One common misperception about college football in the modern era is that base defenses still focus on a 3-4 or a 4-3 defensive front.
More and more often, defenses spend more time with at least five defensive backs on the field than with seven defensive linemen and linebackers.
The nickel defense is the most common look. That has changed mostly in reaction to college football so heavily leaning on the pass — one of the reasons the NCAA may opt to keep the clock running following incompletions beginning next season, a rule change pending approval this offseason — but also as a luxury of more multi-faceted defenders.
Tariq Bracy may not have looked like a physical player on paper, listed at 185 pounds and 5-foot-10 ⅛ last season, but the veteran carried much of that weight in his legs, making him a powerful tackler as well as quick enough to keep up with most slot receivers.