College Football's Best of the Best

8/8/2019 College Football's Best of the Best

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The Best of

the Best2010-2011 Season

Then look no further.

The 2010-2011 Best of the Best guide is here.

This guide lists and ranks, qualifies and quantifies,

analyzes and examines the best players from the best

teams in all six BCS conferences. We rank breakdown

players within their own team, then within their own

conference, and finally, against each other.

Weve left no stone unturned and we hope you enjoy

reading the first edition of what we hopes to be an

annual publication.

Mostly, we just hope this list stirs some lively debate.

Enjoy.

Looking for a comprehensiveranking of all the big teams

and all the big players?

By Team

Rankings and Lists

By Conference

Scott Tolzien

QB, Wisconsin

Leonard Hankerson

WR, Miami

Tyler Sash S, Iowa

EBES

By Big Six


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2

Letter from the Editor:

Tothe(hopeful)loyalreaders:

Idliketosaythankyou.

Thankyoufortakingthetimetoconsiderthislittle

publication.

Admittedly,wereasmallstaff.Andultimately,theseare

justasmallstaffsopinions.

Butlikemanyofyouwhochosetoopenthistoday,weare

majorfansofcollegefootball,somuchyoucouldsay

weregeeksaboutit.

Sowhatexactlyareyoureading?Andwhyshouldyou

readfurther?

Well,atEBEditorial,wevetakenthetimetowatchmore

than220collegefootballgamesthisseason.Morethan

200ofthosehavebeenwatchedmorethanonce.Almost

allofthosehavebeenwatchedasbeenwatchedmore

thantwice.Soonandsoforth.

Atanaverageofabout135playspergame,thatswell,

waytoomanyplaystocount.

Butwedidit.Sometimestediously,sometimes

monotonously,wechartedeachplayineachgamefor

variousparameters.Andperhapsunfortunatelythere

wasnosophisticatedcomputerprogramorsoftwareto

helpinthistask.Downanddistance,yardsgained,yards

lost,completions,attempts,tackles,sacks,knockdowns

itwasalltakenintoconsiderationandwrittenbyhandor

typedintoaregularolExcelspreadsheet.

Usingbothnumericaldataandtheoldeyeballtest,these

rankingswerecreated.

Thesearentrankingsofwhowebelievewillmakethe

bestNFLers,orevenwhowethinkshouldhavebeenFirst

TeamAll-GatewayConferenceorthelike.Theseare

simplythebestplayersandtheyrelistedassuch.

Whosthebestcollegefootballplayeratthisverymomentathisposition?Inhisconference?Howdoeshestackup

againstplayersinotherconferences?

Youllfigureitouthere.

Apointortwoaboutqualificationoftheserankings:

Theindividualrankingsmaybethemostdifficulttask.For

eachlist,weonlyusedoneplayerperteamandeachteam

hadtohaveoneplayeronthelist.

So,forexample,ateamlikeVirginiaTechmaygetthe

shortendofthestickastheytakeacommitteeapproach.

Conversely,aplayerlikeJamesWhiteatWisconsinwas

leftoffthelistbecausewhilehemaybethethirdbest

runningbackintheBigTen,hesnoteventhebestonhis

team.

Finally,thisisntalistthatconsidersjustnumbers.Welike

tothinkitsanall-encompassinglist.Werankbystatistics,

sure,butalsobytalent(or,insomecases,perceived

talent)andrelativitymeaning,wouldGeorgiaTechs

AnthonyAllenputupasmanyyardsifhewereplayingin

TeamXssystem?

Westayedawayfromchartingoffensivelinemenand

tightends,too.Why?Because,frankly,theyreveryhard

toevaluate.Webegantodoitanddecidedwedidnt

wanttoboreyoutodeathwithtalkofbendsatthe

knees,notatthewaistandgreatfootworkbutstruggles

withspeedrushers.

Allthatbeingsaid,ifyouvemadeitthisfar,youreour

kindofreader.Youdigthroughthefluff,pompand

circumstanceandgettotherootofit.

Theresalotofinformationhere.Someofitwewishwe

couldhavebrokendownmorein-depth.

Buthey,theresalwaysnextyear.

Wehopeyoudebatethis.

Wehopeyousendupsharp-tonguede-mailsortweets

tellingushowcrazyweare.

Wehopeitmakesyouwanttoreaditagainnextyear.

Wehopeyouwanttoadviseonwhatyoulikedandwhat

youdidnt.

Mostly,wejusthopeyoulikeit.

Thankyouagainforreading.

Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Eric W. Bolin


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Big Ten - Quarterbacks

1. DenardRobinson Michigan2. TerrellePryorOhioState3. ScottTolzienWisconsin4. DanPersaNorthwestern5. RickyStanziIowa6. KirkCousinsMichiganState7. BenChappellIndiana8. AdamWeberMinnesota9. NathanScheelhaase Illinois10. MikeMcGloinPennState11. RobHenry-Purdue

Big Ten Conference

Largely dominated by powerful ground games andphysical defenses in recent years, the Big Ten

Conference produced three of the nations most

dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in

2010.

Robinson was a Heisman contender early. Pryor was

even better this year. And Persa led a team with no

real running game to speak of. Even Scheelhaase canmove the ball on the ground.

Times are changing in the Midwest.

Robinson:Itsreallyashamehehasmiddlingwidereceiversandnorunningback.Teamsloadedintheboxtostophim

andhestillranwildinthefirsthalf.Heslowedlate,but,man,gettheguysometalent.

Pryor:HebeatsNo.s3and4onthelistfromatalentperspectivealone.Seemspeoplewanttoknockhimdown

becauseofwhatheDOESNTdoinsteadofnotingwhathedoes.Those25TDthrowsarenothingatwhichtosneeze.

Tolzien:AnotherBigTenQBhedidalotwithalittle.HesnotexpectedtowingameshisRBsdothatbuthesas

efficientwithanyonewithlittlehelpatWR.

Persa:Wewanttoputhimhigher.HewasFirstTeamAllBigTen.Hecanrun,hecanthrowandheledtheCatsto

someimprobablewins.Butintightones,Northwesterndidntcomethrough,thushisdroptoNo.4.

Stanzi:SotheHawkeyescouldntrepeatlastyearssuccess.NotStanzisfault,really.Onlythrewfourinterceptionsto

gowithhis25touchdowns.Iowajustdidnthavethemagicof2009.

Cousins:ItdoesntseemfairthatwepropTolzienupforbeingagame-manageranddropCousinsforthesamething.

SpartybeatUWhead-to-headandCousinsdoesnthaveTolziensrunninggame.Buthealsothrewmoreinterceptions

andhasbetterreceivers.

