By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

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Southern Pigskin’s ranking of the top five Sun Belt defensive backfields for 2019.

1. Georgia Southern — The cornerback tandem of Kindle Vildor and Monquavion Brinson, a pair of NFL ready seniors, is one of the best in all of college football. Vildor has been spotted on a few pre-season All-American lists. He led the Sun Belt with 15 passes defended a season ago, while Brinson paced the league with 17 two years prior. There are two new safeties in Darrell Baker and Kenderick Duncan.

2. Texas State — Versatile playmaker Anthony J. Taylor, who can play every position in the secondary, leads a talented and experienced Bobcat defensive backfield. A multi-year starter at cornerback, Taylor now slides over to safety. He and JaShon Waddy are quite the formidable duo at safety. Jarron Morris, six pass break ups, had a standout freshman debut on the perimeter and returns at cornerback alongside Kordell Rodgers.

3. Appalachian State — Senior safeties Desmond Franklin and Josh Thomas, two all-conference players, both recorded four interceptions last season. Franklin and Thomas are arguably the two best safeties in the Sun Belt and, together, quarterback the defense. New names must emerge on the perimeter at cornerback, where junior Shemar Jean-Charles now steps into a more prominent role.

4. Arkansas State — The Red Wolves ranked 11th nationally in pass defense in 2018, allowing just 177.8 yards per game. Jerry Jacobs, fresh off four interceptions, is a top-tier cover corner. Fellow corner Darreon Jackson, largely playing in the slot, was actually Arkansas State’s leading tackler a year ago with 90 total stops. Senior B.J. Edmonds is a veteran difference-maker at safety with multiple years of starting experience.

5. Troy — Junior Tyler Murray has emerged as a multi-faceted defensive back for the Trojans. He can do a number of different things in the secondary, including thrive in the role of nickel back. Safety Melvin Tyus, with over 100 total tackles the past two years, and junior Terence Dunlap bring experience to the unit. Troy ranked in the national top five in team interceptions in 2018.