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Former Cincinnati Bearcats Great Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner Makes Exclusive List of Top Defensive Backs

Well deserved praise for the former Bearcats star cornerback.

James Rapien

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) catches the ball during warmups before a game against the New England Patriots.
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) catches the ball during warmups before a game against the New England Patriots. / Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY NETWORK
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CINCINNATI — Former Bearcats great and current New York Jets start cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner was named one of the top five defensive backs under 25 years old by Pro Football Focus.

Gardner, 23, is a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. He's entering his third season with the Jets after being taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He had 75 tackles, two interceptions and 20 passes defensed as a rookie. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Gardner followed that up with 57 tackles, 11 passes defensed and one forced fumble last season.

Kyle Hamilton, Trent McDuffie, Pat Surtain II and Javon Holland were the other players to make the list.

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James Rapien
JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals, Reds and Bearcats On SI. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and has spent a decade covering Cincinnati sports. He's the author of Enter The Jungle, a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to joining SI, Rapien was a host and producer at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati.

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