Chappell:Yes,histeamstunk.Yes,heputupbignumbers.Yes,thosenumbersareaproductofthesystem.Still,hesa

goodquarterbackwithnooffensivelineandnorunninggame.

Weber:Talentisntlacking,butdecision-makingis.Justa2-to-1TDtoINTratioandhisteamslackofperformancegot

itscoachfiredmidwaythroughtheseason.Hardtorankhigher,regardlessoftalent.

Scheelhaase:NooneknewwhotheIlliniQBwouldbeatthebeginningoftheseason.Thefreshmantookthejoband

ranwithit.SixteenTDsareimpressiveconsideringhehastheworstreceivingcorpsintheconference.

McGloin:Hadheplayedthewholeseasonasstarter,hemaybehigher.Hetookovermidwaythroughandthrew13

TDandjust4INT.Toolittle,toolateforthejunior.WerealsothinkingthoseTDswereaproductofagoodreceiving

corpsandnotsomuchalotoftalentatQB.

Henry:Whatamess.ThreedifferentquarterbackstookthereinsinWestLafayette,Ind.,andnoneofthemweregood.

Henryfinishedasthestarterandwasbetterinhislasttwogames,buteventhoughhesafreshman,wedoubthell

takethereinsforgoodnextyear.


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SEC - Quarterbacks1. CamNewtonAuburn2. RyanMallettArkansas3. GregMcElroyAlabama4. AaronMurrayGeorgia5. StephenGarciaSouthCarolina6.

MikeHartlineKentucky

7. ChrisRelfMississippiState8. JeremiahMasoliOleMiss9. JeffBrantleyFlorida10. JordanJefferson LSU11. TylerBrayTennessee12. LarrySmith-Vanderbilt

Southeastern Conference

Newtons presence along makes the SEC QB club a

one of the best in the country.

There were more classic passers this year than we

would have figured. At least, classic passers fared

better than their dual-threat counterparts for themost part.

From top to bottom, it isnt terribly deep, but the

first four are all really good players. Oh, and more

than the group will be back next year.

Newton:Shocker,huh?Doweevenneedtogiveanexplanationhere?Didntthinkso.

Mallett:Maybethesecond-bestquarterbackinthecountry,notjusttheSEC.Ridiculousnumbersagainandhewas

bolsteredbyagoodrunningattack(atleastinthesecondhalf).Asure-firefirstrounderwhenheheadstotheNFL.

McElroy:Abetterseasonthanlast,believeitornot,atleast,individually.AhealthyJulioJoneshelped,butMcElroywon

gamesbecauseofhisarmattimesthisyear.Theultimategame-manager.

Murray:ItmighthavebeenabadyearinAthensbutdontblametheredshirtfreshman.Thingslookbrightforthe

Bulldogsinthefuture.His24-to-6TD-INTratioistiedwithNewtonforSECsbest.

Garcia:Talentfinallyshinedthroughattimesthisyear.Hecanrun,hecanthrow,buthestillgetsknockedapegortwo

forsomequestionabledecision-making.

Hartline:Maybewererankinghimhigherbecausehessuchasurprise.Wedidntthinkhehadashotintheworldof

beingQBagainthisyear.Hewonthejob,though,andputupmassivenumbers.Granted,hehastalentaroundhim,butyourelyingifyousawthiscomingfromhim.

Relf:Look,wejustdontthinkthathighlyofhim.Hecantthrowandhisrunsseemtohappenonaccident.Hejust

doesntlooklikeaterriblyskilledquarterbacktome,regardlessoftheteamsrecord.

Masoli:Ifthislistweretalentalone,hedprobablybethirdorfourth.Toobad.Hethrewwaytoomanyinterceptions

andclearlywasnttheplayerNutthopedhewouldbe.

Brantley:HellberememberedastheguywhocouldntreplaceTebow.Again,toobad.Hehadsomeoftheworst

throwsweveeverseen,buthealsohadsomeofthebestthathisreceiversstraightupdropped.Givehimtime,hellget

better.Tebowheisnt,though.

Jefferson:Hewasourpicktotakethebiggestleapforwardinallofcollegefootball.Um,thatwasaboutaswiseasour5-

7recordpickforOklahomaState.Hewasjustplainawfulthisyear.Noexcuseeitherbecausehehastalentaroundhim.

Bray:Less-than-stellarseasonfromthetwoVolsQBs.Neitherlookslikeafuturestar,orheck,evenafuturestarter,to

me.

Smith:Thedual-QBsystemcontinuesinpost-Cutlerera.Itstillisntworking.Neverthoughtwedsaythis,buttheymiss

MackenziAdams.


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Big XII - Quarterbacks1. RobertGriffinIIIBaylor2. BrandonWeedenOklahomaState3. LandryJonesOklahoma4. TaylorMartinezNebraska5. RyanTannehillTexasA&M6. BlaineGabbertMissouri7. TaylorPottsTexasTech8. CodyHawkinsColorado9. AustenArnaud IowaState10. CarsonCoffmanKansasState11. GarrettGilbertTexas12. JordanWebb-Kansas

Big XII

A case can be made for any of the top four to take

the No. 1 spot. The Big 12 had great QB play at thetop and poor QB play at the bottom. Everyone in

the middle played about to talent level and

expectations.

Unless a surprise from the group decides to turn

pro early, the Big XII has a lock on the bestreturning class for 2011.

Let the big numbers continue.

GriffinIII: Mostofourcolleagueswoulddisagree.Buttalent+numbers+morewinsthanexpected=topspotinthis

list.

Weeden:Wethoughthewasacapableplayerenteringtheseason,butweneverwouldhaveguessedhedputupthe

numbershehas,regardlessoftheteamsnewoffense.Reallyshinedandhasalegitcasefortopspothere.

Jones:Amazingathome,averageontheroad.Plus,youstillwonderwhathesthinkingbacktheresometimes.Big

playscomewithbigmistakeshere.Numberssayhesbest,wesayotherwise.

Martinez:Ifhecouldthrowworthalick,Idhavehimhigher.Runningskillsarenothingshortofamazing.Healsohad

somequestionmarksaroundhimthisyear(rumorsofhimquitting,teammatesdislikinghim,etc.),legitornot,soI

wonderwhatsgoingoninLincoln.

Tannehill:WewereallwrongonJarrodJohnson,letsfaceit.Tannehillcameinandhasplayedremarkably.Sure,he

doesnthaveawholeseasonunderhisbelt,butimaginewhattheAggieswouldhavedonewithhimallyear.

Gabbert:Numbersweredown,thushimbeingonlysixth.TheTigershadnobusinessdoingaswellastheydidthis

year,especiallyafterlosingDerrickWashingtonatRB.Gabbertknowshowtowinandisagreatproprospect.Its

toughtoputhimthislow.Didwearasseasonwenton,though.

