The 10 Greatest TXHSFB Defensive Backs of All-Time

A disclaimer before we begin: This is an extremely fun but totally impossible task. There are about 30 guys who don’t just have a case to be in the top 10, but you have every right to be actively mad that they weren’t included in the top 10. And if you are, be sure to take all complaints to the Dave Campbell’s social media pages. Tell them Carter Yates’s absurd, borderline-irresponsible list sent you.

Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Quarterbacks.
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Running Backs
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Wide Receivers
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Offensive Linemen
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Defensive Linemen
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Linebackers

Note: These rankings are based on high school career alone.

Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order):

Tony Brown (Ozen, 2010-13): A consensus five-star football player and 110M hurdles state champion, Brown became an All-American track and field star and a key reserve defensive back at Alabama

Darrell Green (Houston Jones, 1974-77): A Pro Football Hall of Famer who's considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Green only played one year of varsity football as a senior.

Denver Harris (Galena Park North Shore, 2018-21): An All-American and state champion at North Shore, Harris was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 DCTX Hot 100. He is currently on his fourth college football team, the UNLV Rebels. 

Jaylon Jones (Allen, 2012-15): One of the more underrated but crucial components to Allen's dynastic run, Jones was an All-State defensive back, injuries hampered an All-American start at Ole Miss. Jones now plays on the Chicago Bears.

Aaron Ross (John Tyler, 1998-00):  Led John Tyler to a state championship appearance as an All-State senior with six interceptions before blossoming into a Thorpe Award winner at the University of Texas. Ross won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.

 

10. Ken Houston, Lufkin Dunbar (1960-63)

Ken Houston was built like a modern five-star defensive back in the early 1960s. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder began his high school career at Lufkin Dunbar in the band, but he quickly transitioned into a football and basketball star. Lufkin Dunbar closed in 1970 and merged with Lufkin High during desegregation, but Houston’s legacy as one of the best Prairie View Interscholastic League football players of all time is enshrined in the TXHSFB Hall of Fame.

Post TXHSFB Career

Lightly recruited despite his standout play, Houston took his one scholarship opportunity to Prairie View A&M and ran with it. Originally slated to play center (who on Earth made this call?) Houston became an All-American defensive back who led Prairie View to three national championships.

Once again overlooked, Houston was drafted in the ninth round of the 1967 AFL-NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. It became one of the biggest draft steals of all time. Houston recorded 49 interceptions over a Hall of Fame 14-year career. No defensive back has ever made more consecutive All-Star/Pro Bowl games than Houston’s 12. 

 

9. Jerry Gray, Lubbock Estacado (1978-81)

Gray’s case on the all-time best defensive backs list is black and white. At Lubbock Estacado, he was All-City Player of the Year for his outstanding play at quarterback and defensive back. During his four years under the legendary Louis Kelley, Lubbock Estacado won three district championships. He was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Lubbock ISD Hall of Honor in 2011.

Post TXHSFB Career

Despite growing up in Red Raider country, Gray became a legend at the University of Texas. He was a two-time consensus All-American and two-time Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He finished with 297 career tackles and 16 interceptions, earning a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. 

After an eight-year NFL career in which he earned four Pro Bowl nods, Gray embarked on a decades-long career as an NFL defensive assistant that continues today. He is currently the defensive pass game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

As an NFL coach since 1997, Gray has dedicated what little free time he has to giving back to underprivileged youth with the Jerry Gray Foundation.

 

8. James Lott, Refugio 1980-83

James Lott may be remembered more for his record-setting track and field career. He set the national high school record with a high jump of 7-feet, 4¾ inches and helped Refugio to two track and field state championships in 1982 and 1983. He won gold in the high jump, long jump, high hurdles, and 300M hurdles.

But he was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 1994 because he was a hell of a defensive back. Lott was a First Team All-State and Parade Magazine All-American after leading Refugio to a state championship in 1982. He was named to Dave Campbell’s All-Decade Team for the 1980s. 

Post TXHSFB Career

Lott started for three seasons at cornerback and safety at Texas and was inducted into the Texas Hall of Honor in 2017. His outstanding track career flourished on the Forty Acres, where he won three high jump national titles and was a four-time All-American. Lott was the first Longhorn to ever win an NCAA Indoor Track and Field title.

Lott’s son, Jalen, was a standout player at Frisco Panther Creek who recently signed with the Oregon Ducks. His daughter, Falyn, won four medals at UIL State Track and Field and now runs for USC.

