ACC Daily: Who Are The Top Defensive Backs In The ACC Entering The 2025 Season?

If it seems like all of our lists this preseason has been loaded with Clemson talent, there's a good reason for that - they are. Terrell hails from the heart of one of the best recruiting grounds in the country in Atlanta, and he plays with that exact attitude. He has game changing ball skills, and will be looking to land squarely on the ACC First team come the fall.

2. Chandler Rivers | Cornerback | Duke

Rivers is a returning starter for a Duke team that made serious waves in 2024, and will be looking to make a lasting impact in his senior season after making the All-ACC first team last season.

3. Isaiah Nwokobia | Safety | SMU

Nwokobia started all 14 games for SMU in 2024, and will be looking to add to his impressive resumé in 2025 as SMU looks to make a return to the College Football Playoff picture.

4. Terry Moore | Safety | Duke

Duke has one of the best defensive backfields in the country with Moore and Rivers both returning for the 2025 season. Moore landed on the All-ACC second team in 2024, so it only makes sense that he's coming for the first team spot this fall.

All-ACC Second Team

5. Damari Brown | Cornerback | Miami

Damari Brown presents as one of the most intriguing cases in the conference this season. After missing all but two games in the 2024 campaign, Brown will be returning to a Miami team looking to keep its momentum going. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Brown is certainly one of the more physically impressive DBs in the class.

6. Ethan O'Connor | Cornerback | Miami

That's right, another Hurricane lands on the second team list. O'Connor entered the transfer portal as a highly recruited prospect who made waves at Washington State last season, and will look to make up one half of the most formidable defensive backfields in the country for the Hurricanes.

7. Khalil Barnes | Safety | Clemson

Barnes hauled in four interceptions for Clemson last season, and as one of the best ball hawking safeties on this list, he'll be looking to replicate those numbers in 2025 - if defenses throw to his side that is.

8. Zechariah Poyser | Safety | Miami

This is my own personal stab at predicting a breakout season, but for good reason. Poyser had an electric freshman campaign for Jacksonvill State, totalling over 40 tackles and providing some true highlights for the Gamecocks. Plenty of P-4 teams came calling in the offseason, but he picked the phone up for the Hurricanes.

All-ACC Third Team

9. Jeremiah Wilson | Cornerback | Florida State

Wilson was a star for Houston in 2024, and now he joins a plethora of transfer talent in making the move to Florida State for 2025. Wilson could genuinely be one of the best corners in the country when it's said and done this year, but until he makes the jump to P-4, I won't put him too much higher on this list.

10. Thaddeus Dixon | Cornerback | North Carolina

Dixon will join Bill Belichick at North Carolina as another transfer player looking to make big waves in their first season in the conference. With double digit pass deflections last year, Dixon may not jump off the stat sheet in terms of interceptions, but he certainly wreaks havoc elsewhere.

11. Duce Chestnut | Safety | Syracuse

If this was an all-name team, Chestnut would be first team, first ballot. And he might even be a first team All-ACC player before it's all said and done. He spent a season at LSU before coming back home to the Orange, where he shined in 2024.

12. Conrad Hussey | Safety | Florida State

Conrad Hussey was one of the lone bright spots for the Seminoles in 2024, and now that he's back in 2025 with a much more talent around him, it could spell out a big opportunity for the young safety in 2025.

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