Q1 Stock-Risers: 2025 Defensive Backs

With the season concluded, we've updated our rankings. We didn't do a complete overhaul of the 2025 rankings, but there are still several players that made big moves. Here, we break down the defensive backs that moved up in the final 2025 rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2025 Stock-Risers: Defensive Backs</h2>    Primarily a wide corner, Lofton -- like his Independence teammates -- is extremely well-coached and always finds himself in the right position to make a play. His ball production was excellent as he had 35 pass breakups in his high school career. He was one of four players to move over 100 spots in the rankings and he's a great get for Campbell.     Collins was one of four players to move up at least 100 spots in our rankings after a fantastic season with West Charlotte. He's a playmaker who just makes things happen. He plays in sixth gear the whole time, with elite speed and a reckless abandon on defense that forces offenses into mistakes. He was a key contributor on special teams as well and should find his way onto the field early at Lenoir Rhyne for that reason.     Ducey played a safety-linebacker hybrid role at the high school level, but he's a safety all the way at the next level. He loves to fire downhill when he senses the run or sees a pass in front of him.   He'll need to get more used to playing further from the line of scrimmage, but the skill set is there for him to be a productive strong safety in college.     Renwick is a long defensive back with experience at both corner and safety. His physicality allows him to thrive in press coverage and his length and closing speed allow him to play as a center fielder. He was dangerous when he made plays on the ball, returning two of his turnovers for touchdowns. A high-character, high-academic player, Renwick had offers from all three service academies.     While he played all over the place for Dudley, Parker's recovery speed and range make him an ideal free safety candidate at the next level. It's not just that he has good speed, it's that he doesn't hesitate on the back end. When the ball is in the air, he breaks and he breaks quickly. Elsewhere, he was used in the slot (both offensively and defensively) and as a return man. If he were two inches taller and 20 pounds heavily, he'd be an FBS prospect. As it is, he needs to be a late offer for an FCS school.     I'm a big fan of Sharpe's, who is long, physical and can play at multiple spots on the defense. Sharpe is a tackling machine this season, racking up over 100 tackles in each of the last two years. He has smooth feet and hips for his size, which allow him to mirror in man coverage, something you wouldn't expect at his height.

With the season concluded, we've updated our rankings. We didn't do a complete overhaul of the 2025 rankings, but there are still several players that made big moves. Here, we break down the defensive backs that moved up in the final 2025 rankings.