The best safety in the country may not be who you think …

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Who is the best safety in college football? If you go by the numbers, the names at the top of the list may surprise you.

The Jim Thorpe Award, which allegedly goes to the best defensive back in the country, recently released its 15 semifinalists, 8 of whom are safeties. Let’s do a blind comparison of these 8 players with some other safeties from around the country who aren’t on the list, and see how the numbers stack up as to whom is the best safety in the country …

I will break the blind comparisons into 4 groups, each with two “premier,†“electrifying,†“game-breaking,†“elite†“talents†and one blue collar, overachieving gym rat who really understands the playbook, always brings his lunch pail, hard hat, and non-stop motor, and has a really good feel for the game … and was deemed not good enough for consideration. Without the benefit of the “experts†at ESPN (and other media outlets) telling you what to believe, see if you can pick out which is which.

Group 1:

Player A - (6-foot-1, 215 pounds; senior) - 9 games: 20 solo tackles (40 total), 0.5 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defensed, 2 quarterback hurries

Player B - (5-foot-11, 200 pounds; sophomore) - 9 games: 63 solo tackles (110 total tackles), 1.5 tackles-for loss, 1 pass defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 quarterback hurry

Player C - (6-foot-2, 217 pounds; senior) - 10 games: 37 solo tackles (50 total), 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

If you guessed Player B, you clearly have an eye for the “not very talented.†Player B is Nate Holley of Kent State. He not only isn’t being considered for the Thorpe Award (I guess having more tackles, both solo and total, than the "real" players combined means nothing), he was barely considered for a Division One scholarship. His only offer was from Kent State, and he only received it after a “real†afflete, er, athlete failed to qualify. This unwanted athlete already has three separate games this season with at least 12 solo tackles.

Player A is Sam Carter of TCU, who was recruited by virtually everyone and was a preseason All-American this year. Player C is Cody Prewitt of Ole Miss, also recruited by virtually everyone and returning (and preseason) All-American. Prewitt is said by many “experts†to be the best safety in the country.



Group 2:

Player A - (6-foot-2, 205 pounds; junior; Duke) - 9 games: 52 solo tackles (82 total), 5.0 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 1.5 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

Player B - (6-foot-0, 222 pounds; junior) - 9 games: 31 solo tackles (61 total), 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, 2 quarterback hurries

Player C - (6-foot-0, 192 pounds; senior) - 10 games: 53 solo tackles (75 total), 1 tackle-for-loss, 5 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

If you guessed Player C, you can spot an overachieving hustler with no trouble at all. Player C is Landon Feichter from Purdue. His interception total is #3 nationally for safeties, and his solo tackle (and total tackles) totals are not only team-highs for the Boilermakers but also rank #9 nationally for defensive backs. The former walk-on received absolutely no collegiate recruiting interest, and he is now also being grievously overlooked for postseason accolades. In his most recent outing, Feichter single-handedly tried to keep the Boilermakers in the game against Wisconsin, finishing with 10 solo tackles (12 total), 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and a key 4th down stop ... but apparently none of the “talent†“evaluators†thought it worthy of notice.

Player A is Jeremy Cash of Duke, a 3-star recruit with scholarship offers from everyone coming out of high school and a returning All-American. Player B is Landon Collins from Alabama, a “consensus†5-star recruit coming out of high school considered possibly the #1 player in the nation … and a preseason All-American.


Group 3:

Player A - (6-foot-1, 201 pounds; senior) - 10 games: 31 solo tackles (54 total), 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 6 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 2.5 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries, and 1 forced fumble

Player B - (6-foot-2, 213 pounds; sophomore) - 10 games: 25 solo tackles (31 total), 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 13 interceptions, 16 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble

Player C - (6-foot-2, 220 pounds; senior) - 10 games: 20 solo tackles (54 total), 2 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles

If you guessed Player A, then you can pick out a gym rat from an electrifying game-breaker with ease. Player A is Frankie Sutera from Utah State, and his interception total is #3 in the country (the #2 safety). This former walk-on was completely unwanted by Division One programs coming out of high school, but he is putting up these numbers in his first-year as a starter and his first year getting significant playing time outside of special teams. But “somehow†I suppose he doesn’t have “dat upside†I hear so much about.

