Breaking it Down - Safety

Getting tired of the secondary? Never of course and now the final spot, the true safety position. This is a hybrid area that sees the defensive backs come in and play at times or switch to defensive back depending on the scheme. Holtz's new system should have a more standard defense with two safeties for standard defense, so who will be in the secondary anchoring it down. The Bulls loose the great Nate Allen who is a possible first round pick but their is talent here, just not much depth though.

First we have JaQuez Jenkins, a 6'2" freshman that was ranked as the 73rd best prospect in the entire state of Florida, another one of those under the radar talents that Leavitt brought in last year that red shirted. He is eligible to play this year and should see some game time, either on defense or special teams. He played qb, rb, and defensive back in high school, has blinding speed and a hard hitter as well. With the lack of depth he could start but defensive backs may take over that spot because of his youth but he should play this year and will be an instant success because of all his great talent.

The other safety is Jarrell Young. The 6'2" 198 lb. junior missed 3 games last year with a wrist injury but came back and finished the season strong with 29 tackles and two passes defended. He has average speed but is a very intelligent player, able to read plays well, understand changing schemes by the offenses and his fundamentals such as tackling and reading the ball are sound. He won't have huge tackle numbers or interceptions but the the stat that will show up is the lack of yardage given up on his side of the field. He is a solid defender that will start this season, he has the experience and ability to play anywhere on the field, he just needs to stay healthy for a full season and show everyone what he is capable of.

So only two safeties listed on the depth chart but the defensive back position often rotates here so there are plenty of players at this position but only two true safeties here. They have big shoes to fill as Nate Allen leaves and a new system to pick up quickly in the spring but with the talent here they will figure it out fast and be ready to take to the field in the fall.