leader in interceptions. That means a healthy Kobe Savage will be especially important as the Wildcats rebuild the unit around their all-conference safety, who’s bouncing back from a torn ACL suffered in November. Former junior college star Jordan Wright is expected to lock down one corner spot after redshirting, and Jacob Parrish showed plenty of potential while playing in 14 games as a freshman. Keep an eye on Marques Sigle, a transfer from North Dakota State who enjoyed a strong spring at safety.
9. Oklahoma
Head man Brent Venables, who earned his coaching bones on the defensive side of the ball, spent much of the offseason focusing on the entire defense after the Sooners were No. 119 in pass defense and No. 122 in total defense among the 131 FBS teams. Expect improvement from returners such as Woodi Washington, Key Lawrence, Jaden Davis and All-Big 12 safety Billy Bowman as well as a step-up by young but talented prospects such as Roberts Spears-Jennings and Gentry Williams. Venables also has high hopes for Texas Tech transfer Reggie Pearson and five-star recruit Peyton Bowen, a safety from Denton who could garner immediate playing time. More important, Venables expects a second season in his system to create a level of comfort missing throughout 2022.
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10. Baylor
The Bears will lean heavily on Manor graduate Devin Lemear, a redshirt sophomore safety who garnered some Big 12 newcomer of the year votes after tallying 56 tackles with four pass breakups and two interceptions last year. He’s the only returning defensive back with significant starting experience for a revamped unit that ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in pass defense. Versatile A.J. McCarty can play either cornerback or safety, and Miami transfer Isaiah Dunson, Utah State transfer Ajani Carter and Tevin Williams III are the only other corners with much experience. Bryson Jackson is back for a seventh season and brings plenty of savvy and toughness to the team’s “starp” position, a hybrid safety near the line of scrimmage.
11. West Virginia
The recent addition of Georgia Southern's Anthony Wilson should bolster an impressive set of safeties that includes all-conference player Aubrey Banks and run-game thumper Marcis Floyd. But the concerns are on the outside; only two teams (Michigan State and Arizona) had fewer than West Virginia’s four interceptions a year ago, so the Mountaineers hope portal arrivals Montre Miller (Kent State) and Beanie Bishop (Minnesota) can lock down the cornerback spots. If not, opponents will continue to take — and make — deep shots.
12. Houston
The secondary had a nightmarish 2022 campaign, allowing 278.6 yards passing per game (No. 122 in the nation) and a national-worst 32 touchdown passes while grabbing just eight interceptions. And it’s questionable how much help the Cougars found in the offseason. Redshirt senior Alex Hogan had 10 passes defended in just five games before a season-ending injury and looks like the team’s best cornerback, and Jalen Emery started five games as a redshirt freshman. The rest of the corners are junior college arrivals and transfers, including former LBJ High star Latrell McCutchin, whose 2023 eligibility remains up in the air because this transfer followed stops at Oklahoma and USC. The coaches hope Antonio Brooks stays healthy and locks down one starting safety spot.
13. Central Florida
Fortunately for a revamped secondary, new defensive coordinator Addison Williams has plenty of experience as a defensive backs coach, a role he handled for the past two seasons. The Knights might need Williams to be as hands-on as possible since as many as six new faces will rotate in at defensive back. The three players who accounted for the team’s six interceptions a year ago are all gone, which means a group of transfers that includes East Carolina's Jireh Wilson, Clemson's Fred Davis, Middle Tennessee State's Decorian Patterson and Texas State's DeJordan Mask will need to make an immediate impact. UCF was 76th overall in defense a year ago and needs dramatic improvement at this level to stay in Big 12 contention.
14. Cincinnati
A ferocious pass rush could help ease the pressure on a secondary with lots of questions. Taj Ward and Sammy Anderson Jr. split the nickel back duties a year ago, and the new coaching staff headed by Scott Satterfield hopes both can emerge as reliable, every-down cornerbacks. Coaches also hope former four-star recruit Jordan Young lives up to his potential after two uneventful seasons at Florida. D.J. Taylor arrives from Arizona, but he’s made his biggest impact as an electrifying return man. Bryon Threats gives the team a reliable presence at free safety after recording 58 tackles, four tackles for loss and two interceptions in 10 starts last season, but the other safety spot looks wide open entering fall camp.
About this series
This summer, we're ranking each Big 12 team position by position. We assign points for each team at each position, with 14 for the leader and one for 14th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea, in theory, of which teams will contend for the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff spot.
The lineup: (Week 1) quarterbacks, (2) running backs, (3) receivers, (4) offensive line, (5) defensive line, (6) linebackers, (7) defensive backs, (8) coaching and intangibles.
Current standings
1. Texas 83
2. Kansas 69
T3. Oklahoma 61
T3. BYU 61
5. Central Florida 59
6. Kansas State 57
7. Texas Tech 56
8. TCU 55
9. Oklahoma State 43
10. Baylor 41
11. Iowa State 38
12. Cincinnati 35
13. West Virginia 34
14. Houston 30
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Lockdown corners, hard-hitting safeties dot ranks of Big 12 DBs
