Oregon wideout Traeshon Holden singles out Jabbar Muhammad as best DB in college football

If you ask Oregon wideout Traeshon Holden, it’s not debate who the best defensive back in college football is. It’s his teammate: Ducks defensive back Jabbar Muhammad.

It’s a fairly bold claim from Holden, albeit a defensible one, as he picked Muhammad from a list of seven on a Pro Football Focus post posing the question about the best defensive back. But the other six that Holden are saying his teammate exceeds is a star-studded grouping.

And of the six listed below, plenty would pick one — or more — as better than Muhammad. That’s probably why it’s a good question to start with.

• Georgia S Malaki Starks
• Michigan CB Will Johnson
• Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison
• Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
• Ohio State CB Denzel Burke
• Ohio State S Caleb Downs

Even if Muhammad doesn’t end up being the best of that list, he’s certainly been a welcome addition for the Ducks — especially given he came over from a long-standing rival, Washington.

Muhammad started off his college career at Oklahoma State, where he played in 31 games and made 13 starts in his three seasons in Stillwater. With the Cowboys Muhammad recorded 71 tackles, 12 defended passes, an interception, and a forced fumble.

After earning All-Big-12 honorable mention honors he transferred to Washington ahead of the 2023 season. Muhammad earned an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection in 2023 after ranking second in the conference and tying for fourth in the nation with 14 passes defended. He started every game for the Huskies during their run to the national championship, adding 46 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions to his stat line.

The Huskies defeated Oregon twice en route to the national title game, but now Muhammad will join the Ducks to finish out his collegiate playing career.

Muhammad played high school football at DeSoto High School (TX), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1064 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

And if the EA Sports College Football 25 video game ratings are any measure, Muhammad is certainly one of the best defensive backs in the country. He’s got a Top 25 rating and is one of the top defensive backs. But three defensive backs on the aforementioned list — Burke, Downs and Johnson — all have higher overall ratings.

But not matter what, Muhammad clearly has Holden in his corner as the top defensive back in the country.