Potts:Wonthejob,seeminglyatthelastminuteandsubsequentlyplayedlikeaguywhowonthejobatthelast

minute.Lotsoftouchdowns,butneededtodomore(atleast,neededtodomoretogohigheronthislist).

Hawkins:Oncetheposter-boyforhisdadsstrugglesatCU,HawkinscameinforTylerHansenaboutmidwaythrough

theseasonandlookedsharp.Hewasntamazingbyanymeans,butheotherthanthechokejobagainstKU(which

wasnthisfault),theBuffslookedbetterwithhimatQB.

Arnaud:WethinkhigherofArnaudthananyoneoutsideAmes,apparently.Hehashisissues(toomanypicks),butwereallylikehistalent.Ifheonlyhadtalentelsewherearoundhim.

Coffman:WedontcareifKSUwasbetterthisyear,CarsonCoffmanisnotagoodquarterbackEndofstory.

Gilbert:Gilbertmaybethebiggestdisappointmentincollegefootball.Hewasscaredinthepocket,madeterrible

throws,didntshowhecouldrunverywell.Weexpecthimtogetbetter,butweclearlyoverratedhim.

Webb:HewasntgoodthisyearfortheJayhawks,buttheresreasonforhope.KUneedsalotofchangetogetbetter,

though.


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g

ACC - Quarterbacks1. TyrodTaylorVirginiaTech2. RussellWilsonNorthCarolinaState3. DannyOBrienMaryland4. ChristianPonderFloridaState5. JoshNesbittGeorgiaTech6.

T.J.YatesNorthCarolina

7. JacoryHarrisMiami8. KyleParkerClemson9. MarcVericaVirginia10. SeanRenfreeDuke11. TannerPriceWakeForest12. ChaseRettigBostonCollege

Atlantic Coast Conference

To be honest, we were never as high on Tyrod

Taylor as others. We had him ranked in the middle

of the pack last year and only fourth to enter thisyear.

Theres a lot of talent in the first seven spots, but allbut the top three played below their talent level

and the ACC continued to be a conference others

dont think too highly of.

Its a new season next year, though, as most wont

Taylor:ThingsdidntstartwellinBlacksburg.DarrenEvansdidnthavetheseasonpeoplehoped,nordidaninjured

RyanWilliams.ThatleftTaylortodomorethanheshouldandherespondedwithhisbest-everseason.

Wilson:Oncehadthelongeststreakofpasseswithoutaninterception.Well,thatwastwoyearsagoandhethrew14

thisyear.Notgood.Buthesthebestsmallquarterbackinthecountry,still.

OBrien:HedidntbegintheseasonasstarterintheTerpssupposedrun-heavyoffense.Oncehecamein,though,

Marylanddida180.Fromall-runtomostly-pass,itwasasolidseasoninCollegePark,mostlythankstoOBrien.

Ponder:DarkhorseHeismantalkwasoverstated,butitsnotlikePonderhadabadyear.Welltake20TDand8INT

fromourquarterbackmostyears.Lostsomebadgames,butwonalltheonestheyshouldhave.

Nesbitt:ClearlymissedDemariyusThomasatWRandJonathanDwyeratRB,butstillhadagreatseasonrunningthe

ball.YouwontfindanyoneinFBSthatthrowsaworselookingballbutNesbittcanstillmakeyougaspwhenhegetsin

openspace.

Yates:Heneverdoesanythingspectacularandhelloccasionallymakeyouwanttosay,Whatthehellareyou

doing!?Buthetookateamwithalotofproblemstoadecentrecord.

Harris:YouhavetofeelforHarrisandthewholeMiamiprogram.CoachRandyShannonturnedthemintoastand-up

programandwouldhavekepthisjobhadHarrisbeenhealthythisyear.Aconcussionknockedhimoutmidway

throughandtheCanesstruggled.Hardtoseethekidgooutlikethat.

Parker:Yes,wesaidittwoyearsagoandweresayingitagain:DaboSwinneyshouldhavechoseWillyKornashis

starter.Instead,KornwenttoMarshall,ParkertookthereinsandTigersstunkthisyear.Sticktobaseball,Parker.

Verica:TheCavaliersarentagoodfootballteam.Theyhaventbeeninalongtime.Vericaissimplyastopgapoption

fortheteamatQB.Hethrewforalotofyards,buttheresnothingspecialaboutanythinggoingoninCharlottesville.

Renfree:Toughtoreplacetheschoolsbest-everplayer(askJohnBrantley)andRenfreewasntquiteready.Hewas

highlytoutedcomingoutofHS,but17INTsweretoomanyforanyoneonanyteam.Heneedstogetbetter.

Price:ThefreshmanhadmomentsthatlookedgoodandtheyreclearlybuildingforthefutureinWinston-Salem,but

thisyear,Pricewasnottheman.

Rettig:Somehow,BostonCollege,whichusedthreequarterbacksthisseasonwenttoabowlgame.Rettigendedthe

seasonasstarter,buthehad6TDsand7INTs.Infact,noBCQBhadbetterTDtoINTnumbers.


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PAC 10 - Quarterbacks

1. AndrewLuckStanford2. DarronThomasOregon3. MattBarkleyUSC4. NickFolesArizona5. JakeLockerWashington6. JeffTuelWashingtonState7. NateRileyCalifornia8. RyanKatzOregonState9. StevenThreetArizonaState10. NateBrehaut-UCLA

PAC 10 Conference

The conference is loaded with NFL talent. Thomas

finished second, but hes probably seventh on NFL

draft boards.

But college isnt the pros and these arent the bestcollege football players the PAC 10 has ever had.

Luck shines however.

Status for next year is unclear as the best ones

Luck:IfitwerentforCamNewton,folkswouldbetalkingLuckforHeisman.Helooksbettereachweek,despitenot

havingthemostbrilliantofcastsandputupridiculous4-to-1TDtoINTratio

Thomas:Hedoesntthrowthesharpestballintheworld,butitsnottheugliesteither.Weirdly,heslargelyoverlooked

despiteplayingontheNo.1teaminthecountry.Efficientwithbothhislegsandarms,noQBhadmorerushingyards

thanThomasinthePac10.

Barkley:Look,itwasnthisfaulttheTrojansdidntexactlyknockitoutoftheparkthisyear.Hewaslargelyimproved

followinganunspectacularyear.Hethrewtoomanypicks,butthatoffensewashummingmostoftheyear,evenwith

downtalent.Hellonlygetbetter.