Player B is Gerod Holliman from Louisville and is receiving all the hype in the world, even being said to belong in the Heisman race and being compared to All-Pro safety Ed Reed. There’s no doubt that Holliman has a nose for playing the football in the air, but I guess having fewer TOTAL tackles than Sutera has SOLO tackles is why Holliman is called a “physical enforcer.†Holliman made virtually no plays at all last year, but his performance this year is said to clearly demonstrate his vast potential. “Weird,†that his first year as a starter equals upside but Sutera’s screams nothing … huh?

Player C is Ronald Martin of LSU, a 3-star recruit with offers to several collegiate programs coming out of high school.



Group 4:

Player A - (5-foot-11, 210 pounds; senior) - 9 games: 43 solo tackles (61 total), 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles

Player B - (5-foot-11, 170 pounds; senior) - 9 games: 39 solo tackles (67 total), 0.5 tackles-for-loss, 3 interceptions, 10 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries

Player C - (6-foot-2, 200 pounds; junior) - 10 games: 34 solo tackles (53 total), 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), 5 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble

If you guessed Player C, then you can pick out a blue collar from a mile away. With 153 yards (#2 in the nation) and 2 touchdowns (tied for #1 in the nation) off his 3 picks, Matt Dobson of Georgia Southern is perhaps the personification of electrifying big plays … well … uh … never mind that. Also ignore that he made back-to-back game-saving plays, including a pass break-up in the end zone, against Florida last season to help Georgia Southern win a HUGE upset over the Gators in Gainesville. Also ignore that he was a 3-star athlete with 4.54 speed and was a 2-time state champion coming out of high school in Florida, because all the major football programs did. Well, unless you count Florida International and Samford as major programs.

Player A is Jordan Richards from Stanford, a former 3-star recruit with offers from virtually every school on the West Coast and a preseason and midseason All-American. Player B is Triston Wade of Texas San Antonio.

If you haven't noticed before now, all the players who "earned" their spot on the Jim Thorpe semifinalist list (as well as being highly sought after recruits coming out of high school) share a common attribute. This attribute is NOT shared by ANY of the "unworthy" players. What is that commonality? Take a look at the overlooked players below, and see if you detect a pattern.

Nate Holley, Kent State's tackling machine …

all game every game.

Landon Feichter celebrates after forcing and recovering a fumble …

and an interception …

and a 4th down stop, all in the same game. Imagine what he could do if he had talent!

Frankie Sutera, pariah turned playmaker

Matt Dobson crushed the spirit of thousands of Florida Gator DWFs last year …

and continues to explode for one big play (another defensive touchdown, anyone?) …

after another. CLEARLY he's overachieving over and over again in defiance of all logic!

Figured out the pattern yet?

 

[Extra Point]

Good info!

This should make people think.

 

[GiovaniMarcon]

This is all good, logical information, and it clearly spells out that something is amiss with the narrative that the media is feeding the public, but unfortunately most people aren't intelligent or willing to really analyze anything, and they will quickly dismiss these White athletes as having played against inferior competition.

Whether or not that is true, that is the constant, reflex answer that DWFs will give whenever a White athlete demonstrates superiority over a Black counterpart in a situation where the Black and the White did not compete against each other in the same game. If the latter had occurred, the excuse will be that the White got lucky, or that the Black was injured.

But as for those Whites mentioned above who are clearly on par with—or a cut above—the Blacks who receive all the hype? The DWF will say, "He [White guy] played against nobodies. That would never happen if he played [insert caste team]."

BAM. No research to back up the snap claim. Not even the simplest whip-out of the Iphone to see if the White boy really DID play against a bunch of nobodies.

But the DWF will say it, and stand by it, and ignore you if you present him with evidence that refutes his snap judgment. He will not listen. He will not care. His life revolves around Hot Cheetos, hamburgers, sitting on his fat ass playing video games, and being a pathetic loser.

FACT.

DWFs have been trained by the public school system and their addiction to TV and any activity but picking up a f*cking book and reading it, to simply regurgitate propaganda rather than really produce any original thoughts or ideas.

Look at the average fat little loser kid with his pasty skin, backwards hat and his fat acne face stuck in his portable video game, talking like a whigger.

We are really going to convince this little *** to analyze statistics?

