{"id":22063,"date":"2019-07-05T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=22063"},"modified":"2019-06-28T15:12:25","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T19:12:25","slug":"big-xiis-best-returning-safeties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2019\/07\/05\/big-xiis-best-returning-safeties\/","title":{"rendered":"Big XII\u2019s Best Returning Safeties"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we count down the days to the 2019 College Football Season\u2019s opening kickoff, we have given our thoughts on the best players in the Big XII at several positions.\u00a0 So far, we have offered our thoughts on quarterback<\/a>, running back<\/a>, wide receiver<\/a>, defensive line<\/a>, linebacker<\/a>, and cornerback.\u00a0 Now, we offer our final position group on the defensive side of the ball.\u00a0 Without further ado, we present our picks for the Big XII\u2019s best returning safeties.<\/p>\n

Big XII\u2019s Best Returning Safeties<\/h2>\n

Honorable Mentions<\/h3>\n

We had a tough time narrowing our list to just five, as the Big XII returns a number of talented safeties returning in 2019.\u00a0 Both of our honorable mentions for this group could have easily made the top five if the group was not so deep in 2019.\u00a0 And there are even a few more we would have liked to mention here.\u00a0 Alas, we had to stop somewhere.\u00a0 Our first honorable mention hails from Kansas, of all places.\u00a0Bryce Torneden<\/strong><\/a> led all of the safeties on our list with 88 tackles last season.\u00a0 Five-and-a-half of those registered a loss, and Torneden added two sacks.\u00a0 He also returned his lone interceptions for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles in 2018.<\/p>\n

And even though we have several Longhorns on this list, we could not justify omitting Brandon Jones<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Jones missed three games last season, but still tallied 70 tackles (five-and-a-half for loss), two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.\u00a0 Jones earned an honorable mention for the All-Conference team last year as a result.\u00a0The senior returns with substantial experience, having started 23 games for the Longhorns.\u00a0 As a result, nobody should be surprised if he makes a leap forward in 2019.<\/p>\n

B.J. Foster<\/h3>\n

The Texas Longhorns\u2019 B.J. Foster<\/strong><\/a> was just a freshman in 2018.\u00a0 And while his raw numbers were slightly less impressive than Jones\u2019 last season, Foster surrendered the fifth-lowest passer rating by opposing quarterbacks.\u00a0 Simply, Foster\u2019s contributions go beyond raw statistics.\u00a0 That said, Foster impressed statistically as well.\u00a0 Despite only starting in six games, Foster registered 46 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and two-and-a-half sacks.\u00a0 He added five PBUs, and interception, and two forced fumbles.\u00a0He forced one of those fumbles in the Longhorns\u2019 defining win against Georgia in last season\u2019s Sugar Bowl.<\/p>\n

Braxton Lewis<\/h3>\n

Iowa State\u2019s Braxton Lewis<\/strong><\/a> turned in an impressive season in 2018 by any measure.\u00a0 That Lewis campaigned as a walk-on simply adds heart-warming color to his story.\u00a0 Lewis started in all 13 games in 2018, and he accumulated 70 tackles (four for loss) and a sack.\u00a0 He also added three interceptions, good for seventh in the conference.\u00a0 In one of the Cyclones\u2019 defining moments of 2018, Lewis recorded eight tackles and a sack against West Virginia to help Iowa State pull off the upset.\u00a0 Lewis also finished the year surrendering the lowest passer rating by opposing quarterbacks in the Big XII. Now a redshirt senior, look for Lewis to take another step forward in 2019.<\/p>\n

Mike Lee<\/h3>\n

Yet another Jayhawk makes our list here.\u00a0 Kansas\u2019 Mike Lee<\/strong><\/a> gave up the second-lowest passer rating for passes thrown in his direction of all safeties in the Big XII in 2018.\u00a0 Thus, while the Kansas pass defense as a whole performed poorly, Lee did all he could to plug the holes.\u00a0 Lee was named to Athlon\u2019s Freshman All-American Second Team in 2016 and its All-Conference First Team that same year.\u00a0 Lee regressed slightly in 2017, but he performed extremely well in 2018.\u00a0 Look for Lee to improve upon his 67 tackles and an interception (which he returned for a touchdown) in 2019.<\/p>\n

Greg Eisworth<\/h3>\n

Greg Eisworth<\/strong><\/a> transferred to Iowa State from Trinity Valley Community College prior to the 2018 season.\u00a0He picked the Cyclones over Colorado and West Virginia, among others, and Iowa State is undoubtedly thankful that he did.\u00a0 Eisworth finished the season as the Big XII\u2019s Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and he also earned First-Team All-Conference honors.\u00a0 He finished the season with 87 tackles (four for loss), a sack, an interception, two forced fumbles, and 5 PBUs.\u00a0 Eisworth offered the Cyclones an immediate impact, and the redshirt junior seeks to improve upon that in 2019.<\/p>\n

Caden Sterns<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t look now, but Texas might actually be \u201cback.\u201d If not, they are certainly closer than they have been in years.\u00a0 This makes the third safety for the Longhorns to make our list (including Jones as an honorable mention).\u00a0 And Texas undoubtedly features the deepest group of safeties in the conference in 2019.\u00a0A five-star recruit out of Texas, Caden Sterns<\/strong><\/a> started the first 13 games of his true freshman season in 2018, missing the bowl due to an injury suffered in the Big XII Championship.\u00a0 Sterns proved to be both a ball hawk and a coverage specialist.\u00a0He finished the season with the fourth-lowest opposing passer rating in the conference, and he recorded four PBUs to match.\u00a0 Sterns also finished with four interceptions, a sack, and 62 tackles (three for loss).\u00a0His performance earned Sterns First-Team All-Conference Honors, and Sterns was named the Big XII Defensive Freshman of the Year.\u00a0 He is also at the top of our list of the Big XII\u2019s Best Returning Safeties for 2019.<\/p>\n

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