College football’s 20 best safeties of 2025

They are the last line of defense, and the heart and soul of the secondary.

A safety has the sole responsibility of cleaning up the mistakes that are made by other defenders. To be successful at the position a defender has to be a field general, and flat-out physical. Providing run support, and dropping back in coverage is vital.

Scanning the field, recognizing formations, communication with other teammates and reading the quarterback’s eyes are skills that come with the territory, and makes them ballhawks. Now these 20 individuals are looking to pick up from where they left off last season.

20. Tao Johnson, Utah: The Idaho native is a converted wide receiver, who’s very versatile, and excels at safety and nickel. Johnson has started 23 games over the past two seasons with the Utes, including 11 in 2024. He finished second on Utah in stops as a redshirt sophomore. Johnson tallied seven tackles in the Big 12 opening win over Utah. The former four-star prospect also had seven stops apiece against Arizona State and TCU. Johnson made a season-high, nine tackles, including six solo and an interception against Arizona. The 6-foot-1, 193-pounder generated eight stops against Iowa State. Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley works closely with the safeties, and will utilize Johnson.

19. Deshon Singleton, Nebraska: The former three-star prospect started all 13 games last season, and finished second on the Blackshirts in tackles. Singleton has great size and range, standing 6-foot-3, and weighing 210 pounds. His physicality was on display throughout 2024. Singleton made six tackles, including five solo in the victory over Colorado. The Louisiana native also tallied six tackles apiece against Northern Iowa, Illinois, USC and Wisconsin. Singleton’s 10 tackles at Ohio State were a season-high. Not to mention he recorded a season-high, eight solo stops against UCLA. Singleton even hauled in an interception in the blowout victory over the Badgers on Senior Day.

18. VJ Payne, Kansas State: The Georgia native has started every game for the Wildcats over the past two seasons, and racked up 121 tackles during that span. Payne has 30 career starts, and finished second on the team in stops and interceptions in 2024. He tallied seven tackles, including five solo, and picked off a pass in the victory at Tulane. Payne posted three stops, and an interception in the win at Colorado. The former three-star prospect generated 11 tackles, including seven solo against Arizona State. Payne recorded seven stops against Cincinnati. His 12 tackles, including eight solo at Iowa State, were all season-highs. Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman was high on Payne this spring.

17. Jahron Manning, Mississippi State: The former Juco had a breakout campaign at Old Dominion last season. After all, Manning started 11 games, finished third on the Monarchs in tackles and earned third-team, All-Sun Belt honors. He got off to a hot start, with seven stops in the opener at South Carolina. Manning also had seven tackles at Coastal Carolina. The New Orleans native tallied 10 tackles, including five solo and two interceptions against East Carolina. Manning generated 11 tackles apiece against Virginia Tech and Appalachian State. His 14 stops in the win over Texas State were a season-high. Manning made nine tackles, and picked off a pass in the win at Bowling Green.

16. Wydett Williams, Ole Miss: Although he had no stars behind his name as a high school prospect, the Louisiana native has blossomed into an elite ballhawk. Williams led Louisiana-Monroe in tackles last season, and capped off the year with third-team, All-Sun Belt honors. He started fast out of the gates with 10 tackles, and an interception in the opener against Jackson State. Williams tallied 10 stops, and picked off Arch Manning at Texas. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder also made 10 tackles against Texas State. His 13 tackles, including 11 solo at Auburn were all season-highs. Not to mention Williams racked up 12 stops, including nine solo at South Alabama. He’ll fit right in with the Land Sharks.

15. Fred Perry, West Virginia: The former three-star prospect started all 12 games at Jacksonville State last season, and led the team with 110 stops. Perry averaged 9.2 tackles per game, which ranked 20th in the FBS, and capped off the year with first-team, All-CUSA honors. He posted a jaw-dropping, 19 tackles, at Eastern Michigan. Perry tallied nine stops, and a sack in the victory at Kennesaw State. The Georgia native made 14 tackles, including seven solo, and a sack in the win at Louisiana Tech. Perry recorded 11 tackles apiece against Florida International, and Western Kentucky. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder left a lasting impression with 12 stops in the bowl game against Ohio.

