Ranking the 3 Best Safeties Mizzou will Face in 2025

One of the nation's leading tacklers from last season will suit up against Missouri this year.

Mississippi State's safety Isaac Smith (2) runs the ball after intercepting it during the Egg Bowl game against at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers offense will have quite a hard time preparing for some of the defenses they will face next season, featuring some of the nation's best at each position.

The same could be said for the safety position, one that has some of the best tacklers and coverage players in the country. Each team the Tigers will face this season has at least one safety that could give them problems, with some having more.

Here's a look at the three best safeties the Tigers should face off against this season.

1. Isaac Smith, Mississippi State

Don't let the caliber of the team that Smith played on last season sway how he's viewed in the Southeastern Conference. After totalling 127 tackles and a forced fumble last season, Smith cemented himself as one of the best.

When the two teams faced off last season, Missouri handled business pretty easily. That doesn't mean that Smith didn't have a standout performance, however. He finished that game with 14 tackles, on the back of a 20-tackle performance against Tennessee the game before.

Smith might not be a name that some are familiar with, especially based on Mississippi State's record last season, but he truly is one of the best in the country. Smith is a tackle machine who defends the run at will, and now, with another season under his belt, could have an even better year.

2. Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma

Spears-Jennings is another player that some may not be familiar with, but his junior season was more than enough to cement himself as a legitimate threat for the Tigers and the rest of the SEC. Spears-Jennings finished the year with 66 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception last year, showing off his versatility and range.

That really is what makes Spears-Jenning such a lethal safety. He really can do everything and that's a skillset that looks to only evolve for his fourth season of college football. It's been a slow build-up to Spears-Jennings' dominant junior year, and if that development continues, his fourth and potentially final season has a chance to be even better.

This being said, he didn't have the best performance against Missouri last season. Spears-Jennings finished with only three tackles against the Tigers last year in a matchup that was exciting as you will find. There weren't many games in which Spears-Jennings didn't make a significant impact, potentially speaking to Missouri's offense.

3. Bray Hubbard, Alabama

Hubbard was a riser for the Crimson Tide last season and almost certainly earned himself a starting role this season. The former three-star recruit, who was recruited as both a safety and a quarterback to Alabama, now has the chance to break out as one of the best in the SEC.

The Ocean Springs, Mississippi native finished last year with 57 tackles, three interceptions, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. He's a jack-of-all-trades defensive back, with the ability to get to the quarterback, but primarily lock down in coverage.

Practically every member of the Alabama roster had a great game against the Tigers last season, one that resulted in a 34-0 defeat. Hubbard recorded seven tackles and an interception, finishing as the second-leading tackler for the Crimson Tide, leaving his fingerprints all over the field.

The physicality and speed that Hubbard plays with will allow him to be all over the place, which is how he worked his way onto the field last season. If he keeps doing what he did during the 2024-25 calendar year, Hubbard will be just fine in 2025-26.