Foles:Anotherdual-threatinaconferencepackedwiththem,Folesdidntexactlytakeahugestepforwardinhissecond

yearasfull-timestarter.ButhedidenoughandwiththeconferencesbestWRinhisarsenal,enoughwasenough.

Locker:Sure,hesoverrated.Butdoesntmakehimabadplayer.Lockersnotthebestcollegequarterbackyoullever

see.Hesjustanathlete.Butareallygoodone.Itseasytothrowhimunderthebusasoverratedpeoplethinkhe

doesnthaveskills.Buthesstillasolidquarterback.

Tuel:What?AWashingtonStateplayerthishigh?ItspeaksmoretothelackofdepthinthePac10quarterbackposition

thananythingelse.TuelmadetheCougsNOTtheworstteaminFBS.Hesnothingtobuildon,buthehandledaterrible

gigadmirably.

Riley:TheGoldenBearsaresimplyamess.Theyseemtohavethesametypesofseasonsoverandover.Rileyisthe

definitionoftheteamsperformance.Helooksgreatoneweek,terriblethenext.Hewasknockedoutneartheendof

theseasonandreplacedby(yuck)BrockMansion.Mediocre,atbest.

Katz:LosingbigplayWRJamesRodgersatthebeginningoftheseasondidnthelp,butKatzstillshouldhavelooked

better.TheBeaversdidntthrowtheballalot,buttheresareasonforthat.Katzneedstoimprove.

Threet:Hugearm,decentskillaroundhim,butitwasclearwhyheleftMichiganhesimplyisntuptosnuff.Sixteen

INTsarewaytoomany.Butwithhisphysicaltools,hecouldgetbetter.

Brehaut:Justbad.UCLAhasalmostnothinggoingforitonoffense.Brehautcameinabouthalfwaythroughtheyearand

didnothingtoimpress.Infact,eventhoughhehadbetternumbersthanKevinPrincethemanhereplacedthe

Bruinsregressedinthesecondhalfoftheyear.BadtimesinWestwood.


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Big East - Quarterbacks

1. GenoSmithWestVirginia2. ZachCollarosCincinnati3. TinoSunseriPittsburgh4. RyanNassibSyracuse5. B.J.DanielsSouthFlorida6. ZachFrazerUCONN7. AdamFromanLouisville8. ChasDodd-Rutgers

Big East Conference

It was certainly not the Year of the QB in the Big

East.

Each player has the ability to be a capable, if not

solid, player, but they all had more mistakes thanthey should have and the conferences reputation

took yet another blow because of it.

That being said, theres nowhere to go but up.

Smith:Thebestofasubpargroup,Smithwassolidintheteamswins,butawfulintwooftheirlosses(3INTs

in19-14lossvs.Syracuseand14-of-29ina20-14lossagainstLSU).Notflashy,butperformancesagainst

Maryland(268yards,4TD)andPitt(212yardsand3TDon9-of-12passing)vaulthimtothetop.

Collaros:Hehasthebestnumbersofanyoneinthegroup.LedtheconferenceinTDpassesandyards,but

whatIremembermostisntthe463yardsandthreetouchdownsagainstUSF.ItstheinterceptionhethrewagainsttheBullswhentheBearcatsweredrivingtotaketheleadinthethirdquarter.Cincylostthegame

andoutthedoorwentanyhopesofaBigEasttitle.

Sunseri:AfteraslowstartforthePanthers,Sunseriledathree-gamewinningstreakinthemiddleofthe

seasonthathadPittcontrollingitsownBCSdestiny.Butinthefinalthreegames,Sunserimanagedjust

threeTDstoalongwiththreeINTsandthePantherslosttoUCONNandWestVirginia,bequeathingcontrol

oftheBigEasttotheHuskiesintheprocess.

Nassib:TheOrangecanthanktheirQBfortheirbowleligibility.AlongwithteammateDeloneCarter,Nassib

ledtheSyracuseresurgencewith16TDandjusteightINTs.Hefadedintheteamsfinaltwogames,though,

throwingforjust318yardsandtwoINTsintwolossestoclosetheseason.

Daniels:Likehisteam,hecanbeatuponthenobodies,butcantcomethroughintheclutch.Danielsthrew

sixTDsandjusttwoINTsingamesagainstteamswithalosingrecord,butgetthisjustoneTDand12INTs

againstteamswithawinningrecord.Somehow,hesstillfifthonthislist.(DoIhavetofinishtheBigEast?

Ugh.)

Frazer:Hebegantheseasonasstarter,thenwasreplaced,thenbecamestarteragain.Hewasntdoingthe

jobwellenoughastheHuskiesstartedtheseason2-2.ButwhenhecamebackonforthesuspendedCody

Endres,theHuskiesfinished4-0andarenowinprimepositionfortheirfirstBCSberth.

Froman:TheresnotalotoftalentinLouisville,butFromandidnthaveahalf-badyear.Hemissedtheteamsfinalfourgames,sohis1,633yards,11TDsandfourINTsarenttooshabby,especiallyconsidering

thelackoftalentaroundhim.

Dodd:Heslastonthislistbecausehisteamwent2-6withhimatthehelm.Notgood.Hehaddecentgames

inwinsoverUCONNandArmy(thetwowins)butclearlyworedownastheseasonwent.


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Big Ten Running Backs

1. JohnClayWisconsin2. MikelLeShoureIllinois3. DanHerronOhioState4. EdwinBakerMichiganState5. AdamRobinsonIowa6. EvanRoysterPennState7. VincentSmithMichigan8. MikeTrumpyNorthwestern9. DanDierkingPurdue10. DeLeonEskridgeMinnesota11. TreaBurgessIndiana

Big Ten Conference

The days of ground-and-pound football may be

going the way of the dodo and even though the BigTen had more spread teams this year, they still run

with the best of them.

Clay is a superstar and its unfortunate his

teammates in the backfield couldnt make the list.

Theres great talent at the top, but the depth isnt

there like usual.

Clay:YoucouldmakethecasethatClaywasnteventhebestRBonhisownteamthisyear.Youdalsobewrong.Inthe

Oct.16winagainstOhioState,Clayrackedup104yardsandtwotouchdownsenoughforthewinningmargin.

TeammateJamesWhiteledtheteaminrushing,butdidalotofdamageingamesagainstIndiana,Michiganand

Northwesterntocloseouttheseason.

LeShoure:Ledtheconferenceinrushingbymorethan200yardsandwasabouttheonlysourceofconsistentoffense

theIllinihadallyear.Sure,theteamonlywent4-4inconferenceplay,butthatwaswithmanyteamspackingthebox

witheightguys.His1,380yardswerethemostsinceRashardMendenhallin2007.Prettydecentcompany,eh?

