2026 Defensive Backs

[TwentyTwo]

When i joined CF in October of 2009 it was due to noticing the influx of White WRs making big impacts across College Football (Cooper ; Decker; Shipley); that prompted the 2010 NFL Draft to have the most WRs Drafted in the entire 2000's. Nothings really come close ever since!

CF's (Truthteller? Freethinker?) posted the number of DBs Drafted in the NFL since 2000. It has never been more than 4; last season went 3 (Theineman first 1st Rounder picked since Harrison Smith ; ex Walk-on Michael Taaffe & Cole Wisneiwski)

....I'm getting that same 2009 WR Vibe; but this time it's with the DBs in 2026!! Time to bust the glass ceiling of FOUR! Even if "Junior" Jackson Bennee returns for his Senior season. John Curry will likely be a LB in the NFL ; but listed him here anyway

According to new EA Sports ......7 of the Top 27 Strong Safties are White

https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/ratings/positions-ratings/strong-safety/SS

Bray HUBBARD (Sr) 6'-2" 217 Alabama
Started all 15 games at Safety ... earned 2nd team All-America; All-SEC First Team by the AP and league coaches ... tied for the SEC lead and 23rd nationally 4 INTs for a combined 42 return yards ... ranked 3rd on the Tide defense with 79 tackles, including 4.5 for loss (-23 yards) and two sacks (-20 yards) ... also recorded a team-high tying 6 PBUs, 3 forced fumbles; 7 career INTs
Highest Rated Strong Safety (94) according to EA Sports
Mock NFL Draft going 2nd Round/ 54 overall

Zach LUTMER (Sr.) 6'-0 205 Iowa
2025 Honors -- Second-team All-Big Ten (coaches)
Plays "CASH" position ; EA Sports Top 100; https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/ratings/player-ratings/zach-lutmer/376
Have seen Mock Drafts go as early as mid 1st Round to 3rd Round
(44 solo, 27 assists), including 5.5 tackles for a loss of 16 yards, 1 QB sack , 3 INTs for 72 yards & TD, 7 pass break-ups, 1 recovered fumble
https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/ratings/player-ratings/zach-lutmer/376
EA Sports behind Similar players (88) Hubbard & Perich

Strong Safety Koi PERICH (Jr.) 6'-1" 200 Oregon ( Minnesota transfer)
Athlons Pre season 1st Team All Big 10
In 2 seasons 6 INTs for 90 yards & TD ; 5.5 TFLs; 5 Pass deflections; 2 Forced Fumbles ; and a Sack
Honey Badger-like instincts ; can also play WR ( 7- 89) & Return kicks...could be Best Safety in the Nation
Dan Lanning did it again after swiping another high-end Big Ten transfer Safety to fill a void in the secondary. After previously starring at Minnesota, Perich's instincts and range should allow Oregon to stay multiple without sacrificing communication or structure. He also brings a physical edge in run support, much like last cycle's future first-round addition, Dillon Thieneman.
AI....Koi Perich is widely considered an elite, versatile college football defensive back. A former standout at Minnesota, he transferred to Oregon as the top-ranked safety and a consensus 4-star recruit. Known for his incredible athleticism, he is a major playmaker on defense and special teams
Mock Draft 4th Round

Strong Safety Alex McLAUGHLIN (Sr.) 6'-2" 204 Washington
2025 All-Big Ten honorable-mention...likes scoring TDs ; 59-yard fumble return TD vs UCLA 2 INTs @ Wazzu returning one27 yards ;the other for 47 yard TD
sensational first season for the Huskies ! Also had 94 Tackles!
Began career @ FCS Northern Arizona ....
Mock Draft has him going Day 3 (6th round)
https://www.si.com/college/washingt...nts-to-be-even-bigger-and-better-01kn8vp6zbns

Corner Back John NESTOR (Sr.) 6'-1" 205 Minnesota
6 INTs for 113 yards & TD
From PFF ..4th Best Ballhawk in Nation
Nestor is not generating significant NFL Draft conversation at this stage. Playing on the outside for a Minnesota defense which allowed the second-highest completion percentage in the Big Ten last season didn’t do his overall reputation any favors.
However, he finished 2025 with 6 INTs , including three across his final two games, to bring himself alongside Fitzgerald for the top turnover-forcers in returning secondaries. That late-season run gives him a brilliant platform heading into 2026.
Nestor will need to clean up on his ability in man coverage, where he didn’t even rank inside the top 50 among Big Ten cornerbacks last season, but the playmaking ability is certainly present.

