Best Free Safeties
If you want the best free safety in CFB 26, Caleb Downs at Ohio State is the 97 OVR answer. KJ Bolden (Georgia) is the next best at 93, but the 4-point gap means there's only one tier-one free safety this dynasty cycle. By rank 25 you're at 87 OVR (KT Seay, Delaware) — that's the floor for an immediate-starter tier-one free safety on a national-championship roster.
The Top 25
Ranked by overall rating at dynasty start (Launch / National Championship). Click a team to open its full dynasty guide.
| # | Player | Pos | Team | OVR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Caleb Downs | FS | Jr | Ohio State | 97 | Stamina 99 |
| 02 | KJ Bolden | FS | So | Georgia | 93 | Acceleration 95 |
| 03 | Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | FS | Sr | Toledo | 93 | Injury 97 |
| 04 | Michael Taaffe | FS | Sr | Texas | 92 | Awareness 98 |
| 05 | Jalen Catalon | FS | Sr | Missouri | 91 | Injury 94 |
| 06 | A.J. Haulcy | FS | Sr | LSU | 91 | Hit Power 96 |
| 07 | Tao Johnson | FS | Jr | Utah | 91 | Jumping 96 |
| 08 | Rod Moore | FS | Sr | Michigan | 91 | Awareness 96 |
| 09 | Ahmaad Moses | FS | Sr | SMU | 91 | Jumping 92 |
| 10 | Koi Perich | FS | So | Minnesota | 91 | Acceleration 95 |
| 11 | Nick Andersen | FS | Sr | Wake Forest | 90 | Stamina 96 |
| 12 | Bud Clark | FS | Sr | TCU | 90 | Stamina 95 |
| 13 | Amare Ferrell | FS | Jr | Indiana | 90 | Stamina 94 |
| 14 | Xavier Nwankpa | FS | Sr | Iowa | 90 | Acceleration 93 |
| 15 | Kamari Ramsey | FS | Jr | USC | 90 | Injury 93 |
| 16 | Eli Blakey | FS | Sr | Miami (Ohio) | 89 | Stamina 93 |
| 17 | Keon Sabb | FS | Jr | Alabama | 89 | Acceleration 93 |
| 18 | Caleb Weaver | FS | Sr | Duke | 89 | Stamina 94 |
| 19 | Zakee Wheatley | FS | Sr | Penn State | 89 | Stamina 95 |
| 20 | Fred Perry | FS | Sr | West Virginia | 88 | Toughness 97 |
| 21 | Robert Spears-Jennings | FS | Sr | Oklahoma | 88 | Toughness 97 |
| 22 | Ty Benefield | FS | Jr | Boise State | 87 | Stamina 97 |
| 23 | Ike Larsen | FS | Sr | Utah State | 87 | Stamina 99 |
| 24 | Devin Neal | FS | Sr | Virginia | 87 | Toughness 93 |
| 25 | KT Seay | FS | Jr | Delaware | 87 | Stamina 97 |
What the list says
The Big Ten owns this list with 7 of the top 25. If you're recruiting against the conference, you're recruiting against the position's deepest pool.
16 of the top 25 are seniors. Most of this list disappears in 12 months, so if you're recruiting toward the position, target your Year 1 class for replacements — don't expect to inherit a starter.