Herron:IwasntsureHerronwasthebestrunningbackontheteamatthestartoftheyear.Hedidntcollecthisfirst

100-yardgameuntilOct.30againstMinnesota,buthescoredineverygamebutaseason-openingwinagainst

Marshall.Somethingtosaidforconsistency.

Baker:WhenhisteamneededhiminthefinalregularseasongameagainstPennStateBakerwastherewith118

yardsandatouchdownina28-22wintokeepMSUintheBigTentitlehunt.Hecanbeelectrifying,buthisbestgames

wereagainstMichigan,FloridaAtlanticandMinnesotanotexactlythebestDsintheworld.

Robinson:TheHawkeyesreceivedconsistentproductionfromtheirfeaturebackthisyear.Hewasneverspectacular

andhelikelyneverwillbe.Buthis94yardsrushingpergamewasgoodforfourthintheconference.Solid,ifunspectacular.

Royster:Hedidnthaveabadyear.ButtheNittanyLionsneededmorefromtheirbestplayerthisseason.Hefinished

justshortof1,000yardsrushingbuteclipsed100yardsjustthreetimes(Michigan,TempleandNorthwestern).Plus,he

waspooringamesagainstAlabamaandOhioState.

Smith:Thefreshmanhadtimesofbrilliance(Purdue,Illinois,Indiana),butnothingjumpsoffthecharts.Hedidntbreak

100inanygameandtotallydisappearedintheseasonfinaleagainstOhioState

Trumpy:Hedidntbecomeengrainedinthebackfielduntiltheteamsfourthgame.Andhewasneverafeature-backin

theclassicsense.ButhecatchestheballwelloutofthebackfieldandprovidedtheCatswithmorethanthethreatof

Persaontheground.

Dierking:Hehadagoodmiddleoftheseasonforateamwithalmostzerooffensivefirepower,buthefadeddownthe

stretch(39,24andeightyardsinhisfinalthreegames).

Eskridge:Hadmoreyards(698)thanTrumpy,SmithandDierking,andaddedsevenscores,butalsohadanabysmal3.2

yardspercarry.TheGopherswouldhavebeenbetterservedgivingitmoretoheadcaseDuaneBennett(529,4.3ypc).

Burgess:HadtheunenviabletaskofreplacingDariusWilliswhenWilliswentdowninWeekFour.Hehada102-yard

outburstagainstArkansasState,butaveragedjust26yardspergameinconferenceplay.


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10

SEC Running Backs1. MarkIngramAlabama2. MarcusLattimoreSouthCarolina3. KnileDavis-Arkansas4. StevanRidleyLSU5. BrandonBoldenOleMiss6.

DerrickLockeKentucky

7. VickBallardMississippiState8. TaureanPooleTennessee9. MichaelDyerAuburn10. WashaunEaleyGeorgia11. JeffDempsFlorida12. WarrenNormanVanderbilt


Our listing of Ingram at the top may ruffle some

feathers. Were OK with that. We took into

consideration his injury and we still think hes the

best.

But theres no better freshman RB (maybe player,

period) than Lattimore. Hed be a deserving No. 1,

too.

Theres a drop from No. 2 to No. 3, but almost nodrop from No. 3 to No. 9. Its a pick em with a

bunch of great backs.

Ingram:Keepinmind,thesearentAll-Conferencelists.Iftheywere,IngramwouldntbeNo.1.Thesearethebest

players.Ingramisatthetop.Hewasbangedupfortwogamesandstillnearlycracked1,000,evenwithhavingtoshare

carrieswithTrentRichardson.Crazygood.

Lattimore:So,wemissedtheboatwhenwecalledJarvisGilesthebestRBonthisteam.Iwaswrong.Bigtime.IwaslatetotheLattimoregamethisseason,too,thinkinghisbrokentacklesweretheresultofpoordefenseintheearly

weeks.Yeahumsorryaboutthat,Marcus.

Davis:Hecameonmidwaythroughtheseasonandhasbeentheconferencesbestsince.AgainthisisntanAll

Conferencelist.Onlythingkeepinghimfrombeinghigherishisearlyseasonstruggles(admittedly,hedidntgetmuch

achanceinseasonsfirstfourgames).

Ridley:WeimaginethisonewillrileSECfolks.IthinkRidleyisreally,reallygood.Thinkaboutit.Teamsdidntrespect

theLSUpassinggame(whywouldthey?).TheyknewRidleywasgoingtogettheballandhestilltopped1,000yards.

WatchoutfortheTigersnextyear.

Bolden:Theresnotamorecompletebackintheconference.Hesnotapunishingrunner,noraterribleelusiveone.

Hejustrunsefficiently.OleMisscouldntpass.TeamsknewitandtheystillcouldntstopBolden.Locke:TheHugo,Okla.nativewasnthighlysought-afteroutofcollege,butwhenhesbeenhealthyhesbeena

tremendousback.Smallandquick,Lockemakesplentyoftacklersmissandistheleaguesbestpass-catchingRB.

Ballard:OnlyNewtonandLattimorehadmoretouchdownsthanthebighossinStarkville.HeranalloverHouston,

Florida,Kentucky,andArkansas.SputtersagainstOleMissandanaverageAlabamaDkeephimdown.

Poole:Bestnumbersofanyonerankedthislow.Pooles994yardsrushingwerefifthintheSEC,buthedidntwowus

withanythinghedid.The5.2yardspercarryaregoodandsoarethe11TDs,especiallywithapoorquarterback.But

really,whowouldyourankhimover?

Dyer:Dyerhadatremendousfreshmanyearsharingthebackfieldwithtwoothers.Nearlycracked1,000yards,butgot

almostnotouchesintheredzone.Hesjustafreshman,though.Maybehellbulkup.

Ealey:TheBulldogsstrugglesweredueinlargeparttonorunninggame,especiallywhenmissingAJGreen.Ealeygetsmostoftheblame.NothisfaultteamlostatColorado(heonlyhadonecarry),butsaveforbigperformancesagainst

Ga.TechandKentucky(5TDs)whatdidhereallydo?

Demps:Floridasrunningbacksarenon-existent.Dempsisahybrid,likemanyofthosebeforehim.TheGatorssimply

cannotruntheballtraditionally.NotDempsfaulthesoutofposition,but531yardsand3TDswontdo.Shouldhave

gottentheballmore(just8carriespergame).

Norman:Hesnotthisbad.Notworstinconferencebad,anyway.Hesnotgreateither.Vanderbiltjustdidnthave

anoffense,period.Impressive6yardspercarry,buthedidntevenbreak100carries.Haspotentialtomoveupthis

list.


