Ahead of 2026, Yahoo Sports spotlights the Big Ten’s safety lineage and its latest “top” list

College football’s 2026 season is still months away, but Yahoo Sports used the calendar to focus attention on a role the Big Ten has long treated as a priority: the safety spot. The publication’s “Top 5 Big Ten safeties” ranking frames the conference as a league where defensive back play, especially from the back end of the formation, has mattered for generations.

The article’s setup leans heavily on history, pointing to Michigan’s Tom Curtis and Ohio State’s Jack Tatum as two of the most recognizable names in the conference’s safety story. It also reaches to Iowa with Bob Sanders and Wisconsin with Jim Leonhard, linking those figures to the idea that the Big Ten’s defensive identity is often built on range, physicality, and decision-making from deep.

By organizing the conversation as a “top” list for the next season, the piece does more than revisit awards and legacies. It suggests that modern coordinators still reference what made those players effective, whether that means playing the run downhill, attacking passing lanes, or providing the communication and leverage that keep defenses aligned.

There is one notable limitation to keep in mind for readers: the discoverable material tied to the article does not include the full list of five names or the specific ranking rationale for each spot. That means the only player specifics that can be stated confidently from the available information are the four highlighted in the preview text, along with the broader assertion that the conference has a “rich tradition” at safety.

Even without the full list visible here, the selection of Curtis, Tatum, Sanders, and Leonhard indicates what Yahoo Sports appears to value when it ranks safeties. Those names represent a blend of instinct and athletic coverage, with each figure tied in Big Ten football lore to the idea that the back end can control how quarterbacks attack the middle of the field.

What to watch next is how that historical emphasis translates into roster building during the lead-up to the 2026 season. For Big Ten programs, safeties are often the defensive unit’s keystone, tasked with reading routes quickly, fitting run concepts in space, and coordinating matchups behind linebackers. In a conference known for physical offenses, the safety position can also become a swing point in whether defenses hold up late in games.