- Texas at the top: The Longhorns have the best defensive backfield in college football thanks to two stars in cornerback Malik Muhammad and safety Michael Taaffe.
- Alabama comes in second: The Crimson Tide may have the best safety duo in college football between Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb.
- Get a head start on the 2026 class: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
A secondary's importance increases every year due to how pass-happy football is today. You can’t afford to have any weak links in your defensive backfield, whether it be at outside cornerback, slot cornerback or safety.
With that in mind, we wrap up our position unit rankings with the top 10 secondaries in college football heading into the 2025 season.
PFF’s position unit rankings
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1. Texas
Between PFF’s No. 1 linebacker unit and now our No. 1 secondary, the Longhorns have easily the best back-seven in college football. The latter features our No. 4 safety and No. 6 cornerback in Michael Taaffe and Malik Muhammad. Taaffe was the sport's fourth-most-valuable safety last year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric, and trailed only Ohio State‘s Caleb Downs among returning safeties. Muhammad is the fourth-most valuable returning Power Four corner since 2023 according to that same metric.
After starting in the slot for Texas last year, Jaylon Guilbeau is expected to move to outside corner as a senior. Replacing him at nickel will be junior Jelani McDonald, whose 89.1 run-defense grade in 2024 tied for sixth among FBS safeties. The other safety spot is up for grabs but keep an eye on redshirt sophomore Derek Williams Jr. He played in only four games this past year due to a season-ending knee injury, but he had an impressive 77.8 run-defense grade on 397 snaps as a true freshman in 2023.
The Longhorns also have plenty of depth in their secondary in the form of cornerbacks Kobe Black, Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton in addition to safeties Xavier Filsaime, Jonah Williams and Jordon Johnson-Rubell. Only Johnson-Rubell wasn’t a top-10 player at his position coming out of high school among that group while both Williams and Phillips were five-star recruits in the 2025 class.
2. Alabama
Between Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb, the Crimson Tide may have the best safety duo in college football. Hubbard is my No. 6 safety in America and ranked sixth at the position in college football in both PFF overall grade (89.2) and PFF coverage grade (89.7) this past season. His 21.3 passer rating when targeted was the fifth-best mark among FBS safeties, too. Sabb missed the final six games of 2024 with an injury but he was my No. 9 safety entering last year. While at Michigan in 2023, the then-sophomore was one of six Power Five safeties who earned 80-plus grades both in coverage and as a run-defender.
Alabama also added Cameron Calhoun in the transfer portal, my No. 10 returning corner in the country. The former Utah star earned an 82.8 PFF grade as a redshirt freshman, placing 10th among Power Four cornerbacks. The Crimson Tide returned both of their starting outside corners from last season, as well in Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown, the latter of whom posted an impressive 70.7 coverage grade as a true freshman. DaShawn Jones will take over in the slot and was second among SEC corners with an 82.0 tackling grade in 2024 (min. 275 snaps). Alabama also has a couple of other former five-star recruits in sophomore safety Zavier Mincey and freshman cornerback Dijon Lee.
3. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish made the national championship game last year off a dominant ground game and an elite secondary. Considering Notre Dame has PFF’s No. 2 running back unit and our third-ranked secondary, that blueprint should remain the same in 2025.
Headlining the latter is Leonard Moore, the best returning cornerback in college football. The former three-star recruit finished his true freshman season as the third-most-valuable corner in college football according to PFF’s wins above average metric, trailing only two first-round picks in Jahdae Barron and Travis Hunter. He was especially good in Notre Dame’s man-heavy scheme, as his 82.5 grade in man coverage was third among all corners in the nation. The Fighting Irish also returned their other starting outside corner in junior Christian Gray.
Starting in the slot will be Alabama-transfer DeVonta Smith, who was one of five SEC corners who earned 70.0-plus grades in coverage and in run-defense last year. Although Notre Dame lost star safety Xavier Watts to the NFL, it does return its other starter in Adon Shuler. His 53.9 passer rating allowed last season was a top-25 mark among Power Four safeties.
4. Clemson
The Tigers find themselves in the top five of this list thanks to their impressive group of corners. It starts with Avieon Terrell, PFF’s No. 4 cornerback in the FBS. The younger brother of Atlanta Falcons star A.J. Terrell placed fourth among all cornerbacks with a 90.7 run-defense grade this past season, while his three forced fumbles tied for second. He’s still excellent in coverage as well, leading all Power Four corners with 14 forced incompletions in 2024.
Opposite of Terrell is Ashton Hampton, who’s coming off a very strong true freshman campaign. His 45.7 passer rating allowed last year was eighth among Power Four corners. Slot corner Khalil Barnes had a bit of a sophomore slump (61.1 PFF grade) but only Caleb Downs was a more valuable true freshman safety than him in 2023, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Clemson also returns senior corner Jeadyn Lukas, who started last season.
The Tigers are more uncertain at safety, but Kylon Griffin played 376 snaps a year ago while Ricardo Jones had a 70.2 grade on 147 snaps as a true freshman.