 

7. Jamal Adams, Hebron 2010-13

Jamal Adams unofficially leads the county in wins by TKO as a little league football player. As a young boy, his games used to end early after one too many kids came limping off the field from an Adams tackle. The only thing that talked more than his pads was his mouth. He earned the nickname ‘J,’ which stands for ‘Jaw,’ because of how much trash he talked on the field. 

Fitting, because his game was filthy. Adams racked up 257 career tackles at Hebron. In his final two years of high school, he intercepted seven passes and scored 20 touchdowns. With 4.48 40-yard dash speed, a 34-inch vertical jump, and enormous high school production, Adams became the No. 1-rated safety in the nation by Scout.com. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Adams became the heir to Tyrann Mathieu’s “Honey Badger” persona at LSU for his standout safety play. He was a three-time All-SEC player and an All-American as a junior. That season, he captained an LSU defense that only gave up 16 touchdowns all year.

Adams was drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets, becoming the second first round NFL Draft pick in his immediate family. His father, George Adams, was drafted by the New York Giants in 1985. Adams made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team early on in his career, but the last few years have been derailed by a brutal torn quadriceps that took 13 months to heal from physically and is still taking time to heal from mentally. He’s now a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings.

6. Joe Bob Bizzell, Odessa Permian 1970-72

In the book “Friday Night Lights,” author H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger references Joe Bob Bizzell as, ‘the Golden Boy of golden boys, the one against whom all others were measured.’ In a testament to Bizzell’s lasting impact, the book chronicled the 1988 Odessa Permian Panthers, 15 years after Bizzell had graduated. 

Bizzell might have been a diminutive 5-foot-7, 132 pounds, but he played big, and the tall tales spun about him years after his graduation were even bigger. He was the first Permian player to ever make four all-state teams, earning First Team All-State at both wide receiver and defensive back as a senior. Bizzell’s varsity career began as a sophomore in 1970 when he intercepted 16 passes. Over the next three years, Permian allowed less than nine points per game. Permian finished with a 37-2 record and two state championship appearances during his career. 

“Before they even snapped the ball, I knew what play they were going to run,” Bizzell said in “Friday Night Lights.” “It was weird, but that’s how it was done.”

Post TXHSFB Career

Bizzell became the first freshman to start for Darrell K. Royal when he played in the Cotton Bowl, intercepting a pass and racking up nine tackles. Royal bragged about Bizzell’s play on national television. It was supposed to be the beginning of a stellar career. Unfortunately, it was the peak. 

Bizzell was kicked off the team two days before the season opener after campus police found a marijuana pipe in his car. He briefly returned to the Longhorns in 1975, but was arrested for public intoxication and expelled. 

He became a production operator for Amoco, living in Odessa with his wife and three boys.

 

5. Devin Sanchez, Galena Park North Shore 2021-24

I’m not falling victim to recency bias. I’d actually argue that time will age Devin Sanchez’s high school career like a sharp cheddar – we will appreciate it more the further removed we are. 

Sanchez was a physical freak: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, 10.69 100M-dash speed, and a 460-pound squat. He also dominated against the state’s best competition at Galena Park North Shore. As a sophomore, he had 36 tackles, 18 pass breakups, and four interceptions in a First Team All-District campaign. He followed it up the next year with 57 tackles, 29 pass breakups, and nine interceptions, earning Second Team All-State honors. His grand finale was yet another All-State performance, a DCTX five-star ranking, and the No. 1 cornerback spot in the nation. North Shore went 44-3 with two state championship appearances over his career.

Post TXHSFB Career

Sanchez, the highest-rated Ohio State cornerback commitment since 2006, played in 13 games with one start as a true freshman in 2025. ESPN recently wrote that multiple personnel staffers have predicted Sanchez will be considered one of the best defensive players in the nation by season’s end.

 

4. John Norman, Midland Lee 1994-96

John Norman is still a legendary figure in West Texas for his career at Midland Lee and Texas Tech. But I honestly feel like he should be brought up more in conversations about the greatest Texas high school football players of all time. 

Norman was a 1996 Parade All-American and Texas Football Super Team member after setting Midland Lee’s program record with 20 career interceptions. As a junior in 1995, he intercepted 10 passes for 449 yards and four touchdowns. That’s an average of 44.9 yards per interception return, an average boosted by his record-setting 101-yard pick-six against Abilene Cooper. As a senior, he had 80 tackles, six interceptions, and a second consecutive First Team All-State appearance. He was the Class 5A State Defensive MVP that year. 

