Next Up: Comparing DB recruits to college and NFL stars
Comparisons are always part of recruiting coverage, so during our two-week Next Up series we take a look, position-by-position, at who could be one of the next superstars in college football by comparing them to a current college or NFL player. We move on to defensive backs.
THIS SERIES: Comparing QB recruits to college and NFL stars | RBs | WRs | TEs | OL | DEs | DTs | LBs
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
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Javien Toviano is the next Kelee Ringo
Much like talk around Ringo when he was at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro and some thought he would grow into a safety in college, the same talk is around Toviano. He’s so smooth and moves so well that there’s a very good chance he can stay at cornerback much like Ringo has at Georgia.
The Arlington (Texas) Martin standout is about 15 points lighter than Ringo but once he continues to develop physically he should fill out even more and be right around Ringo’s measurables. They’re both fast, great in one-on-one and their size/athletic combination can only be replicated in a lab.
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Desmond Ricks is the next GaQuincy McKinstry
Ricks reclassified from the 2024 to the 2023 class recently and he’s not one to back down against any opponent, much like McKinstry early in his career at Alabama. Instead, the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy five-star cornerback is aggressive, gets locked up with receivers, talks a lot and wants to be challenged.
McKinstry came to the Crimson Tide and almost immediately made a big impact in the secondary. He plays with confidence, he has athleticism and length. Ricks, who has LSU, Alabama and Florida as his top three, could follow suit somewhere in the SEC.
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Caleb Downs is the next Donovan Wilson
There are some safeties who almost see what’s happening on the field before it happens and then have the athletic ability to make a play on the ball. After being a three-star in high school, Wilson played that way at Texas A&M and he’s built upon that with the Dallas Cowboys as one of the best safeties in the game.
Downs, a high four-star who will be discussed for five-star status, plays the same way. Maybe Wilson is a little more physical but the Alabama commit is phenomenal at jumping routes, diagnosing plays and then picking off passes or making it really problematic for receivers to do anything.
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Cormani McClain is the next Eli Ricks
Ricks went to LSU as one of the best cornerbacks coming out of the 2020 class and while there were some stumbles, he showed flashes of greatness because of his length, his playmaking ability and trust in his own skills playing alongside Derek Stingley Jr. and others. He then transferred to Alabama and has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle but there’s no questioning his ability.
McClain might or might not follow the same path but his skill set is very similar. The five-star Miami commit from Lakeland, Fla., has long arms like Ricks, he glides across the field, steps in front of passes and has a knack for pick-sixes. Will they follow the same path at the collegiate level? No way to know. But they play the position very similarly.
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Peyton Bowen is the next Minkah Fitzpatrick
At this point, Fitzpatrick is much thicker than Bowen by about 25 pounds but in high school, Fitzpatrick was almost the same size, played some corner and some safety. More than anything, both he and Bowen have an incredible ability to be a playmaker on the back end.
Bowen can come up and hit just like Fitzpatrick did at Alabama and now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. What makes him truly special – and why Fitzpatrick was a five-star and why Bowen will get serious consideration for that ranking – is playmaking ability from the secondary and just how productive they both are.