College Football: The 5 best returning ball hawks in 2026

Some cornerbacks and safeties consistently find the football better than others. Some of these players possess the innate gift of reading opposing quarterbacks, while others are fantastic at anticipating route breaks and making a play at the catch point. No matter what, college football’s top...

www.pff.com

Cornerback/ Free Safety Jackson BENNEE (Jr.) 6'-2" 190 Utah
4th Ranked DB for the 2027 NFL Draft according to On3
To be fair, Bennee is listed as a Safety on Utah’s roster, but he is a versatile DB who could play Cornerback, per PFF. Last season, Bennee was all over the place. In 13 games for the Utes last year 64 Tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 4 INTs , 5 pass deflections & PICK SIX. Look for him to be feared as he faces opposing Big 12 offenses in 2026.

NFL Draft 2027: Pro Football Focus reveals Top 10 cornerbacks in college football

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www.on3.com

Strong Safety Preston ZACHMAN ( Sr.) 6'-2" 209 Indiana ...(Wisconsin transfer)
2025 Played in 3 games, all starts at Safety … finished the year with 12 tackles & 2 INTs ; made 5 tackles at Alabama (Sept. 13) … missed the remainder of the season with an INJURY suffered at Alabama
2024 Season: Started all 12 games at Safety for the Badgers … made a career-high 58 tackles (39 solos), 2 INTs , 3 TFLs ; 4 PBU's
Has the NFL measurables; 7 career INTs

Strong Safety Ethan MINTER (Jr.) 6- 0 195 Virginia
2025 47 Tackles ; 4 TFLs; 3 PBUs ; 1 INT clutch at UVAs 3 yard line in 4th Qtr vs Louisville
2024 – UVA’s only Freshman to appear in all 12 games
Now "86" on EA Sports

John CURRY (Sr.) 6'-2" 230 Texas Tech
Red Raider STAR position "Hyrbrid Safety/Linebacker
Honorable Mention All Big 12
Led Big 12 Championship with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in the win over BYU
Had a 10 yard TD on Fumble recovery vs K-State

Free Safety Caleb NIX (Sr.) 6'0 202 Jacksonville State
2025 ...63 Tackles ; 4 INTs & TD ; 3 Pass Deflections...not sure how he scored 2nd TD?
Began career as a Walk-on @ Clemson
NFL QB Bo Nix little brother

Cornerback Chance GAMBLE (Sr.) 6'-2" 180 Georgia Southern

2026 1st Team Preseason ALL Sun Belt Conf. Corberback
2025 Played/Started 4 games … 16 tackles ; 1 INT ; Received a medical hardship waiver after having shoulder surgery
2024 - All-Sun Belt Conference 2nd Team; 3 INTs ; 10 Pass Deflections!! 1 FF ; 1 Fuble Recovery
Hopefully stays healthy!

Strong Safety Brevin HAMBLIN (Sr.) 6'-5" 205 Utah State
Athlon's Pre season 1st Team All Big 12
Career...has 253 tackles (128 solo), including 2.5 Sacks and 7.5 TFLs , 11 PBUs , 2 INTs , 4 FFs , 1 FR … has 10 career double-digit tackle outings
Began career at FCS Utah Tech

Free Safety Jake POPE (Sr) 6'-1" 200 UNLV
2026: Named 2026 Preseason All-Mountain West First Team by Phil Steele.
2025: Started in all 14 games as a Junior ... Finished the season with 81 total tackles (38 solo and 43 assisted) ... Recorded 3 TFLs, 1.5 sacks ..1 INT vs. Hawaii ... Tallied 5 PBUs... Ranked 2nd on the team in total tackles ... Tied for 3rd on the team in pass breakups.
Began career @ Alabama then Georgia

That's the Baker's Dozen 13 for now...
Had 28 on the list....some of the remaining 15 definetly worthy of a pic too

 

[Freethinker]

That is a super deep class! A lot of these guys should be locks in the draft when they come out. I’m hopeful they all stay healthy and have great years. I want to see their stock up even more!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Lutmer, Bennee, and Perich are “safeties” only because A) they’re White, and B) because they’re so intelligent/instinctive/physical that they are capable of playing multiple positions.

their true position is clearly at corner, but since it’s so hard to find smart safeties these days (i wonder why) and much safer to play Whites there compared to cornerback, they get moved to a more appropriate caste position.

Ethan Minter is another likely candidate that has been cast(e) into the safety position. after all, how many 6-foot, 195-pound safeties are there in D-1?

 

[Leonardfan]

Great list!

 

[Truthteller]

Excellent job, Twenty-Two, and some great comments. J.C. is 100% correct, regarding CB stars being foolishly "stacked" at safety.