11/58

11

Big XII Running Backs

1. KendallHunterOklahomaState2. DeMarcoMurrayOklahoma3. DanielThomasKansasState4. RodneyStewartColorado5. CyrusGrayTexasA&M6. JayFinleyBaylor7. RoyHeluNebraska8. AlexanderRobinsonIowaState9. BaronBatchTexasTech10. DeVionMooreMissouri11. JamesSimsKansas12. CodyJohnsonTexas

Big XII

Take any of the top three RBs on this list if you can

get them.

Hunter may be our favorite player in the country.

Thomas is an animal for the college game. AndMurrays all-around game is largely

underappreciated.

The middle of the pack (Stewart through Batch) are

a stable of very good to pretty good RBs, but the

bottom of the list is atrocious.

Were curious to see who steps up in 2011.

Hunter:Forourmoney,theresnobetterRBincollegefootball.Hesatremendousrunner,agoodreceiveranda

decentblocker(forhissize).HecandojustabouteverythingandIllreallymisswatchinghimplay.

Murray:KendallHunterlite.HesbiggerthanHunteranddoesnthavethesamestyleatall,buthedoeseverything

Hunterdoes,justnotquiteaswell.OneofthemostunderratedplayersrecentOUmemory.

Thomas:Wewantedtoputhimsecondonthislist.Hestremendouslytalentedandtheresnobetterpurerunnerin

theBig12.Hejustdoesnthavetheall-aroundgameofMurray.Lookslikethekindofplayerthatwillhaveadecent

NFLfuture,though.Besttheyvehadhereinyears(pre-Sproleseven).

Stewart:Thepint-sizedstalliondidnothinginoureyestodetractfromhisstatusasup-and-comer.FinishedthirdinBig

12inrushingandadded10touchdownsforateamthatreallywasntgoodatall.Shouldneartopnextyear.

Gray:AsmuchasRyanTannehillgetscredit(andrightfullyso)forresurrectingtheAggiesseason,Grayisntfarbehind.

Hetookthefeature-backrolefromChristineMichaelagainstKansasonOct.23andhasntrushedforfewerthan100

yardsinanygamesince.Oh,andAggiesareunbeatensincelossagainstMizzouonOct.16,too.

Finley:OK,wevebeenself-deprecatingthroughout,sonowtimetogiveourselvesprops.WesaidlastyearFinleywas

aplayer,butheendeduphurt.Thisyear,hesrunfor1,155yardsandhadahuge250-yardgameagainstKansasState

midseasontoputBayloratoptheBig12South.Hasntslowedsincewithgamesof116,91,169and82.

Helu:Finishedfifthintheconferenceinrushing,soyoudthinkhedbehigher.Alas,UNLdoesntthrowtheball,so

someonehastofinishhigh.He,MartinezandfellowRBRexBurkheadmakeadynamicthree-headedattack,butHelu

hadonlyaso-sokindofyearinoureyes.

Robinson:Hefinishedwith946yardsrushingandninetouchdowns.Hisnumbersdroppedfromlastyear,sure,buthe

didntgetanyworse.Othersjustgotbetter.StillagoodRBthatwedwantonourteam.

Batch:Hedid,however,appeartogetworse.Batchhad805yardsfortheRedRaiders,butwasnttheforceTommy

TubervilleneededinhisfirstyearinLubbock.Batchstillcatchestheballwellandisaserviceableback,butelitehe

isnt.

Moore:TookoverforthedismissedDerrickWashingtonearlyintheyearandranforeighttouchdownsonfewerthan

100carries.Theressomepromise,butfinishedwithjust485,splittingtimewithfroshHenryJoseyandsophomore

KendialLawrence.Nothingtoseehere.

Sims:WedidntlikeTobenOpurumenteringthisseason,eventhoughhewascomingoff554yardsand9TDsin

limitedduty.SimstookhisjobquicklyandOpurummovedtoLB.Ilikethefreshmanmuchmoreandhis742yardsand

ninetouchdownsarenthalfbad,buthesalongwaytogo.

Johnson:CodyJohnson,FozzyWhittakerandTreNewtonareNOTEarlCampbell,RickyWilliamsandCedricBenson.

Johnsongetsthenodasthebestbecauseofhis6TDsand592yards,butthisisclearlytheworstoftheBig12.


12/58

12

ACC Running Backs

1. MontelHarrisBostonCollege2. AnthonyAllenGeorgiaTech3. DamienBerryMiami4. AndreEllingtonClemson5. DaRelScottMaryland6. JohnnyWhiteNorthCarolina7. KeithPayneVirginia8. DarrenEvansVirginiaTech9. ChrisThompsonFloridaState10. JoshHarrisWakeForest11. MustafaGreeneNorthCarolinaState12. DesmondScottDuke


As much as the ACC QBs suffered from

inconsistency, the RBs were plenty consistent. Most

were consistently mediocre.

Its unfortunate the Hokies great duo of Evans andRyan Williams was shaken up most of the year. Too

bad, too, Scott never could get healthy for the

Terps.

Harris is the class of the group. Allen and Berry

arent far behind. But the uninjured others are

Harris:LikeMikeCloudandWilliamGreenbeforehim,HarrisisagoodplayeronsomeprettymediocreEaglesteams.He

didntmatchhisnearly1,500yardsrushingand14TDfrom2009,but1,243and8TDisntabadyearbyanymeans.Plus,

theteamwasmuchlessreliantonhimthisyear.NothisfaultandherunsawaywiththehonorsofbeingtheACCsbest

thisyear.

Allen:IfyouplayRBinAtlantayouregoingtorackuptheyardage.NotquiteasskilledasJonathanDwyerbeforehim,

AllenisstillagoodbackintheYellowJacketssystem.His5.7ypcwerethebestofanyoftheconferencesfeature-backs.

Berry:Ranforjust865yards,butsplitcarrieswithLamarMiller.ItsnotasthoughBerryisntapotentialone-man-gang.

Millersaplayer,too.ItwasjustaroughyearforallthingsHurricanes.Berrynotwithstanding.

Ellington:Imalreadystretchinghere.TheACCjustdidnthavegreatbacksthisyear.Ellingtonputuparespectable76

yardspergameand10TDs,though,foraprettybadClemsonteam.

Scott:Whenhealthy,ScottisthebestRBintheconference.Problemwas,hewasnthealthy.Hestillhadsomereps,but

DavinMeggetthadthebulk.Combinetheirnumbersandyouget1,100-plusyards,butonlysevenTDs.Needmore

scorestorankuphigher.Still,talentaloneputshimhighinaweakconference.

