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Who will be the best high school defensive back in the country in 2024?


Who will be the best high school defensive back in the country in 2024?

Last week, ahead of the 2024 high school football season, we featured the 20 best defensive backs in the nation.

Now we turn to SBLive/SI readers to decide which of those 20 will be the best high school DB in America this season.

Check out our reports on each player and vote in the poll below.

Voting ends on Wednesday, August 21, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Dorian Brew, Sr., Conroe (Texas)

Brew began his high school football career at Northmont (Ohio) but moved to Houston before his junior year. The big (6’2″) and fast (was a star sprinter for the Conroe track team last spring) cornerback committed to the Oregon Ducks in June.

Adonyss Currie, Sr., Quartz Hill (California)

Currie was a star on offense, defense and special teams as a junior, but at Texas A&M he will be a DB. The 6-foot-2 track star (sprint, hurdles) finished 2023 with 35 tackles, three sacks, four interceptions (one for a TD), one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and six pass breakups on defense. He also scored 10 touchdowns on offense and one on a kickoff return.

Faheem Delane, Sr., Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland)

A big safety at 6’3″, 200 pounds, Delane helped Our Lady of Good Counsel win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference in 2023. The player, who committed to Ohio State, finished the season with 69 tackles and 18 pass breakups.

Shamari Earls, Sr., valley (Virginia)

Earls is another tall cornerback (6’2″) who is also a track and field star (sprint, high jump, long jump). He finished the 2023 season with three interceptions on defense, scored eight touchdowns on offense and another on special teams. He has committed to Georgia.

Judge Fitzpatrick Jr. Saint Thomas Aquinas (Florida)

The younger brother of Pittsburgh Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick is expected to be one of the best juniors in the country at any position this season. The uncommitted cornerback had 13 tackles and two interceptions in limited snaps for the loaded St. Thomas Aquinas last year, but expect big production as a junior when teams throw to him.

Tae Harris, Sr., Cedartown (Georgia)

Harris is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound versatile athlete who can play safety or cornerback. He committed to Clemson in March. As a sophomore, he had 44 tackles, three forced fumbles and six pass defenses, along with 59 tackles, five pass defenses and two interceptions.

Trystan Haynes, Sr., Carl Albert (Oklahoma)

Haynes is coming off a junior season in which he recorded 51 tackles (four for loss), three interceptions, seven pass breakups and three forced fumbles, while also gaining 1,000 yards as a receiver in one year. The 6’2″ cornerback transferred to Oklahoma in May.

Lagonza Hayward, Sr., Toombs County (Georgia)

Hayward was a standout on offense and defense for 2A Toombs County last year, but he’ll be a safety in Tennessee. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound player finished 2023 with 48 tackles (three for loss), four pass defenses, three interceptions and a forced fumble. He scored eight touchdowns on offense and one on special teams.

Dijon Lee, Sr., Mission Viejo (California)

Everything about Lee screams a five-star recruit. He’s 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, and has a long, lanky frame to make plays when the ball is in the air. The Alabama player’s length and strength are also good for press coverage at the line of scrimmage. Lee had 55 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and two interceptions last season.

Chuck McDonald, Sr., Mother Dei (California)

McDonald, another Southern California recruit, was a standout cornerback on the Monarchs’ 2023 CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division championship team. He had 34 tackles and one pick last season.

Trey McNutt, Sr., Shaker Heights (Ohio)

McNutt, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound safety, committed to the Oregon Ducks earlier this month. He finished his junior season with 61 tackles (three for loss), 12 pass defenses, two forced fumbles and 12 touchdowns on offense.

Na’eem Offord, Sr., Parker (Alabama)

Offord is a top-10 prospect regardless of position, and Ohio State added him to the Buckeyes’ slew of new recruits in February. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback finished his junior season with five interceptions and four pass breakups.

DJ Pickett, sr., Zephyrhills (Florida)

Pickett plays offense and defense for Zephyrhills and put up some strong numbers in 2023. The speedy two-way dynamo had over 1,000 yards receiving and made 31 tackles as a safety. Last month, he committed to LSU over Miami and Oregon.

Shane Rosenthal, Sr., Newbury Park (California)

Rosenthal terrorizes defensive backs as a wide receiver and would probably terrorize himself at both ends if he could. The uncommitted, tenacious DB/WR had 12 interceptions and 122 catches last season.

Devin Sanchez, Sr., North Coast (Texas)

Sanchez and Offord form a historically strong one-two punch of Ohio State’s cornerback recruits in the class of 2025. He was a human highlight as a junior, leading North Shore to a 15-1 season and a preseason ranking of 11th nationally in 2024.

Victor Singleton, Jr., Toledo Central Catholic Church (Ohio)

Singleton had four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 15 pass breakups, a forced fumble and four tackles for loss for a defense that allowed just 10.4 points per game as he helped Toledo Central Catholic to its second consecutive state championship.

Ivan Taylor, Sr., West Orange (Florida)

Taylor had a strong junior season, recording 45 tackles (six for loss) and an interception for the Warriors, who are known for producing Division I talent under coach Geno Thompson. He transferred from Notre Dame to Michigan in July.

Kainoa Winston, Sr., Gonzaga (Washington, DC)

Winston has been a standout sprinter in Gonzaga’s track and field program since his freshman year and will take that sprint speed with him to Michigan as a free safety.

Bralan Womack, Jr., Hartfield Academy (Mississippi)

Womack was a big-play machine as a sophomore, scoring 10 touchdowns as a receiver, two on defense and four on special teams. The 6-foot-3 man had seven interceptions as a safety, his expected position in college.

Mark Zackery IV, Sr., Ben Davis (Indiana)

Zackery helped Ben Davis go 13-1 and win the 2023 Indiana Class 6A football championship while playing cornerback, wide receiver and on special teams. The Notre Dame freshman is also a star for Ben Davis on the basketball court.

— Mike Swanson | [email protected] | @sblivesports

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