Ranking the Big Ten: Safety
As the 2022 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players in the Big Ten Conference.
We continue our Ranking the Big Ten series by rating the top five returning safeties in the conference, including some of the nation’s best.
Related: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | Edge | DL | OLB | ILB | CB |
1. Xavier Henderson, Michigan State
Michigan State’s Xavier Henderson had the best season of his career in 2021 and is back for more in 2022.
The fifth-year senior is the top returning pass rusher in the Big Ten for safeties and ranked ninth in the Power Five with a Pro Football Focus (PFF) 80.4 pass rush grade. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety had three sacks and five quarterback pressures in 2021, the most in the conference.
The 2021 Third-Team All-Big Ten media selection ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 79.7 run defense grade and ranked third in the Power Five with 31 stops.
Henderson’s PFF grades made huge jumps from 2020 to 2021. So much so that Lindy’s selected him on a 2022 Preseason All-Big Ten First Team and named him the Nation’s No. 9 Safety.
2. Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State
Ohio State safety Ronnie Hickman was one of the best tacklers in the Big Ten and Power Five football at his position in 2021. Hickman recorded 76 solo tackles last season, ranking him first in the Big Ten by eight tackles and second in the Power Five behind Kansas’s Kenny Logan Jr.
The 2021 Second-Team All-Big Ten coaches selection has 26 stops, the second-most in Ohio State’s conference and the fifth most in the Power Five conferences. Hickman only missed 11.4 percent of his tackles and allowed 73 percent of the catchable targets in his direction to be caught with two touchdowns.
Hickman is a 2022 Preseason Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree by Lindy’s and is the No. 9 safety in the 2023 NFL Draft Bible sneak peek. While his PFF grades don’t jump off the page, his preseason awards speak for themselves.
3. Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn State
Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown is returning for his fifth year of college and his third season with the Nittany Lions as he spent his first year out of high school at Lackawanna Community College.
Brown tied for the most interceptions in the Power Five last season with six and led the Big Ten with four interceptions in the regular season. The 2021 Third-Team All-Big Ten coaches selection picked off two passes against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl.
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound safety clinched Penn State’s win over Maryland went he picked off quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa with less than three minutes left inside the red zone and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown.
Brown, a Lindy’s 2022 Preseason Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, is a game-changer and game-changers belong on this list.
4. Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Safety Tyler Nubin is a critical part to Minnesota’s back field as he has played in 32 games and started 13 over the last three seasons. During his junior season in 2021, Nubin third third on the team with 52 tackles.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound safety had three interceptions and three pass breakups with a 72.7 coverage grade, No. 14 in the Big Ten. Of the 26 catchable passes thrown in Nubin’s direction, the receivers he was defending caught eight or 30.8 percent of the passes.
The 2021 Big Ten Honorable Mention Media selection allowed 128 total yards, 35 yards after the catch and one touchdown in 2021. Nubin, a 2022 Lindy’s Preseason Third-Team All-Big Ten selection, didn’t allow more than one catch in each game last season.
5. Avery Young, Rutgers
Scarlet Knight Avery Young moved to safety from cornerback last season and ranked second on the team with 81 tackles, posting at least seven tackles in eight games. His 75.7 run defense grade ranked eighth in the Big Ten.
The Pennsylvania native added two sacks with an interception, pass breakup and forced fumble. In 45 career games and 2,944 snaps, Young has totaled 242 tackles with 21 passes defended and four forced fumbles.
The 2020 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten media selection gets statistically better each year as he allowed six touchdowns as a freshman in 2018, five in 2019, two the following season and one in 2021. In the nine-game 2020 schedule, Young had a 74.3 coverage reception percentage but decreased the percentage to 50 in 2021, allowing eight catches.
Athlon Sports is projecting Young to stay on course and named him on its 2022 Preseason All-Big Ten Third Team.
