Ranking the top 10 defensive backs in college football

Who is the best defensive back in college football in 2025?

For our panel of experts, the choice is clear: Ohio State’s Caleb Downs. The Buckeyes safety, who anchored the back end for the national champs, garnered nine of 10 first-place votes in our survey.

Our college football reporters were asked to select the top 10 defensive backs for the 2025 season, and we distributed points based on their selections (10 points for a first-place vote, 9 points for second place and so on).

Here are our picks for the top 10 defensive backs:

Football Caleb Downs, Ohio State

Points: 90 (9 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats: 2 interceptions, 6 passes defended, 82 tackles (7.5 TFLs)

What do you need Caleb Downs to do? Whatever it is, he’ll do it. Need him to do lineup near the line of scrimmage like an extra linebacker? Can do — he made 7.5 tackles for loss last season with eight run stops. Need him in coverage? That’s fine — he was targeted 14 times last season and allowed 2.1 yards per attempt. Need him to simply roam the back of the defense like a prototypical safety? Let’s just say it’s probably not a coincidence that opponents stopped throwing deep against the Buckeyes nearly as much as they had in the past in 2024.

Downs was the proverbial “last piece of the puzzle” for what became the best defense in the country last season, and while Ohio State has lots to replace from its title-winning squad, having the best safety in the sport will alleviate plenty of concerns. — Bill Connelly

Football Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

Points: 66

2024 stats: 2 interceptions, 11 passes defended, 48 tackles (2 TFLs)

As a true freshman last season, Moore emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the country, being named Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America. Moore entered the starting lineup after stalwart Benjamin Morrison was lost for the season in October and immediately made an impact with seven tackles, including one for loss, and two pass breakups in a win over Georgia Tech.

From there, he continued to grow and improve, finishing the season with 48 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 11 pass breakups. Though Al Golden is gone as defensive coordinator, don’t expect new coordinator Chris Ash to stray too far from the principles that made the Irish so good on defense a year ago. — Andrea Adelson

Football Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Points: 54

2024 stats: 4 interceptions, 12 passes defended, 44 tackles (1 TFL)

Tennessee’s playoff run last season was keyed by an elite defensive performance, and McCoy was at the forefront of the Vols’ attack. He racked up 12 pass breakups, including four picks — one of which proved critical in a 24-17 win over Alabama.

For the season, McCoy allowed less than 43% completions, and his 36 contested targets ranked fourth among power-conference corners. McCoy earned second-team All-America honors and was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2024. — David Hale

Football D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

Points: 52

2024 stats: 3 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 57 tackles (4.5 TFLs)

Ponds had a breakout sophomore season in 2024 at Indiana after transferring from James Madison. A second-team ESPN All-American, he doesn’t have great size (5-9, 170 pounds), but he is a physical cornerback who also locks down opposing receivers in coverage. He was third on Indiana’s team with 36 solo tackles and led the team with nine pass breakups. He finished with three interceptions, 4.5 tackles for loss and blocked a kick.

If there’s a play to be made, Ponds is usually there to make it. Over the past two seasons, his 91.8 grade by Pro Football Focus leads all returning FBS cornerbacks. He will again team with linebacker Aiden Fisher to be cornerstones on an Indiana defense that was second nationally last season in yards allowed per play (4.28) and sixth in points allowed (15.6 per game). — Chris Low

Football Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Points: 49

2024 stats (with Purdue): 7 passes defended, 104 tackles (5 TFLs)

One of the nation’s best young safeties will remain in the Big Ten, moving from Purdue to Oregon following the Boilermakers’ coaching change. Thieneman has eclipsed 100 tackles in each of his first two seasons, leading Big Ten defensive backs with 104 stops (70 solo) last season. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2023, when he led all freshmen with 74 solo tackles, led Purdue with 106 total stops and finished third nationally with six interceptions.