Norman was also a track star at Midland Lee, earning a silver medal at state in the 300M hurdles and a bronze medal as a leg of the 4x400M relay team. He was enshrined in the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 2025. 

Post TXHSFB Career

Norman became a three-year starter at safety and linebacker at Texas Tech. As a senior, he tallied 106 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and three interceptions. That year, he also showed off his dynamic athleticism by leading the Big 12 in punt return yards. 

Norman and his brother established Norman Elite, a training service for kids ages 8-18 focusing on mentorship and character development. The brothers won the Midland Entrepreneurial Challenge for their work. Norman is now a Midland City Councilman.

 

3. Kevin Smith, West Orange-Stark 1984-87

Kevin Smith’s baseball career ended during his sophomore year at West Orange-Stark when he was struck in the face by a fastball. It turned into the origin story for one of the greatest Texas high school football players of all time.

Smith led West Orange-Stark to back-to-back Class 4A State Championships in 1986 and 1987. He was a two-way standout as a senior with nine interceptions on defense and 12 touchdown receptions at wide receiver. He was heavily recruited to play offense, but he ultimately made the UIL All-Century team as a cornerback and was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 2016.

Post TXHSFB Career

Smith is still regarded as one of the best defensive backs in Texas A&M history. A three-time All-Southwest Conference selection, Smith finished his career as Texas A&M’s all-time leader with 32 pass breakups. While that figure was eventually eclipsed, Smith still stands as the Aggies’ all-time record holder with 20 career interceptions, 289 interception return yards, and three pick-sixes. As an All-American in 1991, he scored six special teams touchdowns.

Smith was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the youngest player on the roster at 21 years old and starting in the Super Bowl that year. He went on to intercept 19 passes over eight seasons, winning three Super Bowls and earning a Pro Bowl nod. Smith received the keys to the city of Orange after he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

 

2. Bobby Taylor, Longview 1988-91

Longview is a historic Texas high school football program. The Lobos played their first season in 1909 and currently have the sixth-most wins in state history. Bobby Taylor was the first player ever to have his jersey retired by the program. 

Head coach Robert Bero once called him, ‘the best all-around athlete in the state.” Taylor was a USA Today All-American and a Texas Football Super Team member after intercepting four passes and returning three touchdowns in one season. He was also an all-district basketball player on Longview’s 1992 state championship basketball team and ran a leg on Longview’s state champion 4x400M relay team. 

The two-time all-state selection was enshrined in the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 2012 and is on the UIL’s All-Century team.  

Post TXHSFB Career:

Heavily recruited by the legendary Lou Holtz, Taylor was one of the first commitments to Notre Dame in the Class of 1992. He was a Jim Thorpe award finalist as a sophomore and an All-American as a junior before declaring for the NFL Draft. He went on to a 10-year NFL career and was a one-time All-Pro. 

Taylor is now a Strategic Advisor for NFL Football Operations and the league’s Global Flag Football Advisor.

 

1. Earl Thomas, West Orange-Stark 2003-06

Earl Thomas was so good at football that the town of Orange, Texas, created “Earl Thomas Day” in 2007, only a year after he graduated. West Orange-Stark went 24-2 over his final two seasons, and Thomas was the main reason why. In his career, he had 112 tackles, 11 interceptions, and four return touchdowns on defense and special teams, while adding 2,140 receiving yards and 1,850 rushing yards on offense. He was far more than just a football player, as well. Thomas averaged over 10 points per game in basketball, hit over .300 in baseball, and was on the state finalist 4x200M relay team. He even had a knack for music, changing out of his shoulder pads to play drums during the halftime show during his freshman year.  

Post TXHSFB Career

Thomas started 27 straight games from 2008-09 at the University of Texas, earning All-American honors and leading the Longhorns to the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. He became a foundational member of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” secondary, making seven Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl Championship.

But as he ascended into a national football star, Thomas never forgot his roots in Orange, Texas. His grandfather had built a church on the east side of Orange. His father had spent weeks rebuilding homes after Hurricane Harvey, while his mother was an unpaid church secretary. Thomas continued the family legacy by hosting his own free summer football camp and chartering two buses for townsfolk to attend the state championship games in Arlington.