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We have arrived at the final positional rankings for the NCAA football season. After talking about the top players on offense and defense, we finish up with this group of safety, which is lead by an absolute stud at the very top and loaded with young, talented guys. For the last time, these are college football rankings and a lot of the guys up there won't even be draft-eligible next year. I have based my analysis on last year's tape on them and I consider their potential coming into the season.
#1 Grant Delpit, LSU
Compared to Jamal Adams around the LSU program, very few burst on the scene last season quite like this dynamic safety. Delpit recorded 74 tackles, 9.5 of those for loss, five sacks, each a fumble forced and recovered, nine passes broken up and five more picked off. He is an all-around playmaker. Delpit is used in quarters coverage, as a single-high free safety, in the shallow zones and man-to-man. He didn’t allow a reception longer than 32 yards in 2018 and allowed just a 57.3 passer rating as the primary coverage defender. He can also drop his shoulder on receivers catching the ball in front of them and make them think twice about going up for the ball again.
In the run game Delpit plays downhill and doesn’t mind banging into bigger bodies on his way. And he is also one of the more dangerous blitzers from different spots in the secondary, as he recorded 13 quarterback pressures on 39 pass-rush attempts. Georgia’s Mecole Hardman ran by Delpit a couple of times when they were matched up in the slot, but he is more than capable of running with guys that don’t clock in the low 4.3s. The only real weakness in the Tiger safety’s game were the 16 missed tackles last season, which comes due to him not staying on his feet and wrapping up instead of diving at the ball-carrier’s legs.
#2 J.R. Reed, Georgia
This former three-star recruit started his collegiate career at Tulsa, but decided to transfer to the SEC powerhouse after one season he mainly spent on the bench. Since then he has been a big contributor for the Dawgs, starting all 29 games. During that stretch, he has recorded 145 tackles, seven PBUs, and four interceptions. Reed already plays the safety position like a veteran and was one of the few who got a pick off Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa on an excellent break on the ball in the SEC title game.
Last season the 6’1”, 195-pound standout held opponents to 6.1 yards per target and didn’t allow a reception over 36 yards as the primary coverage defender. Similar to Delpit, the one area in Reed’s game that really needs some cleaning up is his tackling, as he missed 14 of those in 2018. However, he will enter the season with a higher grade by Pro Football Focus than his conference rival, who I have one spot ahead of him, after surprisingly returning for his senior year to compete for another title.
#3 Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
This barely recruited Hawaiian native was the highest-graded safety in the nation according to Pro Football Focus. Gilman recorded 94 tackles, five passes broken up and another two intercepted. While not being the biggest 5’11”, 200 pounds, he played a lot around the line of scrimmage for the Irish last season and forced three fumbles on the season. In pass coverage, he has made several spectacular plays on the ball, such as one interception versus Stanford where he kind of leaped over two of his teammates but saw it called back due to contact by his guys and he also intercepted two of his three targets against Syracuse. When the ball goes underneath of him, you see this guy shoot into the picture constantly.
This young man is an outstanding hustle player, which was never more on display than on a play against Vanderbilt last season when a receiver had fought his way down to the end-zone, but Gilmore ripped the ball into the air which was then covered by one of the other defenders for a touchback. Unfortunately, his worst showing came against Clemson in the College Football Playoff on the national stage, where he just could not hold up athletically against that talented group of receivers in coverage.
#4 Andre Cisco, Syracuse
This kid had a historic freshman season, as he was an All-American selection and won the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year award, after being the first freshman in 20 years to lead the nation in interceptions (seven). However, he also knocked down another seven passes and recorded 60 tackles. The six foot, 205-pound safety played a ton of single-high free safety and consistently stayed deeper than the deepest. However, the Orange used two-high looks most of the time and rolled one of them into the deep middle, which brought Cisco into a robber role as well, where he cut in front of several receivers when he saw the QB release the ball.
Moreover, the coaches also matched up in the slot a few times a game and showed the ability to follow guys out of their breaks. While he won’t always just shoot up the alley in run support, the Cuse’ young standout was surprisingly effective with his ankle tackling. As crazy as it may sound for a guy who led the nation in picks, I think Cisco is a little too passive when the route pattern has developed and there’s a chance to drive on routes in front of him.
#5 Cade Sterns, Texas
This 6’1”, 205 pounds stud was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference in 2018. He recorded 62 tackles, four interceptions, and four more PBUs, while also blocking a field goal versus USC, which directly led to six points for the Longhorns and started their route on the Trojans. Sterns has the range and instincts as a deep-middle safety to make plays outside the numbers. Then he shows outstanding ball-skills and vertical hops to high-point the ball in front of the receiver. Although light on his feet, Sterns is hard on his opponents, as he lays the hammer on receivers when he has an angle on them. I’ve seen him show great discipline against screen fakes and on running back passes as well. Unfortunately, like it is with a lot of big hitters, the Texas safety fails to square up his targets consistently and misses their legs at times. Sterns underwent a procedure on his patellar tendon requiring an eight-week recovery this spring, which keeps me from putting him even higher on my list.
Honorable mentions: Xavier McKinney (Alabama), Richie Grant (UCF), Julian Blackmon (Utah), Jordan Fuller (Ohio State) and Reggie Floyd (Virginia Tech)