White:Hitandmissallyear,WhitemissedthefinalthreefortheHeels.ShinedingamesagainstGa.TechandClemson,

hestruggledagainstVirginia,LSUandRutgers.Startedtopickituphalfwaythroughtheyear,andhadhefinished

healthy,hewasonpacetobreak1,000andprobablywouldhavebeenNo.4onthelist.

Payne:TheCavsmanagedjustoneconferencewinthisseason.TheycanthankPayneforit.Heranfor81yardsandtwo

TDswinanOct.30againstMiami.Hefollowedwith121and68moreinthenexttwobeforegoingdownwithinjury.

Evans:TheRBsituationinBlacksburgwasbycommitteeallyear.RyanWilliamsisclearlythebestofthebunch(second

onlytoHunterformymoney),butmissedfourgamesmidseason.Evansgivesyou15carriesand75yardseverynight

andisaforcearoundthegoalline.Still,theHokiesaresplittoomuchforahigherranking.

Thompson:LiketheHokies,theNolesusedacommitteeapproach.Joneswasthemaninthefirstfew,Thomasthe

middlefewandThompsonwasaregularthroughout,butclearlythemostaverageofthethree.Again,thecommittee

approachnecessitatestheirranking.

Harris:ThefreshmantookthereinsfromseniorJoshAdamsearlyintheseasonandrespondedwithhugegamesagainst

Va.Tech(241yards)andVanderbilt(138).Everythingelse,though,wasnothingspecial.Heonlybroke50yardstwice

more.Still,justafrosh,hellmaketheDeacsbetterinyearstocome.

Green:HowtheWolfpacknearlymadetheACCtitlegamewithGreenecarryingtheload,Idontknow.Hehadjustfour

TDsandasubpar4.5ypcandneverbroke100yardsinagame.LikeHarris,though,heisjustafreshman.

Scott:Threetouchdownsand530yardswasalltheBlueDevilsreceivedfromtheirfeatureback.TeammateBrandon

Connetteadded321and8TDs,butthisisclearlyateamthatreliesonthepass.Scottsjustasophomore.


13/58

13

PAC 10 Running Backs

1. LaMichaelJamesOregon2. JacquizzRodgersOregonState3. ShaneVereenCalifornia4. StepfanTaylorStanford5. ChrisPolkWashington6. JonathanFranklin UCLA7. MarcTylerUSC8. KeoliaAntolinArizona9. DeantreLewisArizonaState10. JamesMontgomeryWashingtonState

PAC 10 Conference

Any other year LaMichael James would have been a

near shoo-in for Heisman.

This is a conference with great depth and youth to

go around. The players at the top will be gone, butwe like Franklin and Lewis to improve tremendously.

The PAC 10 doesnt get enough credit for its

running game, we think.

James:TheTexarkananativereceivedatriptoNYCforhiseffortsthisyear.Morethan1,500yardsand19TDswillgrab

youthatright.HewasthefuelbehindtheDucksattackallseasonlongandeasilytakeshomethetopspot.

Rodgers:IfJamesisaclear-cutNo.1,Rodgersisevenmoreclearlysecond.Whenhiswidereceiverbrother,James

theteamssecondbestplayerwentdownearly,defensesconcentratedontheyoungerRodgers.Hestillranfor1,100

yards,broke100yardsinagamefivetimes(teamwent4-1whenhedid)andscored14TDs.ShamefortheBeaversJameswashurt.

Vereen:Anyoneelsefeellikehesbeenhereforever?Secondintheconferenceinrushing.fourthinrushingTDsand

thirdinrushingyardspergame,Vereenisaworkhorse.OnlyJamesandRodgershadmorecarriesandVereendidhis

1,167yardsworthofdamage(likeRodgers)willquestionsatQB.

Taylor:OneoffiveRBstobreak1,000yardsinthePac10,TaylorhadnoproblemfillingTobyGerhartsroleinthe

Stanfordbackfield.Strong,fastandjustasophomore,eveniftheCardinalloseLuck,theyllbeinfineshapenextyear.

Polk:Hey,theHuskiesmayhavebeenadisappointment,butdontblamePolk.Heranformorethan75yardsinevery

gamebutthreeandbroke100yardsfourtimes.HesthebestRBtheyvehadheresince(yep,Imgoinghere)Napoleon

Kaufman.

Franklin:NoteaminthecountryreliedmoreonplayerthantheBruinsdidwiththissophomore.TheBruinsstarteda

respectable3-2behindperformancesof60,73(losses),158,118,216(wins)yards.Heonlybroke100oncemore(Nov.

6winoverOSU)anditwastheonlyotherwintheBruinshadallyear.

Tyler:Averagedjust14carriesagameonhiswaytoasolid868yardsrushing.HeaddednineTDs,too.Teammate

AllenBradford,whoranforanawesome7.1ypc,vulturedsomeofTylerswould-betouches.Hesaseniornextyear

andwithhisimprovementandBarkleys,USCsoffensemightbebooming.Again.

Antolin:NicGrigsbyneverseemedtogetitgoingthisyearbecauseofinjury.Ashame.Heranfor100+intheseasons

secondgame,butdidntdoitagain.AntolinfollowedtheWildcatsmidseasonlosstoOSUwithperformancesof92,114

and111,buthadfewerthan150combinedintheteamsfinalthreegamesalllosses.

Lewis:WebelieveinDeantreLewis.WethinkhesgoingtobeaspectacularRBinthePac10.Itjustwasntthisyear.

Lewis(FR)andMarshall(SO)hadOKseasons,runningforacombined1,200+and12TDs,butitsnotenoughtorank

higher.Watchoutnextyear,though.

Montgomery:Thedudeistalented.Nodoubt.ButitlookslikeaterribledecisionleavingBerkelyforPullman.Monty

hadjust400yardsrushing(whichledtheteam)andavergedjust3.6ypc.Notwhatheenvisionedforhisfinalyear,Im

sure.


14/58

14

Big East Running Backs

1. JordanTodmanUCONN2. BilalPowellLouisville3. DeloneCarterSyracuse4. NoelDevineWestVirginia5. IsaiahPeadCincinnati6. DionLewisPittsburgh7. MoisePlancherSouthFlorida8. JordanThomasRutgers

Big East Conference

The top six players could play for any team in the

country.

Todman is a superstar. Devine and Lewis arent far

behind, despite having poor years and Carter andPowell turned in great finales to their careers.

A lot will lost next year, but this is the brightest

individual unit the conference has.

Todman:Letsfaceit,theBigEastisterrible.Awfullyterrible,infact.ButTodmanwouldbeinthetopthree

inanyoftheBCSconferences.Atalmost150yardsagame,heWAStheHuskiesoffense.His14rushingTDs

werefourmorethananyoneelseintheconferenceandhesthemainreasonUCONNasundeservingas

theymightbeisprimepositionforaBCSberth.

