Athlon Sports ranks Top 10 DB units in college football for 2025

In the modern era, quarterback and wide receiver play is better than it ever has been. That means defenses need to respond with the best defensive back play possible. Of course, with the 2025 college football season on the horizon, Athlon Sports made the decision to rank the Top 10 DB units in the sport.

Importantly, this is not a regurgitation of last season’s best DB units. That can inform what teams will look like next season, but with turnover on college rosters, there’s plenty of room for movement from last year. So, while Athlon didn’t give specific criteria, there is an amount of projection that is coming with these rankings.

With all of that in mind, here’s a look at the Top 10 DB units in the country, per Athlon. If these units can live up to expectations in 2025, then there’s a good chance that all of these teams are competing for a conference championship and potentially even the College Football Playoff.

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10. LSU Tigers

Throughout the 21st century, the LSU Tigers have made the case that they should be considered DBU. Given some of the talent that’s come through the program, it’s no surprise that they’re remembered for. Now, the unit in 2025 is looking to take a leap forward and help contend in the SEC.

Last season, LSU had the 76th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 224.3 passing yards per game. That wasn’t a mind-blowing performance, but there’s still plenty of reason why Athlon believes in this DB unit. There are some new faces expected to take over there. That includes transfer Mansoor Delane and five-star freshman DJ Pickett.

9. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois is coming off a 10-win season where the Fighting Illini were led in large part by their defense. That includes what was an excellent DB unit in the Big Ten. Now, they’re hoping to not just repeat that but build on it going into next season.

The Illini had the 78th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 224.8 passing yards per game. The Illinois secondary is going to be led by All-Big Ten safety Xavier Scott next season. He’s not on an island, though. The team’s fourth-leading tackler from last season, Miles Scott is willing to bring the thunder and had the fourth-most tackles on the team last season.

8. Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers made the College Football Playoff last season largely on the back of their excellent defense. Now, they’re once again going to need to rely on that side of the ball in 2025. Certainly the secondary is a major part of that.

In 2024, Tennessee had the 29th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 189.3 passing yards per game. Corner, in particular, should be a place where the Volunteers are able to thrive once again in 2025. Rickey Gibson III and Jermod McCoy are both considered lockdown, even if McCoy is coming off a knee injury.

7. Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers were able to win the ACC last season and make their way into the Playoff. In many ways, it felt like a vintage Clemson football season. That included a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but particularly an elite defense.

Last season, Clemson had the 53rd-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 213.5 passing yards per game. Now, they’re looking to build on that effort. Avieon Terrell is largely regarded as the team’s leading DB. A corner, he’s coming off a 58-tackle season with two interceptions and 12 pass breakups.

6. Georgia Bulldogs

Since Kirby Smart landed in Athens, there’s been very few seasons where the Georgia Bulldogs don’t have one of the most talented defenses in the country. That includes in the secondary, which is littered with some of the top recruits nationally.

Georgia is coming off a season where the Bulldogs had the 38th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 200.2 passing yards per game. Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of talent back there for the Bulldogs. Daylen Everette has all the experience in the world, but it’s KJ Bolden who is expected to break out in a major way.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Penn State Nittany Lions have national championship aspirations going into the 2025 season. That’s in no small part thanks to their returning backfield experience. At the same time, throughout the James Franklin era, Penn State has played excellent defense. Next year’s DB unit is expected to be a major piece of that success.

Penn State had the 31st-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 192.9 passing yards per game. Now, they’re looking to take another leap forward as a secondary. Elliot Washington, who led the team in pass breakups, returns for the 2025 season. Then, at safety, Zakee Wheatley also returns after putting up three interceptions.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes produced an elite defense in 2024. That included one of the best secondaries in the entire country, on their way to a national championship. So, it’s not a surprise that out of 14 Buckeyes selected in the NFL Draft, three were defensive backs. That’s plenty of talent to replace, but few teams are as consistent at doing that as Ohio State.

In a national championship season, Ohio State had the 3rd-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up just 167 passing yards per game. For all the turnover, Ohio State does return its best defensive back, Caleb Downs. That star safety will lead the Buckeyes’ DB unit. Still, with a change at defensive coordinator, there are a few questions here.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Going back to his time as a defensive coordinator, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has always produced excellent DB units. That’s been true in South Bend as well, and last season he rode that defense, even amid injury concerns to a national championship appearance.

Last year, Notre Dame had the 4th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 169.4 passing yards per game. There is some turnover from that unit to deal with. However, it’s still a very talented group. That’s headlined by Christian Gray, who had three interceptions as a sophomore corner, and Adon Shuler who had three interceptions as a sophomore safety. At the same time, Freshman All-American Leonard Moore is also expected to break out as a sophomore.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide, when led by Nick Saban, could bank on elite DB units. That was, after all, Saban’s specialty as a position coach. In the first year post-Saban, after the offensive-minded Kalen DeBoer had taken over, the Crimson Tide continued that excellent secondary play.

In DeBoer’s first season, Alabama had the 19th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 182.2 passing yards per game. Now, they’re looking to maintain or even build on that. The veteran Domani Jackson is going to be key to that, coming off a two-interception season. On top of that, safety Keon Sabb is back from injury.

1. Texas Longhorns

Another team with very genuine national championship aspirations is Texas. While much of that focus is going to be on quarterback and Arch Manning, it’s the secondary and defense that will take pressure off the young quarterback. The Longhorns have an absolutely loaded DB unit, which should make life much easier on Texas’ offense as the season goes on.

Texas is coming off a season where the Longhorns were tied for the 7th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up 173.8 passing yards per game. There’s a lot of returning talent on the back end. At safety, Michael Taaffe and Jelani McDonald are both back. Then, the Longhorns return corners Malik Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau. Between those four, they had three interceptions and 22 passes defended.