5. Ohio State
The Buckeyes make the top five because their secondary features the best defensive player in college football, safety Caleb Downs. He’s been the most valuable safety in college football over the past two seasons, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 91.7 PFF overall grade in that span ranks second among FBS safeties, while his 91.2 PFF coverage grade places third.
Davison Igbinosun will once again start at cornerback and tied for fourth among Big Ten corners with eight pass breakups last year. Jermaine Matthews Jr. will start at the other outside corner spot and had a 70.0 PFF grade on 396 snaps. Lorenzo Styles Jr. will be at nickel and had a 78.1 run-defense grade on 162 snaps.
Starting next to Downs at safety will likely be true sophomore Jaylen McClain, who flashed with an 82.0 coverage grade on 107 snaps as a true freshman. Ohio State also signed the top cornerback recruit from the 2025 cycle in five-star Devin Sanchez.
6. Oregon
The Ducks added the best defensive back from the transfer portal when they brought in Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman. He’s PFF’s No. 3 safety in America, and his 89.4 PFF grade since 2023 ranks fourth among returning FBS safeties.
Two other transfers may start in Oregon’s secondary: cornerback Theran Johnson (Northwestern) and slot corner Jadon Canady (Ole Miss). Johnson was ninth among Big Ten corners with a 79.4 coverage grade in 2024, while Canady’s eight pass-breakups tied for eighth among SEC cornerbacks. Jahlil Florence played only three snaps in 2024 due to a knee injury, but he earned a 72.6 grade in 2023 across 392 snaps for the Ducks. Oregon also has plenty of former highly-rated recruits to provide depth, including a couple five-star freshmen in cornerback Na’eem Offord and safety Trey McNutt.
7. Indiana
D’Angelo Ponds leads Indiana’s secondary and is my No. 3 cornerback in college football. His 91.8 PFF grade over the last two years is the highest among all returning FBS cornerbacks. The Hoosiers also returned another starter in safety Amare Farrell, whose four interceptions in 2024 tied for sixth among Power Four safeties.
Indiana will likely have a couple transfers starting for them in slot cornerback Devan Boykin (NC State) and safety Louis Moore (Ole Miss). Boykin missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL but was fourth among FBS safeties the year before with a 90.5 run-defense grade. Moore actually started for Indiana in 2023 and had a solid 73.3 PFF grade that year.
8. Duke
Duke is one of three schools who has both a top-10 cornerback and a top-10 safety in PFF’s rankings, joining Texas and Alabama. Chandler Rivers is my No. 5 corner in America and tied with Jahdae Barron for the best PFF grade among Power Four cornerbacks in 2024 (90.7).
Terry Moore is my No. 7 returning safety and led all Power Four safeties last year with a 90.1 PFF grade. The Blue Devils also added Sam Houston State safety Caleb Weaver from the transfer portal. He was eighth among FBS safeties last season with an 89.0 run-defense grade.
9. Georgia
Right after losing a first-round safety in Malaki Starks, the Bulldogs have another stud waiting in the wings in KJ Bolden. He finished this past season as the eighth-most-valuable returning Power Four safety as just a true freshman, according to PFF’s WAA metric. His 13 coverage stops tied for the fifth most among all safeties in college football.
Georgia also returned both of its starting corners from last season in Daylen Everette and Daniel Harris. Everette’s three interceptions tied for fifth among SEC cornerbacks in 2024. It also brought in UAB safety Adrian Maddox from the transfer portal, who placed ninth among FBS safeties with an 89.5 coverage grade last year. Cornerback Ellis Robinson IV is back for his sophomore year, too, and he was the No. 2 overall recruit from the 2024 class and the highest-rated corner since Vernon Hargreaves III in 2013.
10. Penn State
A.J. Harris began his career at Georgia before transferring to Penn State last year. He finished his sophomore year as one of the 10 most valuable cornerbacks in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric while only allowing 0.76 yards per coverage snap. On the opposite side is junior Elliot Washington II, who was one of the 10 most valuable Big Ten corners last season, according to PFF’s WAA metric, despite not even starting for the Nittany Lions.
Zakee Wheatley is a returning starter at safety and was 10th among FBS safeties with an 87.7 run-defense grade. Zion Tracy spent 292 snaps in the slot for Penn State last season and will be in that role once again.
Honorable Mention: Tennessee
The Volunteers’ placement on this list comes with an asterisk. That’s because their star defensive back, cornerback Jermod McCoy, is uncertain for the 2025 season after tearing his ACL in January. When healthy, he’s my No. 2 corner in the sport. 89.6 coverage grade in 2024 is second among returning Power Four cornerbacks, while his four interceptions were tied for second in that same group.
Tennessee has a few other starters returning as well in cornerback Rickey Gibson III, safety Andre Turrentine and slot corner Boo Carter. Gibson, in particular, was ninth among SEC cornerbacks last year with a 76.3 coverage grade.
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