14. TJ Metcalf, Michigan: The 20-year old held his own in the SEC last season, in which he led Arkansas in interceptions, and tied for first on the team in passes defended. Metcalf raised several eyebrows after he tallied a season-high, 12 tackles, including six solo at Oklahoma State. He made seven stops, and picked off a pass against UAB. Metcalf recorded four solo tackles, and hauled in two interceptions in the victory at Auburn. The former four-star prospect had seven stops in the win over Tennessee. Metcalf posted six tackles apiece against Missouri and Ole Miss. Now he brings valuable experience and production to the Wolverines’ secondary, and should thrive in the Big Ten.

13. Khalil Barnes, Clemson: The 20-year old led the ACC Champs in interceptions, and ranked fifth on the team in tackles last year. Barnes posted nine tackles, including six solo, and hauled in an interception in the win at Pittsburgh. He also made nine stops against Stanford. Barnes recorded five tackles, and picked off a pass against South Carolina. The 20-year old even generated an interception against Wake Forest. Barnes had four stops, including three solo and an interception in the ACC Championship Game victory over SMU. Not to mention he tallied six tackles apiece against Florida State and Virginia. Barnes is a true ballhawk in what should be a loaded secondary for the Tigers this fall.

12. Xavian Alford, Arizona State: The Texas native finished second on the Big 12 Champs in tackles last season. Alford capped off his stellar campaign with first-team, All-Big 12 honors. He recorded six tackles apiece in wins over Mississippi State, Kansas and BYU. Alford tallied seven stops, and hauled in an interception at Texas State. The former four-star prospect also made seven tackles in the victory over Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game. Alford posted nine tackles, including six solo at Texas Tech. The 6-foot, 200-pounder also had nine stops apiece against Utah and UCF. His 10 tackles at Cincinnati were a season-high. Alford even picked off Avery Johnson at Kansas State.

11. Nick Andersen, Wake Forest: The Virginia native is a tackling machine, despite not having any stars behind his name out of high school. Andersen started every game in 2024, and earned third-team, All-ACC honors. He even led the conference, and ranked seventh in the FBS in tackles per game. Andersen started out on fire, with a season-high, 14 stops in the opener against North Carolina A&T. He recorded 13 tackles apiece against Ole Miss, and Louisiana. Andersen tallied 11 stops apiece against NC State, and North Carolina. The 5-foot-11, 197-pounder had 12 tackles, and picked off a pass against California. Not to mention Andersen hauled in an interception in the victory at Stanford.

10. Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina: The former four-star prospect led the SEC, and tied for sixth in the FBS in interceptions per game last season. Kilgore is a smart defender too, and has made the SEC Academic Honor Roll twice. Not to mention he was on the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2023, and has posted 124 tackles over the past two seasons with the Gamecocks. Kilgore got off to a hot start last year, with three solo tackles, and an interception in the opener against Old Dominion. The following week he hauled in another interception at Kentucky. Kilgore even picked off Jalen Milroe at Alabama. The 20-year old also picked off a pass against Missouri, and in the bowl game against Illinois.

9. Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: The 20-year old led Purdue in stops over the past two seasons, including 100-plus tackles in each of those years. Thieneman even earned second-team, All-Big Ten honors in 2023. He started every game last year. Thieneman posted nine tackles, and a sack against Notre Dame. The former three-star prospect also had nine tackles apiece against Nebraska, and Northwestern. His 14 stops at Oregon State were a season-high. Thieneman tallied 11 tackles, including a season-high, eight solo at Ohio State. The Indiana naive also made 11 stops at Michigan State. Not to mention Thieneman left a lasting impression, with 10 tackles, including seven solo at Indiana.

8. Bud Clark, TCU: The former four-star prospect is a two-time, team captain, and has 34 starts under his belt with the Horned Frogs. Clark has a jaw-dropping, 158 career tackles, including 107 solo and 11 interceptions. He also earned second-team, All-Big 12 honors in 2024. Clark posted seven tackles apiece against UCF, and SMU. The Louisiana native tallied eight stops, and hauled in an interception in the victory over Oklahoma State. Clark also made eight tackles apiece against Houston, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder recorded six stops, and picked off a pass against Arizona. Clark even generated three tackles, and another interception in the win at Utah.

