Reigning national champions among programs still in race for top safety

Jordan Young is one of the highest-ranked defenders in the 2025 recruiting class.

A four-star prospect from Monroe, North Carolina, Young is an exciting athlete. He profiles as a safety at the college level, but he also plays wide receiver at the high school level. As a junior for Monroe, he notched 66 tackles, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, three pass breakups, one interception and a sack on defense while also notching 812 yards and eight touchdowns as a receiver.

That’s an elite high school athlete, and as far as where he’ll eventually play college ball is concerned, Young recently trimmed his list from eight to four.

It will be Clemson, Florida State, Michigan and NC State in the final race for Young’s commitment.

“All four fit my style of play, they each offer opportunities off the field, and I feel like all four staffs have coaches that are great developers,” Young told On3’s  Chad Simmons.

Young did have positive things to say about each school, but it does seem like the official visits he takes this fall will be the difference-makers.

“My plan is to get to some games this fall to get that gameday feel,” he said. “I am still committing on Oct. 12 (his birthday), and I am evaluating the schools, looking at the pros and cons and I will go from there.”

The rankings are extremely high on Young, so he will be a big-time recruit to keep an eye on this fall. According to the 247Sports composite, he’s the No. 9 safety in the 2025 class and a top-100 player overall.