Texas Football: Jahdae Barron the most underappreciated DB in the Big 12

Led by the upperclassman defensive back trio of redshirt junior cornerback Ryan Watts, senior nickel Jahdae Barron, and senior safety Jerrin Thompson, the secondary looks to be rock-solid for Texas football in 2023. The deepest level of Texas’ defense heading into the 2023 season looks to be in the defensive backfield, which is thanks to the plethora of talent and depth that has developed in the last couple of years.

Texas has also done a nice job of bringing in a lot of talent and depth to the secondary by way of the recruiting trail in the NCAA Transfer Portal and from the high school ranks in the last 15 months or so (i.e. Watts, Malik Muhammad, and Gavin Holmes).

However, one of the staples of the secondary that might be the best and most consistent player from last season is the aforementioned Barron. The fourth-year 5-foot-11 and 190-pound Barron was one of the most productive and consistent defensive backs in the Big 12 last season. He also showed spurts in his first two years at Texas of brilliance in coverage and in run defense.

Despite being one of the five highest-graded defensive backs in the Big 12 last season, along with making game-changing plays on a regular basis, Barron didn’t get much love in terms of all-conference awards or recognition in the media.

Barron is regularly one of the most underappreciated defensive backs not just in the Big 12, but in the entire Power Five, compared to the level he’s performed at over the course of the last three seasons. The fact that Barron has only received an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention nod once in the last three seasons (and that is about it in terms of his conference or national-level recognition) is pretty abhorrent.

Beyond the fact that there were eight defensive backs in the Big 12 that received all-conference first and second-team honors that graded out worse than Barron last season, there weren’t that many other DBs that were making as many plays as him.

Texas football DB Jahdae Barron is still criminally underrated in the Big 12

Let’s take a step back to remember some of the bigger plays that Barron made for the Longhorns last season.

The first really big play that Barron made last season was a gargantuan interception return for a touchdown in a non-conference win in Week 3 at home over the UTSA Roadrunners. Barron returned a 44-yard interception for a touchdown late in the third quarter that put Texas up by two scores at the time, and ultimately salted away a win against a solid UTSA squad that was putting up a good fight.

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Barron showed good anticipation and positioning, leading to him being in the right spot at the right time to take the aforementioned pick of UTSA quarterback Frank Harris (which was deflected by the WR) to the house to give Texas the 31-20 lead late in the third quarter.

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Another big play that Barron made last season was his second pick of the year in the dominant Red River win for Texas over the Oklahoma Sooners. Barron came up with a big pick on a weird running back pass play that OU tried to run with Eric Gray.

That pick from Barron kept OU scoreless at a time in the game when it was driving down the field. The interception kept all the momentum with Texas heading into the locker room at halftime.

The third and final game-changing play that I wanted to discuss from Barron last season was a fumble return for a touchdown that he had in a close loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. Barron returned a Max Duggan fumble 48 yards for a touchdown, which put Texas down by just one score at the time.

Barron almost single-handedly willed the Longhorns back into that game with that one alert play that he took to the house in the fourth quarter.

Those three plays that resulted in two interceptions and one fumble (two of which were returned for touchdowns) already put Barron in a league of his own compared to other Big 12 defensive backs. But when you add in the fact that Barron came up with double-digit tackles for loss last season, that completely puts him in a league of his own in relation to all other FBS defensive backs.

According to Sports Reference, Barron is the only FBS defensive back since 2000 to register double-digit tackles for loss, one fumble return for a touchdown, and one interception return for a touchdown in the same season.

That stat does a great job of summing up just how of an impact Barron had on the Texas defense in multiple respects last season.

Barron’s versatility sets him apart from the rest of the DBs in the Big 12

I think the best argument that Barron has in terms of what sets him apart as one of the best defensive backs in the Big 12 since the start of last season is the variety of ways in which he can impact football games in a positive sense. We’ve already touched on in this article how Barron was able to make a plethora of game-changing plays to generate turnovers for Texas last season.

But I would be remiss if we didn’t touch on Barron’s impact on the Texas defense in terms of how he consistently racks up successful plays week after week.

Not only did Barron lead the Big 12 in defensive stops (36) last season, but he also led all Power Five defensive backs in stops in pass coverage (24). Texas’ secondary essentially had a brick wall at the nickel position with Barron roaming the defensive backfield and the box last season.

It’s worth noting that two of the next three Big 12 defensive backs with the most stops last season both got all-conference first or second-team nods (Kendal Daniels and Marquis Waters).

Another point I wanted to make about Barron’s versatility is his ability to get after the quarterback. Barron is adept at rushing the passer on designed DB blitz plays. He ranked second among Big 12 defensive backs in pass rush grade last season and was one of just three DBs in the conference to register multiple sacks (per PFF).

Barron can contest space better than most other DBs in the Power Five

Barron is also a tremendous defender in space, rarely letting the ball carrier get past him. And more often than not, Barron is able to keep the ball carrier in front of him without allowing much of any yards after the catch when he’s in coverage.

Last season, he ranked fifth among Big 12 defensive backs, allowing just 3.75 yards after the catch per reception. Even more impressive, he led all Power Five defensive backs in yards per catch in coverage last season, at a mark of just 5.6.

There aren’t many defensive backs you’ll find around the Big 12 that anticipate plays and close on the ball carrier while delivering a solid tackle than Barron. He’s able to almost instantly recognize developing plays in coverage while having enough speed and quickness to get past any opposing blockers and bring down the ball carrier.

You would think that being able to contest space so well in a conference in the Big 12 that is known for offenses that like to get playmakers in space to create explosive plays would be something that garners Barron more recognition.

2023 is a big year for Barron

It feels like Barron is somehow still in the “prove-it” phase of his collegiate career. Despite Barron’s all-around solid production and playmaking in the last few seasons (especially last year), he is still potentially the most underrated defensive back in the Big 12, proving he does essentially everything at a high level that is asked of him at the nickel position.

There is more on the line for Barron than just respect and recognition in the Big 12, though. The upcoming season could be Barron’s last year to prove that he should be an early or middle-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Barron certainly has the tools and versatility to be an early Day 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has to prove it on a consistent basis this fall.

After Barron had the most productive and complete season of his collegiate career in 2022, registering nearly 80 combined tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two picks, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery, he’ll need to show that type of consistency again in 2023. That is due to how last year was really Barron’s first complete season as a full-time starter in Texas’ secondary.