The 6-foot, 207-pound Thieneman returned nine punts last year and finished his Purdue career with 210 tackles. He joins the defending Big Ten champions, who lose safeties Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson, among other defensive backs. — Adam Rittenberg

Football Avieon Terrell, Clemson

Points: 28

2024 stats: 2 interceptions, 12 passes defended, 58 tackles (5 TFLs)

Four college football players finished the 2024 season with at least 5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 1 sack. Three were linebackers, which makes sense … but the fourth was a cornerback. Avieon Terrell is one of the more uniquely physical CBs in the sport; he plays like he’s 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, but he’s actually 5-11 and 180 pounds.

The former blue-chipper from Atlanta can play outside or in the slot, and he raised his game spectacularly last season as a sophomore. Among ACC defenders with at least 400 snaps in coverage, he ranked first in total havoc plays (TFLs, forced fumbles, passes defended), fifth in yards allowed per attempt (4.5) and seventh in forced incompletion rate (21.7%). — Connelly

Football Chandler Rivers, Duke

Points: 27

2024 stats: 3 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 54 tackles (7.5 TFLs)

Only two power-conference corners in the country allowed a lower completion percentage last year than Rivers (31%), who surrendered just 13 completions all year — with only three that went for 20 yards or more. His 4.5 yards allowed per target ranked 13th among Power 4 corners, and he contested half his targets on the season.

But Rivers was more than a shutdown corner. He chipped in all over the field, racking up 54 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss, 3 quarterback hurries and 2 forced fumbles. — Hale

Football Michael Taaffe, Texas

Points: 24

2024 stats: 2 interceptions, 10 passes defended, 78 tackles (5.5 TFLs)

The fourth-year veteran brings a wealth of experience to the Texas defensive backfield. Taaffe has played in 37 games with 20 starts — including 16 starts last season, when he was an AP second-team All-American.

Taaffe, who began his career as a walk-on from nearby Westlake High, had 78 total tackles in 2024, with 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 10 passes defended. He decided to forgo the NFL draft for one more season at Texas in hopes of reaching his ultimate goal of winning a national championship with the Longhorns. — Adelson

Football KJ Bolden, Georgia

Points: 20

2024 stats: 1 interception, 1 pass defended, 59 tackles (2 TFLs)

Bolden arrived at Georgia last season as ESPN’s No. 1-ranked safety prospect nationally and played like it on his way to earning FWAA Freshman All-America honors. He played in all 14 games for the Bulldogs and finished fifth on the team with 59 total tackles, including two for loss, and also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Bolden has elite speed for a safety and is also a sure tackler. He will be one of the leaders of the Georgia defensive backfield in 2025, especially with safeties Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson headed to the NFL. Bolden played some of his best football in the postseason a year ago, and according to Pro Football Focus, gave up only 8 yards in 134 coverage snaps. — Low

Football Daylen Everette, Georgia

Points: 19

2024 stats: 3 interceptions, 3 passes defended, 58 tackles (2 TFLs)

Everette enters his third season as a starter and, along with Bolden, will lead a Georgia secondary losing Starks, Jackson and others. Everette earned third-team All-SEC honors in 2024, when he led the team with three interceptions, including two in the SEC championship win over Texas, when he was named MVP. He added two forced fumbles and 58 tackles, and he had a sack in the title game against Texas.

Everette also started throughout 2023, finishing with 39 tackles, including three for loss, and an interception in the Orange Bowl against Florida State. He has been active around the ball, recording eight pass breakups over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Everette was limited during spring practice as he recovered from a sports hernia but is expected to be at full strength for the season. — Rittenberg

Also receiving votes: Malik Muhammad, Texas, 17 (1 first-place vote); Rod Moore, Michigan, 14; Jalen Catalon, Missouri, 12; Jyaire Hill, Michigan, 12; Will Lee III, Texas A&M, 10; Jermaine Mathews Jr., Ohio State, 8; Bud Clark, TCU, 7; Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU, 7; Smith Snowden, Utah, 7; Koi Perich, Minnesota, 6; Caleb Weaver, Duke, 5; Xavier Scott, Illinois, 5; Eli Bowen, Oklahoma, 4; Zabien Brown, Alabama, 4; Tacario Davis, Washington, 3