We continue our position previews today with a look at Liberty’s safeties.
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Quarterbacks
Linebackers
Liberty’s safety room could be one of the most talented and experienced on the team, led by two returning starters and four seniors. Brylan Green, A’Khori Jones, and Eli Auguste have spent their entire career at Liberty while Eldric Griffin joined the Flames last year from the JUCO ranks, and Christian Bodnar returns from an illness that had him missing the second half of last season. This group spearheads the safety position that will be looking to help the Liberty defense be one of the best in CUSA.
Frontrunners
15 Brylan Green SR 5’9″ 180
Brylan Green may be the most recognizable name on the 2025 Liberty football roster. He arrived from Lafayette Christian Academy in Louisiana with much fan-fare as he was a highly rated prospect playing both football and baseball. After an early collegiate career playing both sports, Green decided to focus his attention on football and it has paid dividends. He finished the 2023 season as a first-team all-CUSA and all-American honoree after helping the Flames to a 13-1 season and Fiesta Bowl appearance when he was one of the nation’s leaders in interceptions. Now, entering his senior season, Green is poised to go out on top, both personally and as a team. He is a leader in the secondary and is one of the best in the country at using his baseball skills to track down passes that float in the air too long. Green has played in 36 games in his career, and he will utilize that experience to help this Liberty defense take the next step this season.
29 A’Khori Jones SR 5’10” 205
Maybe partly because of Brylan Green’s accolades throughout his career, Jones has been a bit under the radar. He was part of the same class as Green, joining the team for the 2022 season, and Jones was every bit the playmaker his true freshman season, playing in 11 games and finishing with 18 tackles and 3 TFLs. Jones has seen playing time in 35 games throughout his career. He started all 12 games last year with 53 tackles and 5 TFLs while leading the team in defensive snaps and special teams snap, truly a player the Flames could not afford to have off the field. With Jones and Green to lead the Liberty secondary, this could be one of the most talented and experienced safety rooms the Flames have ever had.
6 Christian Bodnar R-SO 5’11” 185
When Bodnar was last on the field in the first half of 2024, he was primarily used at safety. On Liberty’s roster this season, Bodnar is listed as a corner, and he has been working with both corners and safeties in camp so far during camp. There could be opportunities for Bodnar to play either position on the field for the Flames this season. Either way, whether it is at safety or corner, Bodnar will see his fair share of snaps.
3 Eldric Griffin SR 5’11” 200
Coming in as a JUCO transfer from Tyler Community College prior to the 2023 season, Griffin played in all 12 games for the Flames last year, finishing with 18 tackles. He was fourth on the team in snaps played at the safety position behind the aforementioned Brylan Green and A’Khori Jones as well as the graduated Quinton Reese. The path is open for Griffin to step into that vacated role and snaps played from Reese to help carry the load in the defensive backfield alongside Green and Jones.
14 Eli Auguste SR 5’9″ 190
Auguste has received numerous accolades for his work off the field such as being named to the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the CUSA Fall Spirit of Service Award recipient, and being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team watch list and the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watch list. But Auguste has also quietly had a strong career on the football field. Beginning his career as a walk-on, Auguste quietly did his work in the film room and weight room while slowly working his way up the depth chart. In 2023, he played in all 12 games, primarily on special teams, before carving out a more substantial role in the secondary last season, also playing in all 12 games. Now entering his final year, Auguste adds to the veteran experience in the safety room, and he rounds out a strong, steady, and experienced top four rotation at the position.
Competition
19 Jayden Whaley SO 6’2″ 185
One name that could emerge in the secondary is Jayden Whaley. The 6’2″, 185 pound athlete played in 10 games in 2024 as a freshman for Hampton. He finished the year with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups while playing more than 400 snaps. Whaley, who could play either corner or safety, was named an HBCU Freshman All-American. Whaley is originally from James Island, South Carolina and James Island High School. He helped lead them to a 12-1 record in 2023 as a senior, finishing with 45 tackles in 12 games with two tackles for loss and three interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown. He was a three-year starter in high school.
0 Jalon Rock R-SR 5’10” 165
Like Whaley, Rock also transferred to Liberty this season and could play either corner or safety. He was a mid-year enrollee, joining the Flames for the spring from Weber State. He played in 33 career games over the past three seasons at Weber State, finishing his time there with 70 career tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and a sack with 13 pass breakups and two interceptions.
10 Ronald Moore, Jr. R-FR 5’11” 195
Joining Liberty last spring as a true freshman, Moore quickly caught his coaches’ attention with his physical play on the field. Unfortunately, that was cut short with an injury during the spring, forcing him to miss all of 2024. As he continues to work his way back from injury, Moore will be looking to fight his way up the depth chart during camp.
7 Devin Henderson R-FR 5’10” 200
Like Dean, Henderson was a true freshman last year. A mid-year enrollee, he redshirted last season.
Depth
32 Davion Dean FR 6’1″ 185
38 Tre Lawing JR 6’0″ 200
39 Dylan Mullins JR 5’11” 190