Here's a list of DB's that went through the transfer portal. A few are players to watch; others will struggle to start. Might be a few more good ones out there, as I did not list players other CF posters put forth in the Transfer Portal thread. I listed these players during the early part of the winter:

FS Nick Peltekian Lehigh stays at Lehigh (3 star transfer)
FS Ashton Paine South Dakota to Montana (RS-Junior)
CB Mikey Munn South Dakota to Rutgers (Soph)
FS Mason Dossett Baylor to Louisiana State
FS Marcus Wimberly Oklahoma to Utah
SS Graham Gillespie Texas to North Texas
SS C.J. Coombes Wofford to North Texas
SS Jett Vincent Colorado State to Wyoming
SS Braeden Orlandi Carroll College to Montana
SS Carson Van Dinter Iowa State to Wisconsin (RS-Soph)
SS Kolby Peavy Alabama to Southern Miss (Junior) (Walk-on/4 career tackles/0 Star recruit)
FS Harrison Brun Minnesota to South Dakota
FS Kael Kolarik Iowa to South Dakota (RS-Junior)
SS Chris Fileppo West Virginia to Penn State (Fresh)
FS Matt Irwin Iowa State to Central Florida (Soph)
FS Ty Bartrum Harvard to Central Florida (RS-Senior) (Son of 13 year NFL TE/long snapper)
FS Caden VerMaas Nebraska to Rice (Fresh)
DB Ethan Carrier Minnesota to South Dakota
DB Ben Minich Notre Dame to Miami (Ohio) (RS-Junior)
FS Jack Luttrell Arizona to Auburn (Medically retired/Shoulder???)


Notes:

Peltekian from Lehigh was "reportedly" getting offers from a few SEC schools, while treading through the transfer portal. He decided to stay put at the F.C.S. level, for whatever reason? I would assume he's a player that could be on the radar of NFL scouts?

Minich from Notre Dame is a fascinating prospect, as he was one of the nations top DB recruits coming out of high school. Very fast --- EA College Football speed rating of 97 ****. How will he eventually fit in the draft, if he really excels at Miami (Ohio)?

On the one hand, you have someone like Micheal Taafe that had an amazing career at Texas, but probably slips to round 5 because he was a walk-on! But does a blazing fast, ex-4 or 5 star recruit get bumped up, even from a mid-level school, if he "flashes" as a junior and senior? After all, his "physical traits" (size, speed, ect.) must've been "off-the-charts" coming out of high school, to be so highly ranked as a White DB?

Dossett was a very good wide receiver prospect and track star (hurdles) at Baylor, who was coaxed to L.S.U. with the possibility of starting at some point? At least I hope that's the case, as I know the Baylor folks liked him a lot.

Luttrell began his career at Tennessee, then played real well at Arizona. Several months ago he transferred to Auburn, expecting to start? A quick online search showed he recently retired due to injuries...shoulder?


Hard to believe, but very talented Clemson safety Ronan Hanafin is in a battle to start this season with two black transfers, from lower rung schools. Hopefully he can pull through. Recently granted an extra year of eligibility.

Twenty-Two, here was a glowing scouting report for Zachman last summer. I guess, in addition to being White, his age (currently 25?) could hurt him with NFL scouts.


**** Minich's speed on virtual gridiron explained below:

AI Overview

Yes, a speed rating of 97 is extremely fast. In the EA Sports College Football series, 97-speed players are among the absolute fastest in the entire game.

How 97 Speed Compares The Scale: The maximum achievable speed rating in the game is typically 99

The Tier: A 97 places a player in the top 1% to 2% of the fastest players on the virtual gridiron.

Ben Minich is a standout safety and defensive back known for his elite speed, clocking a blazing 10.47 in the 100-meter dash in high school. Because of his verified track speed, he gained viral attention as one of the fastest players in the EA SPORTS College Football video game franchise, boasting a 97 Speed Rating.

 

[Phall]

Excellent job, Twenty-Two, and some great comments. J.C. is 100% correct, regarding CB stars being foolishly "stacked" at safety.

Here's a list of DB's that went through the transfer portal. A few are players to watch; others will struggle to start. Might be a few more good ones out there, as I did not list players other CF posters put forth in the Transfer Portal thread. I listed these players during the early part of the winter:

FS Ashton Paine South Dakota to Montana (RS-Junior)
CB Mikey Munn South Dakota to Rutgers (Soph)

FS Harrison Brun Minnesota to South Dakota
FS Kael Kolarik Iowa to South Dakota (RS-Junior)

DB Ethan Carrier Minnesota to South Dakota

Interesting that South Dakota exports two and imports three. There are several schools that appear multiple times on this relatively short list of white DBs. Without diving deeper, I would guess that these players are transferring to South Dakota for playing time and leaving for bigger NIL money (once they've established themselves with a highlight reel).

Montana, North Texas, and Central Florida (!!!) each bringing in two white safeties.... hoping there are enough reps to go around, but putting multiple white faces in the DB room makes for a solid foothold for the future.