- Bryce Fitzgerald flashed for Miami (FL): As a freshman for the Hurricanes, the safety picked off a gaudy six passes.
- Keep an eye on Jaquez White: The new Virginia Tech corner is one of just three returning defensive backs nationally who recorded both three or more interceptions and 10 or more pass breakups last season.
Estimated Reading Time:6 minutes
While interceptions are often viewed as an unsustainable measure of good performance, they don’t happen by accident. A defender must recognize the concept, put himself in position and finish the play when the opportunity presents itself.
Some cornerbacks and safeties consistently find the football better than others. Some of these players possess the innate gift of reading opposing quarterbacks, while others are fantastic at anticipating route breaks and making a play at the catch point. No matter what, college football’s top ball hawks have a knack for turning targets into takeaways.
Interceptions can fluctuate from season to season, and as players develop a reputation, they suddenly find themselves targeted less and less. The five returning defensive backs below have emerged as big-play machines who can tilt the fortunes of a game on its head. Each combines takeaway production with the coverage performance to prove it wasn’t just a fluke.
1. CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
There is a reasonable argument that no defensive back in college football is playing at a higher level right now than Leonard Moore. The consensus top cornerback prospect in the 2027 draft class, Moore is ranked fifth overall on PFF’s 2027 Big Board.
Moore has posted back-to-back elite PFF seasons, earning overall grades of 88.4 and 91.8 in his two years as a starter. Across those two campaigns, he has compiled seven interceptions and 14 pass breakups while aligned almost exclusively on the perimeter.
What makes Moore’s production particularly impressive is the quality of opposition and his already notable reputation. Notre Dame’s schedule has not been soft, and opposing offenses have largely made the decision to simply work away from Moore rather than test him repeatedly.
The interceptions and breakups he does accumulate come against quarterbacks who are either forced into his area or make the mistake of assuming the coverage has broken down. At this point, returning for one final college season feels like a formality for what most evaluators project as a top-10 pick.
2. S Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami (FL)
Fitzgerald arrived at Miami (FL) as part of the program’s 2025 recruiting class alongside Malachi Toney. As a true freshman, Fitzgerald immediately made his presence felt at the safety position.
Six interceptions as a non-full-time starter is a remarkable output for any player, let alone one playing his first year of college football. Among all returning players, that total is tied for the most.
The natural concern with a freshman ball hawk is whether his production was merely opportunistic, possibly being a player in the right place at the right time against offenses that had not yet vetted his ability. There will be more tape on Fitzgerald heading into 2026, and opposing coordinators will have had an offseason to identify his tendencies.
How he responds to that adjustment as a legitimate starter will determine whether Fitzgerald is an elite future prospect, or simply a solid player who enjoyed a good debut season on a great team. Either way, this raw output puts him firmly on this list and on the radar of anyone tracking the 2028 NFL Draft class this early.
Most interceptions among returning college football players, 2025
Player School Position Number Bryce Fitzgerald Miami (FL) S 6 Ricardo Jones Clemson S 6 Jerome Carter III Clemson S 6 John Nestor Minnesota CB 6 Elijah Green Tulsa CB 5 Leonard Moore Notre Dame CB 5 Jamel Johnson TCU S 5 Brice Pollock Texas Tech CB 53. CB Brice Pollock, Texas Tech
Pollock transferred from Mississippi State to Texas Tech ahead of last season and wasted no time making the move look worthwhile. He recorded five interceptions in his first year with the Red Raiders and dropped two additional opportunities that, had they been converted, would have made his status even more convincing. Quarterbacks targeting Pollock posted a passer rating of just 35.7, the second-lowest mark among eligible returning Power Four corners.
While Pollock is not currently viewed in quite the same tier as Moore among draft evaluators, there is genuine first-round buzz around him heading into the season. He’s currently ranked 56th on PFF’s 2027 Big Board, and another year of shutting down his side of the field in the Big 12 could propel him above players at less premium positions.
4. CB John Nestor, Minnesota
Nestor is not generating significant NFL Draft conversation at this stage. Playing on the outside for a Minnesota defense which allowed the second-highest completion percentage in the Big Ten last season didn’t do his overall reputation any favors.
However, he finished 2025 with six interceptions, including three across his final two games, to bring himself alongside Fitzgerald for the top turnover-forcers in returning secondaries. That late-season run gives him a brilliant platform heading into 2026.
Nestor will need to clean up on his ability in man coverage, where he didn’t even rank inside the top 50 among Big Ten cornerbacks last season, but the playmaking ability is certainly present.
Click here to access Nestor's full PFF profile!5. CB Jaquez White, Virginia Tech
White led all Sun Belt defensive backs in overall PFF grade last season at Troy, finishing with an 87.4 mark. He made the decision to test himself against higher competition by transferring to Virginia Tech this offseason.
White is one of just three returning defensive backs nationally who recorded both three or more interceptions and 10 or more pass breakups last season.
In his final year of eligibility, White will now face passing offenses that are a noticeable step up from what he saw at Troy. If his coverage production can match last year’s levels, the Hokies could be an outside contender for their first conference title since 2010.