2020 Defensive Backs: The Good, The Bad, & The Ratings

BYU's pass defense experienced ups and downs in 2019. The Cougars will have a more experienced Secondary than they've had in years with players like Chris Wilcox, D'Angelo Mandell, Troy Warner, and Zayne Anderson returning. Let's look at who is coming, who is going, and how highly these players were rated as recruits.

Image Note: The visualization excludes unrated players and any player that received a composite score of less than .75. The graphs show the 247 composite score on the y axis and the eligibility on the x axis.

Returned Missionaries (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

Transfers (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

Returning Players (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

23 Zayne Anderson - 0.8268
43 Chapman Beaird - NA
30 Keenan Ellis - 0.8039
27 Tavita Gagnier - NA
15 Dimitri Gallow - 0.8
22 Ammon Hannemann - 0.8113
11 Isaiah Herron - 0.7953
43 Jared Kapisi - NA
20 Hayden Livingston - NA
16 D'Angelo Mandell - 0.8281
12 Malik Moore - 0.7681
26 Mitchell Price - NA
28 Morgan Pyper - NA
31 Max Tooley - 0.8608
7 George Udo - 0.81
4 Troy Warner - 0.9007
25 Will Watanabe - NA
32 Chris Wilcox - 0.7857
29 Shamon Willis - 0.7575

2020 Signees

TBD Micah Harper - 0.8204
TBD Jacques Wilson - 0.8000

Other Newcomers

17 Jonathan Baird – NA
15 Caleb Christensen - 0.8227

The Good – As things currently stand, BYU might be as deep at Cornerback in 2020 as they’ve ever been. Four players (Chris Wilcox, Isaiah Herron, D’Angelo Mandell, Shamon Willis) have played significant snaps for the Cougars while three others (Keenan Ellis, George Udo, Dimitri Gallow) have seen limited action. Chris Wilcox should be healthy this season. A completely healthy Wilcox instantly becomes the best Cornerback on the team.

It’s worth noting that George Udo moved to Free Safety during spring ball. Udo is relatively new to the game of football, but his talent is undeniable. He has the raw athleticism to become a staple in the defensive backfield for years to come.

The Bad – BYU lost two key Defensive Backs, Austin Lee and Dayan Ghanwoloku, to graduation last season. BYU will need multiple guys to step up to fill the massive void left by those two players. Two prime candidates to replace Lee and Ghanwoloku are Troy Warner and Zayne Anderson who both redshirted last season due to injury. Max Tooley moved from Linebacker to Free Safety during spring ball, he’s another name to watch in 2020.

The Ratings – BYU’s ability to land highly-recruited Cornerbacks has slowly improved as the coaching staff has demonstrated their ability to develop guys like Chris Wilcox into very productive players. For example, BYU signed Micah Harper as part of the 2020 recruiting class. Harper turned down 22 offers, including 1 P5 offer, to play for the Cougars.

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