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Three out of four starters return in the secondary, yet many are left wondering if Wande Owens was the glue holding together a weak unit last season. Guyton’s return from an injury for the Dartmouth contest proved to be a gamechanger for Yale but his performances were up and down throughout the remainder of the season. Daniyan kept improving at safety each week transforming from a fledgling freshman to a hardened veteran by the season’s end. Tarver was a liability all too often at safety in 2023, so he has a lot to prove to retain his starting position. Benn is back at safety after injuries limited him to just one game last year bringing much needed veteran leadership to the unit. Kamara could be one of the most talented players on the entire roster with his only drawback being that he doesn’t fit cleanly into the category of a safety, linebacker or cornerback. The cornerback position vacated by Owens is the main area of concern with our secondary. Damian Anderson was listed as Owens’ backup in 2023 and should have a great opportunity to earn the starting nod. Webster filled in as a freshman last season due to injuries but struggled to contain top passing threats. In 2022, Da’Quan Gonzales saw quality time as a freshman and even intercepted a pass against Harvard, yet somehow managed to fall off the coaching staff’s radar in 2023. Russ III, Barnes, and Saffold could all get into the mix of the defensive backfield with strong preseason play. Haaland, Grant, and Joseph Gonzales all return with experience at safety and will be key components of the special teams units.

Defensive backs were clearly a priority for Reno in the recruiting cycle with Yale welcoming a whopping 8 new defensive backs to the roster in Breylan Thompson, Chris White, Charles Barkley-Smith, JP Schmidt, Ty Ingram-Eiser, Brandon Banks, Dillon Rickenbacker and Billy Eastep. Thompson has the versatility to play safety or cornerback with great ball skills and punt returning abilities. White is a lockdown corner that plays with physicality and has an extra year of experience after a season at Cheshire Academy. Barkley-Smith will hopefully earn the Sir Charles nickname in the coming years as he’s a very fluid athlete with the ability to change directions on a dime. Schmidt is a sure-fire tackler that provides great run support and likes baiting quarterbacks into making risky throws. Ingram-Eiser hails from the same high school as the great Reed Klubnik and is a technician who stays true to his assignments. Banks does a tremendous job of playing the ball in the air, a trait our defensive backs have notoriously lacked. Rickenbacker was a 3-star recruit and is a very balanced safety with the ability to stuff the run or punish receivers over the middle. Eastep was also a 3-star recruit and uses his great closing speed to consistently disrupt passes.