B/R Recruiting: Ranking the Most Dominant DBs in the 2023 Recruiting Class

In today's pass-happy age of college football when high-flying aerial assaults are key components of elite teams such as Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama and TCU, it's vital that opponents gear up to stop them with dynamic defensive backs.

Even Georgia, in its thorough beatdown of the Vols on Saturday, used three well-placed Stetson Bennett deep balls to pull ahead and away from Tennessee in a huge tilt.

Most importantly, the Dawgs took away Hendon Hooker's ability to throw the deep ball, a staple on which the Vols' attack is predicated. They were able to do that because head coach Kirby Smart has built layers of secondary stars through top-tier recruiting classes.

That's how you build title contenders, and that's why there are plenty of familiar teams at the top of our ranking of the biggest lockdown secondary prospects in the 2023 recruiting class.

These evaluations were done via film study of the nation's top prospects at the position, and while immediate impact was weighed heavily, the higher the ceiling, the higher the prospect was ranked.

Javien Toviano is one of the best-looking uncommitted defensive back prospects of the cycle.

But he seems to be trending toward the LSU Tigers, and they haven't done anything recently that would deter Toviano from heading there—especially after they surged into the SEC West lead with a win over Alabama on Saturday night.

Despite losing elite recruiting DB coach Corey Raymond to Florida, head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers have continued to recruit at a high level, and getting Toviano from Arlington, Texas, would be a major coup.

The 6'0", 185-pound cornerback is big enough to move over to safety, but he is athletic enough to stay on the boundary, which is a huge bonus. His versatility is a big reason teams all over the country want him.

LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M are the major contenders for the big, fast defensive back who is almost certain to be a difference-maker early in his college career. Getting him out of the Longhorns' shadow won't be easy, but the Bayou Bengals appear in the driver's seat for him.

Toviano pulling the trigger would help Kelly get off to a strong surge to close an already loaded class.

While LSU hasn't slammed the door on the Toviano commitment, landing the Texas native would be a little measure of payback.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian went into Louisiana and plucked away a player the Tigers really wanted, which isn't easy to do.

But the reach of Texas' recruiting under Sarkisian has gone far and wide, and he not only has the most highly publicized commit in the country in New Orleans native Arch Manning, he also went into New Iberia and got a pledge from Derek Williams.

In the summer, rumors circulated among LSU pledges Williams may flip, per LSU Country's Zack Nagy, but he has since seemed locked in with Texas. That's huge news for the future of the Longhorns D.

The 6'2", 185-pound prospect is a thick-framed defensive back who could add 20 pounds and play outside linebacker, like the Horns have done with versatile weapon DeMarvion Overshown, who was recruited as a defensive back.

But it's likely he sticks on the back end and is an in-the-box safety who can be a force in the run game but is still good enough in coverage. He has ball-hawking traits that still seem to fit more long-term at safety, and his size and athleticism combo is a main reason he's the No. 37 overall prospect, fourth-rated safety and a 5-star in the composite rankings.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart can pretty much go into any living room and that red and black will play.

That was the case with Massachusetts native Joenel Aguero, who at a chiseled 6'0", 195 pounds, already looks like a college-ready defensive back.

In the 247Sports composite rankings, Aguero is the No. 41 overall player and the fifth-rated safety, but he gets a slight nod over Williams (who is rated higher than on the composite list) here because of his physicality.

The best thing about Aguero is he is the more versatile secondary weapon. Williams could grow into a linebacker but doesn't have the athleticism to play corner. Aguero, on the other hand, could play a hybrid linebacker type but also has the speed to play cornerback.

As 247Sports' Gabe Brooks wrote in Aguero's profile, he's "athletic and skilled enough to match up, especially with backs and tight ends, and strong and physical enough to stick his nose in the muck and set the tone."

There just aren't a lot of versatile athletes like him out there.

Alabama won't play for a national title this year after it suffered its second loss Saturday night against LSU, but Nick Saban is putting together what could be the nation's best recruiting class again, and several top-tier defensive backs headline the list.

Tony Mitchell, who plays for powerhouse Thompson High School in Alabaster and has been on the national radar for three years, looks like one of those assembly-line megastar defensive backs.

The Tide got him to commit despite an early pledge to Tennessee and former coach Jeremy Pruitt in 2019. While other programs have been going hard after the 6'2", 180-pound prospect, he seems ready to roll with the Tide.

Given Alabama's struggles and lack of discipline in the secondary despite an immense amount of talent, you've got to believe playing time will be available next year, and Mitchell has the skill set to put his name in the mix.

He is the nation's third-ranked safety and No. 35 overall prospect, a 5-star player who is long, fluid and possesses strong technique. He is athletic enough to play cornerback, though he may wind up outgrowing that position. Regardless, he has explosive potential.

When Desmond Ricks reclassified from the 2024 class to the '23 class, the temperature turned up in his recruitment.

Between Florida State, Florida, LSU, Alabama and others, the suitors are many. But Ricks, who has an elite ceiling, doesn't appear to be in a huge hurry.

Several points stood in favor of his reclassification. He can start making NIL money, and a guy such as Ohio State's Sonny Styles, who did this a year ago, may not be firmly in the rotation, but he's carved out playing time for the Buckeyes right away.

Ricks may be more in line for snaps no matter where he goes, but especially if it's at a spot like Florida State or LSU, where he won't encounter such a loaded depth chart.

