Who is the best defensive back in college football in 2025?
For our panel of experts, the choice is clear: Ohio State's Caleb Downs. The Buckeyes safety, who anchored the back end for the national champs, garnered nine of 10 first-place votes in our survey.
Our college football reporters were asked to select the top 10 defensive backs for the 2025 season, and we distributed points based on their selections (10 points for a first-place vote, 9 points for second place and so on).
Here are our picks for the top 10 defensive backs:
Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Points: 90 (9 of 10 first-place votes)
2024 stats: 2 interceptions, 6 passes defended, 82 tackles (7.