Five Arkansas Defensive Backs to Watch in 2021

Over the years, one of my favorite defensive units to watch on the field is the defensive backs. Growing up in an era of hard hitters such as Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater, I naturally enjoy watching the safety and cornerback positions. The state of Arkansas has some talented players in the secondary coming up in the 2022 and 2023 classes. Let’s look at a few players in the secondary that will keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="75071" first="Trent" last="Bennett"]-Safety-Little Rock Parkview-2022</strong> Bennett is the hard-hitting safety that sticks out on game and highlight tape. He is a player that is a sure tackler and that is what has earned him scholarship offers from Kansas, Colorado, Michigan State, and Boston College. Bennett is a player that has the speed to pick up a receiver out of the backfield. He does not miss tackles in the open field. Bennett has the potential to receive more scholarship offers with another strong season and he should be considered a strong All-State possibility. Keep an eye on Bennett he has the potential to take off this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="117318" first="Jaylon" last="White"]-Defensive Back-Little Rock Parkview-2022</strong> Parkview High School has one of the best secondaries in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="75071" first="Trent" last="Bennett"] and [player_tooltip player_id="117318" first="Jaylon" last="White"] patrolling the secondary. Jaylon has the potential to be another hard-hitting safety to go to the next level. With numerous division one scholarship offers, White is a playmaker all over the field. White can play the safety position; however, his 6-2 height and 200-pound frame would have him a few pounds away from playing the linebacker spot. White has the potential to be a beast at the next level. Fans should enjoy watching him play this season, it is only the beginning. <strong>Mario Ganter-Defensive Back-El Dorado-2022</strong> The El Dorado coaching staff has a weapon in both sides of the ball with Mario Ganter. Ganter is a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators to attempt to scheme against. The El Dorado defensive back has excellent speed, and he is simply a pest to opposing wide receivers. Ganter is not afraid to get physical with opposing wide outs and he trust his hands enough to make plays on the football when thrown in his direction. Fans and scouts both should pay attention to El Dorado, it could be a special year for both the players and the coaches. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127245" first="Ryan" last="Maxwell"]-Defensive Back-Fayetteville</strong> Maxwell is deceptively strong. He makes excellent use of his hands and he is not afraid to jam a wide receiver. Maxwell does a terrific job of being able to run with the opposing wide receivers and will not get beat deep. He is a defensive back that opposing quarterbacks avoid throwing at, he will either, knock the ball away or pick off the pass. Maxwell is a player to keep an eye on this season, because has the potential to have a monster 2021 season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91975" first="CJ" last="Turner"]-Defensive Back-Star City-2023</strong> Turner is one of those defensive backs that has a nose for the football. At 6-2 and 200-pounds, Turner can play the cornerback, linebacker, or safety position. He has the speed to play all three positions and is a player to keep an eye on this season. Turner is strong enough to cause the opposing wide receiver plenty of problems. He will either knock the ball away from the wide receiver or pick the pass off. Over the next two years, Turner is going to blow up from a recruiting perspective and he will be a fun player for Star City fans to watch.