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College Football: Top 10 returning safeties for the 2024 season

2TBFDKB KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 18: Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Malaki Starks (24) defends during a college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs on November 18, 2023, at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Max Chadwick

• Ohio State’s Caleb Downs: The Alabama transfer is the only rising true sophomore to lead one of our positional rankings.

• Georgia’s Malaki Starks: The rising junior places second on this list and is the favorite to be the first safety selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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With the 2023 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2024 by ranking the top returning players at every position. 

We round out our rankings with the safeties. It’s one of the strongest positions in terms of returning talent. Seven of the 15 most valuable Power Five safeties from the 2023 season are returning to school according to PFF’s wins above average metric.

Below is a list of PFF’s top-10 returning safeties in college football in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.

Click below to view our other position rankings

QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL | DI | EDGE | LB | CB

1. Caleb Downs, Ohio State 

Downs is the first rising sophomore to lead one of PFF’s position rankings since Brock Bowers topped the tight ends list heading into the 2022 season. Unlike Bowers, Downs will try to build off his stellar true freshman campaign at a new school, transferring to Ohio State from Alabama in January.

He entered Tuscaloosa as the highest-rated safety recruit since Derwin James Jr. in 2015 and immediately showed why. The true freshman was named a first-team PFF All-American and was second among Power Five safeties with 16 coverage stops. His 88.9 PFF coverage grade ranked third among that same group.

Downs has no glaring weaknesses in his game, which is pretty ridiculous considering he’s not even a year removed from his senior prom. He’ll surely be joining his older brother, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, in the NFL in a couple of years. In fact, he’d likely be the first safety off the board next month if he was in this year’s class.

2. Malaki Starks, Georgia 

Like Downs, Starks lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school. As a true freshman in 2022, the former top-10 recruit led all Georgia defenders with 847 snaps during its national championship run. His eight combined interceptions and forced incompletions that year were tied for fifth among SEC safeties.

Starks built off his freshman year by earning an 84.8 PFF run-defense grade as a sophomore, which placed him seventh in the Power Five for his position. He was also tied for sixth in that same group with seven forced incompletions in 2023. 

The rising junior is an elite athlete who’s a standout run defender and tackler for the position while also consistently making plays in coverage. He’s the favorite to be the top safety off the board in 2025 and will likely end up being a first-round selection.

3. Dillon Thieneman, Purdue

Thieneman entered Purdue as the No. 90 safety recruit in the 2023 high school class according to On3 Sports. Just a year later, he’s a top-five safety in college football entering his sophomore year.

His 89.5 PFF grade trailed only Tyler Nubin among FBS safeties this past season while his 90.2 PFF run-defense grade was tied for fifth. The true freshman also tied for second among all safeties in the nation with six interceptions while only allowing five catches. While Downs is the favorite to be the top safety in the 2026 draft, Thieneman isn’t too far behind.

4. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Watts took home the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in 2023, given to the best defensive player in college football. While his underlying metrics didn’t necessarily paint the senior in the same light, there’s no denying that he was a big-time playmaker for Notre Dame’s defense. 

Watts led the FBS with seven interceptions last season and didn’t allow a touchdown into his coverage. His 37.8 passer rating allowed in 2023 was the eighth-best mark by a Power Five safety. 

To take his game to the next level, Watts needs to improve in the run game and as a tackler. He posted just a 62.5 PFF run-defense grade last year and missed 18% of his tackle attempts. The latter figure placed him in just the eighth percentile for the nation’s safeties in 2023. 

5. Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State

Winston has no such issues as a tackler. The sophomore posted just a 2% missed-tackle rate last year, which was second among all safeties in the country. His 90.6 run-defense grade was third among FBS safeties as well.

Winston was far more than just a safety who excelled at stopping the run. In fact, he was the only safety in the nation who posted 85-plus PFF grades both as a run defender and in coverage last year. His well-rounded game will likely evoke some comparisons to another great Penn State safety in Jaquan Brisker.

6. Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa

Nwankpa finished the 2023 season as the most valuable safety in the country according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He did that by posting an 88.4 PFF coverage grade, which was tied for fourth among Power Five safeties.

The rising junior is an athletic player with great instincts who will be a major part of what should still be one of college football’s best secondaries.

7. Rod Moore, Michigan

Moore had a relatively down junior season (71.3 PFF grade) compared to what he did as a sophomore (83.9 PFF grade). However, he still has been the sixth-most valuable returning Power Five safety over the past two years according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His six interceptions in that stretch are tied for third in that same group.

Unfortunately, he won’t have much of an opportunity to rebound in his senior campaign as he just recently tore his ACL in practice. He’ll still be a leader of Michigan’s defense from the sidelines until he can get back onto the field, which might not happen until later in the season.

8. Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin

Wohler was the second-most valuable safety in the country this past season according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 89.9 PFF coverage grade trailed only Tyler Nubin among the nation’s safeties. 

He also doubled as an excellent run-defender as well. His 11 tackles for loss/no-gain were the most among Power Five safeties while his 28 run-defense stops were second. Wohler is an excellent downhill player who’s capable of making plays deep in coverage as well.

9. Keon Sabb, Alabama

Sabb wasn’t even a starter for Michigan last season, but he made the most of his 360 snaps. The sophomore was one of six Power Five safeties who earned 80-plus grades both in coverage and as a run-defender. Despite only playing the 161st most coverage snaps among Power Five safeties (221), Sabb forced the third-most incompletions (eight).

While replacing Downs is nearly an impossible task, Alabama still picked up a top-10 safety through the transfer portal in Sabb.

10. Aubrey Burks, West Virginia

Among returning Power Five safeties over the last couple of seasons, Burks has the best PFF coverage (90.3) and is second in overall PFF grade (90.2). The junior’s 22 coverage stops in that span is third among all Power Five safeties.

Burks needs to improve as a tackler, but the rising senior is a rangy player who consistently makes plays in the backend of the Mountaineers’ defense.

Honorable Mention: Quinn Schulte, Iowa Hawkeyes

Schulte is the third member of Iowa’s secondary to be mentioned in our lists, showing how elite the Hawkeyes’ secondary will be even after losing projected first-round pick Cooper DeJean. 

No returning Power Five safety has been more valuable than Schulte since 2022 according to our wins above average metric. The fifth-year senior is one of three returning Power Five safeties who’s earned 85-plus grades both in coverage and as a run defender. 

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