Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2024 DBs

With the updated 2024 Rivals250 being unveiled this week, it's time to dive into the position rankings. The defensive position rankings are being released today, and up next are the defensive backs.

NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | All-Purpose RB | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Defensive Tackle | Weakside Defensive End | Strongside Defensive End | Inside Linebacker | Outside Linebacker | Cornerback | Safety

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | There's a new No. 1 in 2024 | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Gorney's thoughts | Ten biggest risers

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Breaking down the QBs | Breaking down the RBs | Breaking down the WRs/TEs | Breaking down the OL

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | Breaking down the DL | Breaking down the LBs

Friday: State rankings released

Saturday: Rankings Roundtable

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Aaron Flowers and Ondre Evans were not only the two biggest movers up the ranks among secondary prospects, they were the top two movers in the update regardless of position. A Texan committed to Oregon, Flowers screams balanced safety with an ideal frame, fluidity and impact versus the run and pass alike. Evans was a fall pickup for Georgia out of the state of Tennessee with classic two-way ball skills and enough size and competitiveness to contend with wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. ...

Jordan Pride was the second biggest mover among safety projections, flashing so much as a senior that the worry about his junior ACL tear is all but out the window heading into his collegiate career. The lengthy ball hawk remains as coveted a secondary prospect as there is out there, as Texas A&M battles the likes of Florida and Ole Miss trying to keep him closer to his Sunshine State home. Either way, Pride is one of the feel-good stories of the 2024 cycle and a prospect that new Aggie coach Mike Elko is working to retain. ...

Aaron Scott has been a Rivals250 member for several releases, but he made a monster jump up to No. 59 overall, now sitting as the No. 7 cornerback recruit in a strong class at the position. The Ohio State commit looked more mature and complete at the position as a senior, though his natural athleticism has long carried blue-chip status. ...

Zavier Mincey is another highly coveted secondary prospect but there were some positional question marks entering the 2023 season. After another live evaluation this fall, those questions have been answered. Mincey is a big, smart cornerback who can make plays down the field as much as he can contend closer to the line of scrimmage. Few uncommitted recruits are as coveted as the Floridian, who is considering a final four of Alabama, Florida State, Florida and Miami ahead of a January announcement at the All-American Bowl.

1. Florida State: The Seminoles probably held the top haul in the preseason, before some turnover on the list, but many would argue the current group of commitments stands even stronger with Cai Bates and Jamari Howard now on board. The five-man haul has star power at the top with KJ Bolden and intriguing hybrid cover types with two-way ball skills in Charles Lester and Bates. Ricky Knight is a compact cover prospect who can match up on the outside or in the slot while Howard could be the biggest and fastest of the bunch. Florida State will lose several veterans following its undefeated 2023 season, but there will be no shortage of reinforcements on the way.

2. Alabama: Each defensive back currently committed to the Crimson Tide holds four stars next to his name, with both Peyton Woodyard and Jaylen Mbakwe close to five-star range. Neither has underperformed in 2023, so the possibility of a bump remains in plain sight, especially for Mbakwe given his pure speed and overall athleticism. Zabien Brown has moved up the ranks considerably and few play better competition, which is a similar trajectory for Rydarrius Morgan, who is more of a do-it-all type of secondary talent. Jameer Grimsley has true size and length, with the late bloomer expecting to kick off his collegiate career as a bigger corner in Tuscaloosa.

3. Clemson: Another four-star group across the board, the Clemson group looks like an entire secondary being put together. Four of the five members are already slotted among the top 200 prospects nationally, with Ashton Hampton on the outside looking in at this time. The Floridian has great size and two-way instincts, hardly a consolation prize as the lowest-ranked member of the current haul. Corian Gipson is the headliner as a top-10 cornerback, also representing the longstanding spot recruiting pipeline Clemson has in Texas. The rest of the group hails from primary pipeline states Georgia and Florida, where the Tigers have to win battles to get back atop the ACC.

4. Ohio State: When the group begins with a pair of cornerstone cornerbacks, each ranked in the top 60 nationally with Bryce West and Aaron Scott, the additional pieces project like bonus points. It may be the best cornerback duo among bigger, technical projections in the entire class, each coming from within state lines and representing key wins against Big Ten competition and beyond. Miles Lockhart may also play cornerback at the next level while the rest of the haul looks like safety types in Jaylen McClain and Leroy Roker, the latter emerging as a late bloomer during the 2023 season.

5. Oklahoma: Programs like Oregon, LSU and Notre Dame have built up strong units to contend for top-five status, but Oklahoma has one of the biggest secondary hauls in the country with seven members currently on board. Six of them hold four-star status, led by Rivals250 members Jaydan Hardy and Jeremiah Newcombe at safety and cornerback, respectively. The safety group has great size in addition to the volume, with Michael Boganowski and Reggie Powers standing as the biggest of the bunch. Eli Bowen is on the other side of the spectrum, but few have flashed throughout the secondary like the OU legacy recruit has as an upperclassman.

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FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100

TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer portal player ranking | Transfer portal team ranking | Transfer Tracker | Message board

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