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Best of the Best: Safeties

A new series by Frogs O' War, the Best of the Best looks to rank the top player at each position (or unit) in the history of the school. And of course we'll be right every time.

By Marshall Weber
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

When you first think about TCU's secondary, you think of domination. A closer look reveals that while there have been some pretty stout cornerbacks over the years, most of that dominant presence has been due to excellent safety play, especially in the Gary Patterson era.

5. Stephen Hodge

In his junior year, Hodge racked up 8 sacks. The most for a defensive back that year. His senior year, Hodge collected 81 tackles and earned all MWC--one of two--honors. Along with Chris Hackett, Hodge is in contention for hardest hitting safety in TCU history.

"You learn from all of your losses, you learn from all of your wins. It’s just understanding that, at the end of the day, they made one more play than you did and understand it’s in the past. I forgive all those teams that beat us but never forget."-Sam Carter

4. Marvin White

White might've been TCU's first great safety. Guys like Frank Horak or Byron Linwood were terrific players, but White set a new standard for defensive backs in Fort Worth. He was the leader in tackles and interceptions in 2006, and always seemed to be involved in every play.

3. Chris Hackett

When his career is over at TCU, he could very well take the number two--or even one-- spot. Hackett was the leading tackler until the Baylor, and I'll say this a hundred time--but there's no one that hits as hard as Hack does.


2. Tejay Johnson

Johnson was easily TCU's best safety up until the name below. And by all accounts, he still may be. That's why we have polls and boards to discuss. As a consensus All-American during TCU's undefeated 2010 campaign, Johnson elected to opt out of the 2011 NFL Draft and pursue a career assisting the deaf.

1. Sam Carter

Tcurain_medium

Taking over Johnson's spot? Carter is to safeties as Jason Verrett is to corners. Also in the same vein as Jason Verrett, and no fault to Johnson, but Carter has seen better offenses in the Big 12 than Johnson did in the MWC. He didn't collect a lot of tackles last season, but like his former counterpart--Verrett--Carter was involved in just about every play. Without He Who Shall Not Be Named, Carter could be more involved against the run in 2014. The Captain season could justify my ranking this year, and judging by everything he's said and done in the offseason, it doesn't look like I'll have to eat my words.

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