Our preview of the Big 12 rolls on with a look at the Big 12’s best returning defensive backs. Just to review, to qualify for the list, the player must have played in the Big 12 last year. They could be a transfer to their current school, but they had to have come from within the conference. For the defensive backs, like we did with other conferences, we are not going to be strict with two safeties and two cornerbacks. We are going to list in ascending order the four best returning defensive backs in the Big 12.
Big 12’s Best Returning Defensive Backs
4. Jackson Bennee, Safety, Utah; Bennee has gone from relative obscurity to one of the best defensive backs in the Big 12. He was a walk-on for the Utes in 2024, but saw action on special teams in every game that year. In 2025, he played in the secondary in all 13 games, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for his efforts.
He was also nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to a player who started as a walk-on. That is likely to become a recurring theme for him entering his third season.
In his 2025 season, Bennee led the Utah secondary with 64 total tackles. He also tied for fourth in the conference with four interceptions. His upward trajectory into the starting lineup has him as one of the top returning defensive backs in the conference.
3. Jamel Johnson, Safety, TCU; Johnson is going into his fourth season, all with the Horned Frogs. He has played in every TCU game over the last two seasons. Last season, he had 96 total tackles and five interceptions. Johnson was a huge factor in TCU’s win over USC in the Alamo Bowl with seven tackles and an interception. He also had two interceptions in the annual Iron Skillet game against SMU. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the rivalry game.
He finished the season as a Second-Team All-Conference and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given each year to the best defensive back in the country.
2. Evan Johnson, Cornerback, BYU; Johnson enters his final season of college football as one of the most experienced cornerbacks, having played in 26 games over the last two seasons. He has played his entire college career at BYU. Johnson had 47 tackles last year, with 38 of them being solo. He also had five interceptions.
Johnson has seven interceptions over the last two seasons, proving his skills at corner. He turned one of the interceptions into a pick-six last season against East Carolina. And far from being an official stat, but still a unique talking point, EA Sports College Football 27 lists him as one of the top speedsters at any position. EA Sports gave Johnson a 96 score, making him tied for 10th.
1. Brice Pollock, Cornerback, Texas Tech; Pollock transferred to Texas Tech from Mississippi State for the 2025 season. It worked well for both the cornerback and the Red Raiders. He started in all 13 games and was named First-Team All-Big 12. ESPN had him at number 30 on its list of the top 100 players of 2025.
Pollock has had 48 tackles in each of the last two seasons (one with Texas Tech and one with Mississippi State). Last season, 30 of those tackles were solo. He also had five interceptions.
But beyond the routine stat line, there is a depth to the work from Pollock that makes him our top returning defensive back. He did not allow a touchdown in coverage all season, to go with 11 pass breakups. And opposing quarterbacks completed a mere 50% of their passes against Pollock.
In the coming days, Last Word on College Football will be moving on to the best returning players by position in the ACC.
Main Image: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
