Top Five: Opponent Safeties
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Written By Lydia Knoll (@lydddknoll)
Welcome back to the second annual Top Five series where the Hoosier Huddle writers will rank and breakdown the top five players of opposing teams in different position groups on the field (so we are only ranking the players whose teams are IU opponents in 2016). Today we highlight the Top Five Safeties.
1. Nate Gerry, Nebraska
At our number one spot is Nate Gerry of Nebraska. According to CBS Sports, Gerry is ranked the ninth best safety in the nation. Gerry will be a senior this year and has led the Huskers in both tackles and interceptions. He currently has 199 career tackles which ranks 33rd in the school’s history. Gerry is 88 tackles away from being the top tackling defensive back in Nebraska history. He also has nine interceptions which is a mere five away from the school record of 14.
Gerry has great size for a safety as well at 6’2” 220 pounds, and Hoosier fans could here his name a lot on homecoming as he will try and stop both the Hoosier ground game and passing attack. As he comes into the 2016 season, he’s looking to break these records and prepare himself for the NFL Draft.
2. Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Peppers may be the most physically gifted player on our list but he fell to number two because he will likely be playing “hybrid linebacker” in Michigan’s new defense. Peppers has started 13 of the 15 games he’s appeared in, recording 53 total tackles. He came to Michigan as the number one recruit in the country, but his freshman year was cut short due to injury, but in 2015, Peppers earned First Team All-Big Ten Defensive Honors as well as the All-American second team honors. He not only plays defense, but contributes to the offense as well as returns kicks and punts.
Peppers is most likely to play linebacker in 2016, but will be used as both a pass rusher and in coverage.
3. Ryan Janvion, Wake Forest
We go outside the Big Ten for our third player in our countdown with senior Ryan Janvion of Wake Forest. Janvion has an impressive 282 career tackles along with 10.5 tackles for loss which is very impressive for a safety, finishing third on his team last season with 72. He played against the Hoosiers last year, but left the game after being run over by Indiana running back Jordan Howard. He will have his shot again at the Hoosiers on Sept. 24 when Wake Forest comes to Bloomington to finish a home-and-home series.
Janvion was named to the Academic All-ACC Team and has been a Wuerffel Trophy nominee twice as well as being nominated to the Allstate Good Works team in 2016.
4. Montae Nicholson, Michigan State
Next up we head to the Mitten State for the first of a pair of Michigan State safeties. Montae Nicholson, a junior for the Spartans this year and currently has 114 career tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, three interceptions and a forced fumble . Nicholson was one of only four true freshmen Spartans to letter in the 2014 season. He was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2014. In 2015 Nicolson was third on the team in total tackles with 83 and proves to be the next playmaker in the Spartan secondary.
Nicholson provides great size as well at 6’2”, 209 pounds and should be able to be a force again coming down hill to help in run support.
5. Demetrius Cox, Michigan State
Rounding out the Spartan safety duo is senior Demetrius Cox. Cox has recorded 111 career tackles, ranking fourth on the team last season with 79 tackles. He led the team with three interceptions and was second with seven pass breakups. Cox originally started at cornerback but most recently has been moved to safety where he’s projected to start in the 2016 season.
He split time in 2015 at corner (8 games) and safety (6 games). With both Cox and Nicholson at the safety position, the Spartans sport the best tandem on the back end in the Big Ten.