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Virginia Football: Four Cavaliers Listed on PFF's Highest Graded Returning DBs

Pro Football Focus ranked the 10 best returning safeties and 10 best returning cornerbacks in the ACC and four UVA football players made those lists

Matt Newton

Virginia Cavaliers defensive back Jonas Sanker (20) breaks up a pass intended for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Nate McCollum (8) in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Virginia Cavaliers defensive back Jonas Sanker (20) breaks up a pass intended for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Nate McCollum (8) in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2024 college football season is rapidly approaching. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has been previewing the upcoming season by releasing their individual player grades and organizing them by position and conference. PFF posted their top 10 highest graded returning safeties in the ACC and their top 10 highest graded returning cornerbacks in the ACC this week and four Virginia football players were included on those lists.

Graduate transfer Corey Thomas Jr. came in at No. 4 among returning safeties in the ACC with a 79.2 player rating and senior Jonas Sanker was tied at No. 6 in the ACC's returning safety rankings with a 77.8 rating.

A graduate transfer from Akron, Corey Thomas Jr. played in 40 games over the last five seasons with the Zips, totaling 105 career tackles, six pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, one interception and one sack. His final season at Akron in 2023 saw him post 51 total tackles, 28 of them solo stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, three passes defended, and a fumble recovery.

Heading into his third season as a full-time starter at Virginia, Jonas Sanker is looking to build off of a 2023 campaign that saw him earn First-Team All-ACC honors at safety. The Charlottesville native led the team with 11 pass breakups and 107 total tackles, 73 of which were solo tackles, and he also registered four tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. It was an up and down season for the UVA defense, but Sanker was a picture of consistency for the Cavaliers on that side of the ball, making at least seven tackles in 11 out of Virginia's 12 games.

Two more UVA transfers found themselves in PFF's top 10 highest-graded returning cornerbacks in the ACC. Kendren Smith checked in at No. 2 with an 85.1 rating and Jam Jackson was No. 9 at 76.3.

A graduate transfer from Penn, Smith comes to Virginia after appearing in 33 total games over his four seasons as a Quaker, amassing 138 tackles, 105 of them solo stops, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, 24 passes defended, and two forced fumbles. In his final season at Penn, Smith started all 10 games at cornerback and recorded 58 tackles, 42 of them unassisted, eight pass breakups, one sack, two quarterback hurries, and two tackles for loss. As the UVA secondary looks to replace the likes of Coen King, Tayvonn Kyle, and Sam Westfall, the arrival of two-time All-Ivy League selection Kendren Smith will be crucial.

Jam Jackson transferred to Virginia after spending the last two years at Robert Morris. After redshirting his first year, Jackson registered 40 tackles, 33 of them solo stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and five pass breakups as a redshirt freshman in 2023. Phil Steele named Jackson a Third-Team FCS Freshman All-American and he was also selected the Big South-OVC Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year.

Virginia ranked 11th in the ACC in pass defense a season ago. With four players in their secondary ranked among the top returning defensive backs in the conference, including three transfers, the Cavaliers should have the pieces to drastically improve their pass defense in 2024.

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.Â