Top 5 safeties in college football for 2019

#5 Cade Sterns, Texas

Cade Sterns

This 6’1”, 205 pounds stud was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference in 2018. He recorded 62 tackles, four interceptions, and four more PBUs, while also blocking a field goal versus USC, which directly led to six points for the Longhorns and started their route on the Trojans. Sterns has the range and instincts as a deep-middle safety to make plays outside the numbers. Then he shows outstanding ball-skills and vertical hops to high-point the ball in front of the receiver. Although light on his feet, Sterns is hard on his opponents, as he lays the hammer on receivers when he has an angle on them. I’ve seen him show great discipline against screen fakes and on running back passes as well. Unfortunately, like it is with a lot of big hitters, the Texas safety fails to square up his targets consistently and misses their legs at times. Sterns underwent a procedure on his patellar tendon requiring an eight-week recovery this spring, which keeps me from putting him even higher on my list.

Honorable mentions: Xavier McKinney (Alabama), Richie Grant (UCF), Julian Blackmon (Utah), Jordan Fuller (Ohio State) and Reggie Floyd (Virginia Tech)