Where the top safeties in the 2024 cycle are committed

As high school football is set to kick off around the country, many of the nation’s top safeties have already made their college decisions ahead of their senior seasons.

At the top of the position group is Buford (Ga.) Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden, who just committed to Florida State at the top of the month. Others, like Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep four-star Zaquan Patterson, have yet to announce their commitment.

Below are the top committed safeties in the On3 Industry Ranking and where they are heading.

Five-Star Plus+ KJ Bolden — Georgia

School: Buford (Ga.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 9
On3 NIL Valuation: $435K

Scouting Summary: “KJ Bolden is one of more versatile athletes in the 2024 cycle with considerable upside as a safety. Measured in at 6-foot, 185 pounds prior to his senior season. Has good length with 32-inch arms. Posted strong track marks as a high school underclassman with a personal best of 10.76 seconds in the 100 meters. Also tests well in the combine setting. Plays both ways for Georgia powerhouse Buford High as a receiver and defensive back. Projects as a defensive back and likely at safety long-term, where his combination of athleticism and length makes him one of the nation’s best. Flashes outstanding play speed on Friday nights. Closes quickly with physicality in defending the flats. Has shown good deep range in coverage both on Friday nights and in 7-on-7. Played a bunch of offense as a junior. Shows good playmaking ability and overall athleticism on that side. While his ball skills are good for a safety, they would need to improve were he to play offense in college. Has not replicated his impressive track times later in his high school career. Has a relatively smaller sample size relative to some of his highly-touted peers on defense heading into his senior season.”

5-star Xavier Filsaime — Florida

School: McKinney (Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 28
On3 NIL Valuation: $242K

Scouting Summary: “Xavier Filsaime is an athletic, physical safety with versatility on the back end. Measured at over 5-foot-11.5, around 180 pounds prior to his junior season. Has average to below average length for the position with a 30.75-inch arm. Turned in very strong track times as a sophomore, with multiple sub-11.0 second marks in the 100 meters, highlighted by a personal best of 10.52 seconds. Primarily worked as a safety as a junior, lining up deep and in the slot. Makes most of his plays as a cover-down defender. Physical and throws his body around. Shows pop as a striker. Closes quickly when moving forward. Sniffs out quick passes. Plays with some attitude. Has the speed and fluidity to line up on receivers in man coverage. Did not have much ball production as a junior at safety but was a wide receiver as a sophomore, alleviating questions about ball skills. Did not replicate his sophomore track times as a junior. Younger for the class with an April birthday.”

4-star Peyton Woodyard — Alabama

School: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 87
On3 NIL Valuation: $152K

Scouting Summary: “Peyton Woodyard is a polished, refined safety with well-rounded skills in coverage and run defense. Measured at a shade over 6-foot, 200 pounds prior to his senior season. Has a muscled, developed build. Stars on the back end for one of the nation’s top high school programs. Lines up at safety and in the slot. Finished his junior season with 53 tackles, 8 pass breakups and one interception. Sees plays quickly and shows good instincts. Does a nice job recognizing route concepts. Refined footwork in coverage. Has adequate deep range. Shows some coordination in playing the ball. Assertive in working downhill as a run defender. Physical and lowers his shoulder on contact. Will come into college with a more advanced understanding of defenses given his experience at St. John Bosco. Does not have strong marks relative to verified athleticism. Long speed and athletic upside are not as noteworthy as many of his fellow blue-chip safety prospects. Works in a specialized role as a one-way player for a powerhouse high school program and does not have the breadth of playmaking experience of some other top safety prospects. Has the look of a high floor prospect who could be primed to contribute early in his career given his polish and refined game.”

4-star Dashawn McBryde — LSU

School: Denham Springs (La.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 100
On3 NIL Valuation: $118K

About: Dashawn McBryde committed to LSU on April 22. He is the No. 100 overall prospect and No. 5 safety in the On3 Industry Ranking. On3 ranks McBryde higher than other recruiting services — he is the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2024 On300. He is one of three top-100 prospects in LSU’s 2024 class.

