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Defenses down south face a fierce gauntlet of Southeastern Conference quarterbacks for 2025. The likes of Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, D.J. Lagway and LaNorris Sellers among others will attempt to pick defenses apart. However, these SEC secondaries present a big counterpunch to those gunslingers.
The SEC welcomes back loaded and reloaded defensive back units east of Oklahoma City. Some powers turned to college football recruiting to help better prepare for the star-studded QBs and the offenses they operate. Florida grabbing four-star Ben Hanks III is one example. LSU swooping up five-star DJ Pickett fuels the seriousness the Tigers have in thwarting the deep pool of SEC QBs.
But there's also units hoping health will boost their secondary units. Jermod McCoy of Tennessee gets Volunteers fans hoping he's fully recovered from his Jan. 2025 ACL tear.
The Vols still make a case for boasting one of the top DB crews of '25. But these five feature everything from experience, high-profile college football transfer portal additions, all the way to NFL Draft talent.
5. Texas A&M
Head coach Mike Elko will attempt to dip back into his defensive wizardry. He's calling the Aggies defense after botching the 17-point lead to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Elko gets one of the more seasoned secondaries to work with. All-SEC cornerback Will Lee III returns. Same with pivotal nickelback Tyreek Campbell — who's returning from an early season practice injury.
But Elko hit the portal hard too. Luring in Jordan Shaw from Washington and Julian Humphrey from SEC rival Georgia. Experience and Elko will aim to change the fortunes of this five-man DB group in College Station.
4. LSU
Pickett's arrival to Baton Rouge isn't the only excited spark here. So is the return of Harold Perkins Jr. He'll man the hybrid “STAR” position as a safety/linebacker option.
Ashton Stamps and Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delane touch up the experience at CB outside of Pickett. The former led LSU with 14 pass breakups.
Jardin Gilbert leads the safety department. He led all Tigers DBs with 55 total tackles.
3. Georgia
“Reload,” not “rebuild” is the word used here for Georgia's secondary.
Malaki Starks is off to the Baltimore Ravens. He's reuniting with former Bulldogs offensive coordinator Todd Monken there. But KJ Bolden is garnering hype as the next best safety out of Athens.
Daylen Everette is back for his senior season. He's commanding league attention after picking off three passes and forcing two fumbles in '24. Zion Branch arrives via USC to boost the secondary too. Another transfer ignites this unit in Adrian Maddox. The former UAB Blazer cracked the top 10 with an 89.5 coverage grade per Pro Football Focus. Daniel Harris and sophomore Ellis Robinson IV top off this deep Bulldogs unit.
2. Alabama
Tuscaloosa remains a DB factory post Nick Saban. Second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer welcomes back his deepest defensive group here.
Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard form the best safety tandem in the SEC — and entire nation. Sabb hit a career-best 24 solo tackles in his transfer from Michigan. Hubbard snatched three interceptions as a sophomore.
But cornerback Domani Jackson enters 2025 with top five draft potential. Jackson was timed at 4.28 in the 40-yard dash. Crimson Tide fans rejoiced when Jackson opted to return for his senior season. Meanwhile, freshman Dijon Lee ignites optimism for the future as a rare 6-foot-4 DB talent. Lastly, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. (son of former NFL CB and Alabama great) will vie for the Husky role.
1. Texas
Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns bring back their deepest unit. Perfect for a defense that sustained losses on the defensive line.
Malik Muhammad has NFL shutdown CB written all over him. He swatted eight passes from the sky last season. Opposite CB Jaylon Guilbeau delivered career-highs in tackles last season. Both form the SEC's top CB tandem.
Michael Taaffe returns from his second team All-American season. The safety went from walk-on to piling six tackles for a loss last season. He's adding leadership to the backend too as a senior. Jelani McDonald moves to nickel and adds a run-stuffing element here. Five-stars Jonah Williams (safety) and Kade Phillips (cornerback) energize the DB future in Austin.
