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Since defensive backs are broken into two categories (cornerback, safety), the top players at each position have been combined into one comprehensive top 10.
Alabama and Texas A&M were the only teams to land top 10 nationally ranked cornerbacks by 247Sports in the 2012 class, and only four SEC teams signed a safety ranked in the top 10. Alabama and Florida had two of the top five in Landon Collins and Brian Poole.
SEC SPIN
On the safety front, Collins was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2014 and picked early in the second round by the New York Giants. As a nickel back for Florida, Poole, the fourth-ranked safety recruit in 2012 had 40 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2015. At Alabama, fourth-ranked recruit Geno Smith turned into a key contributor for arguably the best defense around.
BIGGEST BUST
The No. 3-ranked cornerback, Tee Shepard left the Ole Miss program in October following a disagreement with the coaching staff over a combination of a position change and how much his hearing loss played a factor on the field. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported that he didn’t begin using hearing aids until he got to Ole Miss.
MOST IMPRESSIVE OVERACHIEVERS
Tennessee’s LaDarrell McNeil, the seventh-ranked safety in 2012, turned into a multi-year starter. After missing several weeks early in the season, he returned an interception 57 yards in his first game back. A similar story happened at Southern Cal, where ninth-ranked cornerback Kevon Seymour turned into a three-year starter.
RE-GRADING THE TOP 10
2012 No. 1: Landon Collins, Alabama (S), five star
New No. 1: Landon Collins, Alabama (S), five star
Collins panned out as a five-star by starting the last 23 games. He had 112 tackles this season for the Giants.
2012: No. 2: Tracy Howard, Miami (CB), five star
New No. 2: Ronald Darby, Florida State (CB), five star
Howard is rated at No. 28 at his position and a fourth-to-sixth round pick by WalterFootball. Darby was a shutdown cornerback for the Buffalo Bills and garnered some talk for Rookie of the Year.
2012 No. 3: Shaq Thompson, Washington (S), five star
New No. 3: Shaq Thompson, Washington (S), five star
Thompson won the Paul Hornung Award in 2014 for being the most versatile player in the nation. He scored six touchdowns that year, two at running back and four on defense. He was a first-round draft pick of Carolina and had 50 tackles at outside linebacker.
2012 No. 4: Tee Shepard, Ole Miss (CB), four star
New No. 4: Geno Smith, Alabama (CB), four star
Shepard is no longer on the team, and Smith was a top-three tackler for a national championship defense. Smith was third in tackles for Alabama with 72, somewhat of a bounce-back season after an offseason DUI arrest.
2012 No. 5: Alex Carter, Stanford (S), four star
New No. 5: De’Vante Harris, Texas A&M (CB), four star
Picked honorable mention Pac-12 three times, Carter was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions, but a preseason ankle injury kept him out for the season. Harris was a four-year starter and named first team All-SEC by Pro Football Focus.
2012 No. 6: Yuri Wright, Colorado (CB) four star
New No. 6: Brian Poole, Florida (S), four star
2012 No. 7: Brian Poole, Florida (S), four star
New No. 7: Kevon Seymour, Southern Cal (CB), four star
2012 No. 8: De’Vante Harris, Texas A&M (CB), four star
New No. 8: LaDarrell McNeil, Tennessee (S), four star
2012 No. 9: Kendall Sanders, Texas (CB), four star
New No. 9: Elijah Shumate, Notre Dame (S), four star
2012 No. 10: Corey Thompson, LSU (S), four star
New No. 10: Deon Bush, Miami (S), four star
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