It starts at home, and there's a 100% chance, with a kid like that, that his dad is a f*cking pu*sy, too.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

you make some good points, GiovaniMarcon. i was hoping someone would bring up some of the ones you mentioned. so here's a follow-up post.

****************************

Some people may offer some bizarre "reasons" as to why the aforementioned defensive backs were respectively lauded or ignored, basing their "assessments" on nothing more than nebulous hunches or fragmented "logic" or convoluted groupthink. However, these double standards in acclaim and talent evaluation permeate American sports, affecting even players on the same team.

Here is another blind comparison between a highly regarded player and a completely unwanted one. They both play on the same team in the same defensive backfield alongside one another.

Player A - (5-foot-11, 189 pounds; senior) - 9 games: #1 defensive back and #3 overall in the nation with 68 solo tackles (79 total - #2 on his team), 7.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 6 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

Player B - (6-foot-0, 195 pounds; junior) - 9 games: #2 defensive back and #5 overall in the nation with 65 solo tackles (82 total - a team-high), 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble 1 fumble recovery

If you look at their performance on the field, can you tell which player was a walk-on and which held scholarship offers from over 20 Division One programs?

Both players are starting safeties for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Player A is Damarrious Randle, and he was a highly-coveted safety coming out of both high school (though he couldn't qualify academically) and again out of junior college. Player B is Jordan Simone, an unwanted walk-on at two different programs who didn't receive a scholarship until August 21 this year.

Simone, a first-year starter, has gone from a walk-on scout team standout to scholarship player to starter to arguably the best player on the ASU defense in less than 4 months.

One should wonder why the so-called "talent" "evaluators" missed so badly on such an obviously talented player. Furthermore, one should wonder why the ASU coaching staff took so long to offer such a talented player a scholarship, after all Sun Devils offensive coordinator Mike Norvell has admitted that Simone routinely dominated the starting offense when playing for the scout team defense in years past. So, what gives?

One should also wonder how many other players like Simone are out there, but don't want to put up with all the crap in order to FINALLY get a chance to show that they are every bit as good (or perhaps better) than the "real" affletes who are granted scholarships ahead of them.

This is what the Caste System really is. It is systemic discrimination against White athletes based on nothing more than their skin tone.

Jordan Simone ignored but with eye-popping numbers …

disregarded but dominant.

 

[celticdb15]

Great frigging thread! Some other safeties making plays around the country but have gone unnoticed due to biased coverage are:Nebraska Nate Gerry, Iowa john Lowdermilk, Wisconsin's Michael Caputo Novas Joe Sarnese and Indianas Mark Murphy.

 

[FootballDad]

Of course another thing that scouts, coaches and DWFs will tell you is that the reason for the selections is because of the "ability for their game to translate to the next level". Which is another one of those mysterious non-quantifiable qualities that only blacks have. It works the same in basketball.

If a white player is dominating the exact same black players who "have what it takes for the next level" in college, it's presumed that the white player will NOT be able to do the same as a pro. I think it has something to do with another magical black quality that they are imbued with. When they are drafted by a pro team, the mystical "next level" aura descends upon them and they are instantly better, but white people somehow do not have this ability.

 

[icsept]

Watching the highlights of the Wisconsin running back's 400 yard game, he was caught from behind twice by Nebraska safety Nate Gerry, for what it's worth.

 

[Freethinker]

Of course another thing that scouts, coaches and DWFs will tell you is that the reason for the selections is because of the "ability for their game to translate to the next level". Which is another one of those mysterious non-quantifiable qualities that only blacks have. It works the same in basketball.

If a white player is dominating the exact same black players who "have what it takes for the next level" in college, it's presumed that the white player will NOT be able to do the same as a pro. I think it has something to do with another magical black quality that they are imbued with. When they are drafted by a pro team, the mystical "next level" aura descends upon them and they are instantly better, but white people somehow do not have this ability.

This is an accurate observation. It is very frustrating.

 

[Don Wassall]

JC's first post in this thread is now also an article on the homepage. Feel free to comment on it, and/or nominate other individual posts for article status. Original articles are always appreciated also.

 

[Westside]

Jimmy C great article. I hope the 3 White DBs you mentioned have kick ass pro days. Even then they will be drafted low and not at all and will have to open eyes in pre season and then maybe be allowed on the roster. Caste system working hard to keep the current status quo.