The Missouri Valley Football Conference has consistently been at the top of the FCS in the 2010s. While a lot of key players from last year have moved on to the pros, there’s still a ton of talent in the Valley.
As the season nears, we’ll rank the top five returners at each position group. Today, we give you the defensive backs.
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MORE TOP 5: QB | WR | TE | RB | OL | LB | DB | DL
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5. Andrew Gray, South Dakota
Ever since he was inserted into the starting lineup in the last eight games of his sophomore season in 2016, Gray has been a leader for the USD defense at safety. He started all 13 games last year and had a team-high 89 tackles, 50 of which were solo.
Gray made some plays in the backfield with 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack and also showed some juice with the ball in his hand, setting a program record with a 97-yard pick six against Southern Illinois. Add in five pass breakups and it's no wonder he was named on the All-MVFC Second Team. Gray, along with the other four on this list, were all named on the Valley’s preseason All-Conference First Team.
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4. Justin Fitzpatrick, Western Illinois
The Leathernecks have elite players at every level on their defense. Fitzpatrick is the leader in the secondary at safety. A 2017 All-Conference Second Team selection, Fitzpatrick tied for the conference lead with five interceptions. He totaled 57 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Fitzpatrick, now a senior, is a busy guy. He’s also on the Leathernecks baseball team and started 31 games this spring in the outfield, finishing with 13 hits and five RBI.
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3. Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
Chinn has 17 starts under his belt in just two years on campus. Six of those came in 2016 in a year that saw MVFC All-Newcomer Team and HERO Sports Freshman All-American First Team honors. Last year, he made our Sophomore All-American Team and the All-Conference Second Team.
Chinn led the Salukis with 66 tackles from his safety position. He snagged three interceptions, had six pass breakups while forcing four fumbles and recovering one. There’s still two more years of Chinn inflicting damage in the MVFC, and he’s only going to get better.
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2. Jordan Brown, South Dakota State
Brown is entering his third year as a starter and expects to have a huge senior season as the top cornerback in the Valley. An All-Conference First Team pick last year, Brown recorded nine pass breakups and grabbed three interceptions. He also forced three fumbles and totaled 72 tackles.
Brown has great size on the outside at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. The Arizona native is a veteran on an SDSU defense that should be a solid unit in 2018. He’s a difference-maker and on HERO Sports’ preseason All-American Third Team.
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1. Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State
Grimsley was thrown into the fire at Montana as a true freshman to start his career. He hasn't lost his spot at strong safety since and started 10 games in 2015 as an All-MVFC Newcomer Team selection. More awards came in 2016 as he was named to the All-Conference First Team. Then last year came another Valley First Team honor and a STATS All-American Second Team nod.
The HERO Sports preseason Second Team All-American looks to finish his illustrious career strong as he’s already totaled career numbers of 221 tackles and 11 interceptions.
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NEXT: The Best Traditions in the FCS