4-star Jaylen Heyward — UCF

School: Rockledge (Fla.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 101
On3 NIL Valuation: $128K

Scouting Summary: “Jaylen Heyward is an athletic defensive back with the skills to line up at multiple spots in the secondary. Measured at around 5-foot-10.5, 180 pounds prior to his junior season. A strong athlete who also excels as a sprinter in track and field. Was a state finalist in the 100 meters as a junior with a 10.79-second mark. Primarily lined up as a cornerback as a junior, despite being considered as a safety prospect. Could feasibly play multiple spots in the secondary at the college level. Has the speed to run with receivers on vertical routes. Carries wideouts down the field and stays in phase. His man cover skills stack up on the higher end among 2024 safety prospects. Had solid ball production as a junior with 8 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. A physical and willing tackler. Not shy in lowering his shoulder. Also plays on offense, showing his burst as a running back. Pulls away from defenses once he’s at the second level. Does not have a big frame. Looks to be more of a straight line athlete at this time and can continue improving his fluidity and change of direction.”

4-star Aaron Flowers — Oregon

School: Forney (Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 118
On3 NIL Valuation: $109K

Scouting Summary: “Aaron Flowers is a versatile defensive back who lines up at both corner and safety but projects at the latter long-term. Measured at around 6-feet, 180 pounds in the spring prior to his junior season. Has plus length for the position with a 6-foot-4 wing-span. Has high-end agility, consistently posting shuttle times under 4.2 seconds. Displays good range in coverage when working as a two high safety. Has the ability to line up in man coverage on the outside or in the slot. Plays with a physical presence as a tackler and run defender, driving through ball carriers. Quicker than fast and can continue to improve his fluidity and lower body flexibility. Younger for the cycle with a spring birthday.”

4-star Jordan Pride — Texas A&M

School: Blountstown (Fla.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 129
On3 NIL Valuation: $124K

About: Jordan Pride committed to Texas A&M on May 9. He is the No. 129 overall prospect and No. 8 safety in the 2024 cycle. Pride told On3 when he committed that College Station “just feels like home.” He is also a state qualifier in track and plays varsity basketball.

4-star Ricardo Jones — Clemson

School: Warner Robins (Ga.) Northside
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 154
On3 NIL Valuation: $102K

Scouting Summary: “Ricardo Jones is a well-put-together safety prospect who has the frame and build to carry quality mass. Possess tremendous closing speed when working downhill. Has the necessary range to cover from sideline to sideline. High points the ball effectively at the catch point and has quality ball skills. Do not see much film in man coverage but has the hip fluidity and long speed to do so if asked of him. Member of the varsity basketball team as well. One of the safer safety prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle.”

4-star Maurice Williams — Houston

School: Bellaire (Texas) Shadow Creek
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 157
On3 NIL Valuation: $119K

Scouting Summary: “Maurice Williams is a well-rounded safety prospect with technique and polish in coverage. Measured around 5-foot-11.5, 185 pounds as a sophomore. Plays for one of the more talented high school programs in the greater Houston area. A smooth mover in coverage. Advanced technically and has the skills to man up on receivers if needed. Shows good instincts and play speed. Ran well as a sophomore, clocking an electronically-timed 4.74-second 40-yard dash. A solid form tackler who is willing to get physical when coming down to play the run. Has the skills to make more plays on the ball in coverage as a junior.”

4-star Malcolm Ziglar — North Carolina

School: Fuquay Varina (N.C.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 164
On3 NIL Valuation: $84K

Scouting Summary: “Malcolm Ziglar is one of the most physically-gifted defensive backs in the 2024 cycle, pairing high-end size, an elite frame and plus speed to manifest in a high upside prospect. Has an ideal physical build with extreme length, a big frame. Lean with significant muscle mass for this stage. Measured at 6-foot-1.5 and over 190 pounds prior to his senior season. Arm length over 33 inches and 10.5-inch hands make for unique dimensions. Pairs that size with very strong marks as a sprinter in track and field. Ran a personal best of 10.79 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior. The physical attributes transfer over to the field, where he lines up as a cornerback and safety on Friday nights. Has some of the better ball production among 2024 defensive backs, picking off six passes along with six more pass breakups in 2022. Makes opposing quarterbacks pay, feasting on errant throws.Returned three interceptions for scores. Becomes an offensive player on interception returns. Shows palpable play speed with a burst that stands out among his blue-chip peers. Shows an understanding for body positioning in coverage. Boxes out receivers when the ball is in the air. Also sees time on offense as a pass-catcher and ball carrier and is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. Will need to continue increasing his level of physicality, particularly if he ends up as a safety long-term. The physical traits and ball production point to a high upside given continued development and progression as a tackler and physical presence.”