An ESPN analyst recently stacked up the best defensive back groups in college football ahead of the upcoming campaign.
On his Always College Football show, ESPN’s Greg McElroy gave his top 10 secondaries entering the 2024 season, and he ranked Clemson at No. 9.
The Tiger secondary, which features a blend of both veterans and a blossoming crop of young talent, checked in ahead of Wisconsin on McElroy’s list.
“This group I think is aided, in some ways, by their front seven. I think their front seven is one of the best in the sport. So at No. 9, I have the Clemson Tigers,” McElroy said.
“(Fifth-year safety) R.J. Mickens is back. (Sophomore) Avieon Terrell is back at corner, who I think his best football is in front of him. (Sophomore) Khalil Barnes at the nickel spot can play some safety. I think he’s a star and proved that last year with some of the opportunistic plays that he (made), and at times last year, I mean goodness gracious – he had three forced fumbles, three interceptions, he also had a fumble recovery, which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown. I mean, this is a guy that just flat-out makes plays. Then you look at some of the veterans. You’ve got (junior cornerback) Jeadyn Lukus back, who’s played quite a bit in his career. You also can look too at (cornerback) Shelton Lewis, who was a true freshman last year, alongside Avieon Terrell.”
With the burgeoning young stars in Clemson’s secondary, McElroy believes it has the chance to be an elite unit down the road.
“I feel like this Clemson group, in time – it’s not yet a top-five unit, because there’s still a couple young players like Terrell, Barnes and Lewis – but in time, we might be talking about this group as one of the best in the sport,” McElroy said. “And like I said, their defensive line and the pressure that group might apply is only going to make this group collectively a whole heck of a lot better.”
As for Clemson’s defense overall, McElroy recently ranked the Tigers as the eighth-best defense in college football heading into the 2024 season.
Clemson’s 2023 defense tied for the national lead in takeaways (28), defensive touchdowns (five) and pick-sixes (four). The production in the latter two categories tied school records set in 1990.
The Tigers also ranked in the top 10 nationally in first downs allowed per game (14.2, third), opponent passing yards per game (173.2, eighth), yards per game (287.8, eighth) and interceptions (16, T-10th) in 2023.
You can see McElroy’s list of the top 10 secondaries entering 2024 below, and hear his commentary on each unit in the following video:
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Arizona
- Clemson
- Wisconsin
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