7. Michael Taaffe, Texas: The hometown kid has 152 stops over the past three seasons, and was the Longhorns’ second-leading tackler in 2024. Taaffe started all 16 games, and was one of 10 semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is annually given to the most outstanding FBS player, who began his career as a walk-on. He posted three tackles, and a sack in the victory over Oklahoma. Taaffe made nine stops, including a season-high, seven solo against Georgia. The 22-year old tallied a sack against the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. Taaffe hauled in an interception in road wins at Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. His 10 tackles against Arizona State were a season-high.

6. Koi Perich, Minnesota: The former four-star prospect led the Big Ten, and tied for sixth in the FBS in interceptions per game as a true freshman last season. Perich even capped off his stellar campaign with first-team, Big Ten honors, and earned second-team as a return specialist. He hauled in his first interception against Rhode Island. Perich tallied six stops, including five solo, and picked off a pass in the victory over USC. His 13 tackles against Penn State were a season-high. Perich generated two stops, and two interceptions in the win at UCLA. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder also had an interception against Maryland. Perich racked up eight tackles, including seven solo at Wisconsin.

5. Terry Moore, Duke: The former three-star prospect is a converted running back, who has blossomed into an elite ballhawk in the Blue Devils’ secondary. Moore has 19 career starts, with 116 tackles, including 114 over the past two seasons, and is a elite return specialist. He led Duke in interceptions last year, was the fourth-leading tackler and earned first-team, All-ACC honors. Moore picked off a pass at Northwestern. The North Carolina native hauled in an interception against Connecticut. Moore also had an interception against NC State, and Ole Miss. His 10 tackles in the victory over North Carolina were a season-high. Moore even tallied nine stops, and sacked Cam Ward at Miami.

4. A.J. Haulcy, LSU: The 21-year old led Houston in interceptions, and was the second-leading tackler in 2024. Haulcy even finished the year with first-team, All-Big 12 honors. After all, he’s a dangerous ballhawk, with great instincts. Haulcy got off to a hot start with five tackles, and an interception in the opener against UNLV. He posted 11 tackles apiece in road games at Oklahoma, and Cincinnati. Haulcy generated seven stops, including five solo, and picked off two passes in the victory at TCU. The Houston native also hauled in an interception in the win over Utah. Haulcy left a lasting impression, with eight tackles, and an interception against Baylor. Now he’s at DBU.

3. Isaac Smith, Mississippi State: The 20-year old led the SEC, and ranked fourth nationally in tackles per game as a true sophomore. Smith excelled on the gridiron, and in the classroom. He started 11 games, and finished with a jaw-dropping, 127 stops. He even capped off the year with second-team, All-SEC honors. Smith started out on fire, with 11 tackles in the opening victory over Eastern Kentucky. The former four-star prospect posted 17 stops, including seven solo at Arizona State. Smith had 15 tackles against Toledo, and 14 against Missouri. The 6-foot, 220-pounder made 12 tackles apiece against Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. His 20 stops, including nine solo at Tennessee, were all season-highs.

2. Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU: The Dallas native has 29 career starts with the Mustangs, including all 14 games in 2024. Nwokobia was SMU’s second-leading tackler, and capped off the year with first-team, All-ACC honors. He tallied 13 tackles apiece, including eight solo in road victories over Nevada and Duke. Nwokobia posted 10 stops in the win over California. The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder made nine tackles, and hauled in an interception against Boston College. Nwokobia generated eight stops, including five solo and an interception at Louisville. Not to mention he had eight tackles at Virginia. Nwokobia even picked off a pass at Stanford, and recorded seven stops against Florida State.

1. Caleb Downs, Ohio State: The former five-star prospect is arguably one of he best defenders in all of College football. Not only was Downs an first-team, AP All-American, but he also was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Back of the Year. After all he’s elite in run support, and a ballhawk out in coverage. He even recorded 107 tackles, and earned first-team, All-SEC honors as a true freshman at Alabama in 2023. Not to mention Downs was one of three Jim Thorpe Award Finalists last season. Down tallied a season-high, 11 tackles, and hauled in an interception against Michigan. The 20-year old made five tackles, and picked off Arch Manning in the Cotton Bowl win over Texas in the Playoff Semifinals.