Trio of 2028 Safeties in Tennessee Primed for National Spotlight

In the modern era of defense in the sport of football, the safety position has evolved from the traditional free and strong concepts, no longer trying to assign one safety to a role taking away explosive plays downfield and the other to a role taking away outside running lanes around the line of scrimmage.   Instead, safeties today have to be able to defend against both the pass and rush on their own, which might simple enough, but it's become more a lot more complex than that.   They have to cover up the seams, down the field, and the underneath zones as well as have the length necessary to take away rushing lanes, make strong tackles, and blitz the quarterback. The safety position has been generally overlooked historically, but that is not the case anymore as players that can do all of these things are being placed at a premium, even at the college game.   These three sophomore safety standouts have shown they have all the tools necessary to be a high-impact safety at the next level and should begin to move toward an even bigger stage on the national level as their recruitments begin to blossom.    [player_tooltip player_id='1193376' first='Jermaine' last='Cobbins'] is becoming a nationally recognized name and for good reason. He possesses good length with the frame to add more length and weight as he develops over the next three seasons at the high school level.   He is a dynamic playmaker, showcasing excellent explosiveness when attacking downhill to make a play on the ball. When in pursuit, he is going to make that play with how athletically gifted he is. He can be moved around the formation of the secondary to be put in advantageous spots which makes him a nightmare safety to face as he can make plays at all levels of the field.   I am looking forward to watching a full game of him, especially on coverage reps, at some point this season. He has the intangibles to make a strong case to end up the top player in the state period, very soon, let alone in the 2028 cycle.     Dion Edwards is a versatile playmaker from Chattanooga who is just a winner, with nothing being too small for him to master. In addition to a touchdown reception in his most recent game, he blocked an extra point to maintain a one-point lead for his team and made an athletic interception to ice the game.   He is a player with good length with the frame to add more length and weight to his body as he continues to grow physically. His versatility shows up as he fills in where needed, whether that be at outside corner, safety, or in the slot.   He shows good athleticism that allows him to effectively cover receivers, especially when he can use his physicality at the line of scrimmage to push them off their line. In a version of the game where safeties are being asked to do everything over the course of a game, he has the required traits and winning factor needed to play this position at a high level at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1031949' first='Brooks' last='Johnston'] might have taken the largest step forward of any top prospect this offseason. He has always possessed the length and physicality, but he has taken his entire game up several notches from last season.   He has very good-to-elite length and has begun to add more weight on to his frame which allows for him to absolutely bring the thunder when coming down from his safety spot. However, the biggest step forward in his game has been the athleticism and explosive ability he now shows, which has rounded out his game excellently.   He has shown the ability to cover everything from the screen game to down the field and his receiver background has showed up in a prominent way as he had made plays on the ball when targeted, including a game-sealing interception in week two.   This has truly been a breakout season for the sophomore safety who has instantly climbed to the level of having national interest and that list is only going to get longer and longer the more and more he plays this season.

In the modern era of defense in the sport of football, the safety position has evolved from the traditional free and strong concepts, no longer trying to assign one safety to a role taking away explosive plays downfield and the other to a role taking away outside running lanes around the line of scrimmage.