Despite being 6'1", 170 pounds, Ricks looks like a quick-twitch cornerback all the way. He isn't as college-ready as a lot of other guys on this list, but the Virginia native has a higher ceiling than some of the guys behind him.

With progression, he'll be a very good player in a couple of years; maybe even a star whose name everybody knows.

While Saban is known as possibly the best college coach ever, his reputation was built primarily on being a keen identifier and developer of defensive back talent, and it's rare to see Alabama struggle to recruit in that department.

This year, the Tide may wind up assembling their best secondary class in a long time. We've already mentioned Tony Mitchell, and staying in-state, the Tide got a pledge from Jahlil Hurley.

The Florence native may have more upside than 95 percent of the players in the country, and he'll step into a cornerback situation on the Capstone that needs help.

At 6'2", 170 pounds, Hurley is tall, long-armed, fluid and looks terrific pivoting and staying with receivers. He has lockdown potential, and that's one of the main reasons he's the No. 27 overall prospect and a 5-star.

With his height and speed, Hurley could project across multiple positions. It isn't every year you have 6'2" prospects who remain fast and athletic enough to play on the perimeter, and Hurley has that capability.

This has been an absolute banner year for recruiting in the state of Alabama, and while Saban is well on his way to another top-ranked class, some of the Yellowhammer prospects are heading elsewhere.

That hurts a team like Auburn more than anything.

But when you've got star prospects such as Peter Woods heading to Clemson and AJ Harris, heading to Georgia, you see just how the Tide's class could be even better than it already is, which is scary.

But you also know Kirby Smart will get his, and Harris is heading to Athens, where he is almost certain to develop into a playmaker. For whatever reason, Alabama hasn't fared well in Phenix City in recent years, but Harris didn't go to Clemson like Justyn Ross or E.J. Williams.

Harris plays a lot of cornerback, and the way Smart loves big, physical defensive backs, he could translate to that spot in college. But he looks like he could add weight in his thick frame and be better suited for safety at UGA.

You know Smart and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will put him in the best position, and the way a bigger DB such as the 6'2", 210-pound Kelee Ringo has found success at cornerback, the evaluations are dead-on. So is Harris in good hands, no matter what position he winds up in.

Peyton Bowen's playmaking ability is what stands out most. When you watch his high school film, his game just screams future star.

Unless something major changes, he'll leave Denton, Texas, where he plays for powerhouse Guyer High School and head out of the shadow of Big 12 and SEC country to play for Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman.

The Fighting Irish's coach has flexed some recruiting muscle already this year by pulling in a top-three class, and while the 6-3 Irish haven't flourished on the field as much as they'd hoped, last weekend's big win over Clemson could help move things along in that regard. Bowen is the centerpiece of the class, no matter how it shakes out.

He's the No. 25-ranked overall player and the second-rated safety in the country, and he's a hard-hitting force who can do it all. He's one of the three most college-ready players on this list, which gives him his lofty ranking.

Bowen has terrific ball skills, good speed and is an all-world athlete who is a gamer. As Gabe Brooks wrote in his 247Sports evaluation, Bowen is a "sudden athlete with lateral mobility and great initial burst and acceleration."

He has the all-around game to be a high-round NFL draft pick.

It didn't make sense to choose between two elite players who play different spots and have different games but are clearly the best playmaking prospects at their respective positions, so we have a two-way tie at the top.

While the Georgia Bulldogs went into Alabama and plucked AJ Harris from under the Crimson Tide's noses, Saban returned the favor by getting the best defensive back (and player) in the Peach State.

Mill Creek High School's Caleb Downs is a 6'0", 185-pound safety. He's also a chiseled, skilled athlete who is ready to start right away, even for a team as deep as the Crimson Tide. The nation's 10th-ranked overall player and top-rated safety is a can't-miss prospect.

Downs will only get better, which is scary considering how advanced he is. When watching his angles toward ball-carriers, the way he arrives with violence and his display of ball skills, he looks more like a top-tier collegiate upperclassman.

His father is Gary Downs, a former NFL running back, and brother Josh is a star receiver for North Carolina who will be in the league next year. His uncle is UNC defensive backs coach and former star Dre Bly.

He's ready to dominate.

When Cormani McClain shocked the world and committed to Miami a couple weeks back when everybody thought he was going to Florida, it gave the 4-5 Hurricanes a second game-changing weapon (alongside Francis Mauigoa) in this class that can give the program hope.

McClain is a 6'2", 165-pound prospect who should add 20 pounds pretty easily and be ready to make an immediate impact in Coral Gables next year.

You can't really compare him to Downs because McClain is a no-brainer cornerback who is as skilled at his position as any corner to play college football in years. He's blazingly fast, getting better technique-wise and is an incredibly intelligent player.

Most importantly, he has that next-level gear that can make up for mistakes relatively quickly.

McClain always seems to be in position to make plays, and when he does, he has home run ability. You almost need to get the ball in his hands in other ways, and he seems much more advanced at this stage of his career than last year's top-ranked player, Travis Hunter, was.

McClain is the No. 2 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings, and that may not be a stretch. Lakeland, Florida, is normally Gator Country, so it was a huge deal for Mario Cristobal to convince him to play for The U.

He's exactly the kind of flashy player the program needs to bounce back.

All stats courtesy of cfbstats and Sports Reference. Player rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.