- KJ Bolden is the top safety in America: The Georgia star is the new best safety in college football.
- Alabama has two star safeties in the top 10: The Crimson Tide have the best safety duo in the nation with Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb.
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We're a few weeks away from the start of the 2026 college football season. With that, it's time to wrap up our series ranking the top 10 players at every position.
The final ranking is safety. With five safeties being taken in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, there’s an opening for new players to emerge as the best players at the position. Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning safeties in college football. 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 | OG | C | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S
1. KJ Bolden, Georgia
Bolden was the No. 1 safety recruit from the 2024 high school class and has lived up to that hype as he’s now the best safety in the country. No returning safety has been more valuable than him over the past two seasons per PFF’s wins above average (WAA) metric. Bolden’s 90.7 career PFF grade is also the second-best mark of any returning safety.
2. Bray Hubbard, Alabama
Hubbard has been nothing short of outstanding over the last two years for the Crimson Tide. His 90.9 PFF grade since 2024 is the best in the nation, and he has put up 90.0-plus marks in both coverage and run defense in that stretch. His vision as a former high school quarterback is evident on tape — his seven interceptions over the last two seasons are the most of any returning safety in college football.
3. Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami (FL)
Fitzgerald emerged as an elite playmaker during his true freshman season at Miami. His six interceptions, including two in his signature playoff performance against Texas A&M, tied for the most among Power Four defenders. His all-around production earned him an 80.7 PFF grade that ranked fifth among qualified ACC safeties. Fitzgerald should be the glue that holds Miami's secondary together in 2026.
4. Brauntae Johnson, Notre Dame
Johnson is the latest in a long line of supremely talented Notre Dame defensive backs. His first season as a starter was a rousing success, as he tallied four interceptions and three pass breakups. He also missed just two tackles all season, and his 82.8 PFF grade was a top-25 mark among qualified safeties.
5. Amare Ferrell, Indiana
Indiana should once again boast an elite secondary despite losing multiple key veterans. A big reason for that is the return of Amare Ferrell, who is tied for the Power Four lead with eight interceptions over the past two years. Ferrell has proven durable, as well, having played more than 1,500 snaps over the last two seasons.
6. Jaylen McClain, Ohio State
While Caleb Downs’ absence will surely be felt, Ohio State still has one of the best safety rooms in college football. While a couple of transfers in Terry Moore (Duke) and Earli Little Jr. (Florida State) are a big reason for that, the star of the show is McClain. He’s been the fourth-most valuable returning safety since 2024 per PFF’s WAA metric. McClain is an elite tackler at the position, posting just a 6.8% missed tackle rate in his career.
7. Faletau Satuala, BYU
Satuala has rare length for the position at 6-foot-4, which allows him to both make plays on the football and bring down ballcarriers consistently. He picked off three passes in 2025, which was tied for sixth in the Big 12. Satuala’s 8% missed-tackle rate in 2025 was in the 90th percentile for the position.
8. Koi Perich, Oregon
Perich was the No. 2 safety on this list a year ago, but had a sophomore season to forget at Minnesota. His 61.0 PFF grade in 2025 was just 299th among qualifying FBS safeties. Perich still deserves a spot in the top 10 for how sensational his freshman campaign was. His five interceptions in 2024 were second in the nation to only Xavier Watts, and he earned 80.0-plus grades both in coverage and as a run defender. He’ll hope to follow the same path as Dillon Thieneman: a stellar freshman season, a down sophomore year, and a career resurgence after transferring to Oregon.
9. Marcus Ratcliffe, Texas A&M
Ratcliffe is one of the best box safeties in college football. He finished 2025 as one of the 20 most valuable safeties in the nation per PFF’s WAA metric. Ratcliffe’s 79.2 PFF run-defense grade was fifth in the SEC while his 81.7 coverage grade was sixth in the conference. He also picked off three passes the prior year with the Aggies.
10. Keon Sabb, Alabama
With two safeties in the top 10, Alabama has laid claim to having the best safety duo in America. Among returning safeties, Sabb was the second-most valuable last year per PFF’s WAA metric. His 83.7 PFF coverage grade was third in the SEC, and he missed just 9.7% of his tackle attempts. That’s a marked improvement from the 14% missed tackle rate the year before.
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