Powell:Cameoutofnowherethisyeartorunfor1,330yardsinjust11games.Inoneofthosegames,aNov.20losstoWestVirginia,hewasbangedupandhadzeroyardsonfourcarries.Anabsolutebeast.

DiscountingthegameagainsttheMountaineers,hewasheldtofewerthan80yardsrushingjustonce.

Carter:Acursoryglanceathisnumberssuggestsasolidyear,butalookinsideresultsinsomethingfurther.

Carteraveraged100yardsagameintheOrangewinsandjust67intheirfivelosses.Ashewent,sodidthe

Cuse.

Devine:Hesluckytobefourth.TalentalonegetshimaboveCincysIsaiahPead(whoranformoreonfewer

carries).Devinedidnthavethemagicalseasonof2009,butheservedasaperfectlylegitbackinthe

Mountaineersattack.Just4.5yardsacarrysixTDsisntthewayhewantedtogoout,though.

Pead:Peadmaybeworthyofahigherrankingonthislist.HeranforfiveofhissixTDsin-conferenceandran

for932yardsontheseason,butfourofthosescoresand358ofthoseyardscameintwocombinedgames

(winsoverRutgersandLouisville,theBearcatsonlytwoconferencewinsoftheyear).Hewasnexttonon-

existentintheteamsconferencelosses.

Lewis:ItsnotthatDionLewisbecamethatmuchworsethisyear.Inamedhimthebestbackinthe

conferenceinthepreseason,buthehadhalfasmanycarriesandnearlyhalfasmanyyardsasin2009.He

stillcouldntmanagetotophis5.5yardspercarryoflastseasonevenwiththelightenedworkloadand

completelydisappearedattimes.Ilookforabigbouncenextyearforthesophomore.

Plancher:HesplittimewithDemetrisMurraymostoftheyear,butdidmorethanMurray,thushislisting.He

wasntanythingspecial,really,andthereisalmostnodifferenceinsplitsin-conferenceandoutandbetween

winningandsub-.500teams.Hesconsistent,buthesconsistentlymediocre.

Thomas:ThomastookoverthefortheinjuredJoeMartineklateintheteamssecondgameoftheyearand

proceededtorunforjust354yards.Thingtonotehere,though:MartinekwastheteamsbestRB,butwas

hamperedbyanankleinjuryallyear.Also,TheScarletKnightshadfourplayerswithmorethan58carries,

butnonewithmorethan85.Reallyhardtogauge.


15/58

15

Big Ten Wide Receivers

1. JeremyEbertNorthwestern2. DaneSanzenbacherOhioState3. TandonDossIndiana4. RoyRoundtreeMichigan5. DerrellJohnson-Koulianos Iowa6. DerekMoyePennState7. JoVonMcKnightMinnesota8. B.J.CunninghamMichiganState9. NickToonWisconsin10. A.J.JenkinsIllinois11. CortezSmithPurdue

Big Ten Conference

Yes, the Big Ten threw more this year. But the skill at

WRs seems to be down.

Ebert isnt your typical No. 1, but neither would be

Sanzenbacher or Doss.

The list is dominated by more possession-type WRs

than big play ones because the big play guys on each

team struggled to make the more standard play.

The Big Ten, outside the state of Indiana, isnt used to

passing.

Ebert:Wepromisetheresnobiashere.EbertisthebestWildcatsWRsinceDWayneBates.Ledtheconferencein

receivingyardsandfinishedtied-thirdinTDs.

Sanzenbacher:HewassupposedtoplaysecondfiddletoDeVierPosey,buthisbig-playabilitymakeshimalegitNo.1.

Finishedwithjust52catches,butagreat17.1yardsperreceptionaverageandtiedtheleagueleadwith10TDs.

Doss:HecombineswithDemarloBelcherforthebestone-twoWRpunchintheconference.WithChappell,youhaveto

wondertheHoosiersweresobad.Sixty-threecatchesandeightTDsisntabadlittleseason.

Roundtree:WhentheWolverinesthrewtheball,Roundtreewastheprimarytarget.Had20morecatchesthananyone

elseonhisteamandfinishedwith63andsixTDs.Goodseasonforaguywhoplaysonateamthatpeoplethinkrun

allthetime.

Johnson-Koulianos: MarvinMcNutthadmorecatchesandmoreyards,butJ-Kwastheteamsbest.Hestheteams

bestredzonethreatandhasthebesthands.

Moye:MoyemaybeoneofthemosttalentedreceiversintheMidwest.Theproblemwashedidnthaveaworthwhilequarterbacktogethimtheball.ButhealsodidntdoenoughtojustifyhisloftypreseasonAll-BigTenstatus.Hedid,

however,finishwithsevenTDsinhislastsevengamestohelpvaultPSUintobowlcontention.

McKnight:HesnoEricDecker,buthis15.6yardspercatchand10TDsweremagnificentforabadteam.Hesjusta

junior,soheshouldgetevenbetter.

Cunningham:LikeIowa,Spartyisatoughchoicebetweentwoguys.IgivethenodtoCunninghamoverMarkDellfor

thesamereasonsasJ-KoverMcNutt.Cunninghamisathreattoscorenearthegoalline,ashisnineTDscanattest.

Toon:Forthepast10yearsorso,theBadgersbiggestreceivingthreathasbeenthetightend.Wisconsinreceiversneed

tocatchtheball,sure,buttheirbiggestcontributioncomesinblocking.Toonisntthemostaccomplishedblockerin

Wisconsin,buthesthebestcomboofreceivingandblockingontheteam.

Jenkins:FiftycatchesisntabadyearinanoffenseliketheIllinis.Jenkinsgetsdropped,though,becauseheseemsto

disappearlateingames.Ofhis50grabs,onlyfivecameinthefourthquarterorlater.Andhehadzerotouchdownsin

thatsametimeframe.

Smith:WhentheBoilerslostKeithSmith,theirbestplayer,itwasuptoCorteztofillthevoid.Hedidnt.Twoofhis

team-highfourTDswereinanearly-seasonwinoverBallState.TheothertwogameincloselossestoMichiganState

andIndianatoendtheseason.


16/58

16

SEC Wide Receivers

1. A.J.GreenGeorgia2. AlshonJefferySouthCarolina3. JulioJonesAlabama4. GregChildsArkansas5. RandallCobbKentucky6. ChadBumphisMississippiState7. DarvinAdamsAuburn8. TeranceToliverLSU9. DenariusMooreTennessee10. MikeLoganOleMiss11. DeonteThompson Florida12. JohnColeVanderbilt


Chicken or egg? Was the SEC good at passing because

of great QBs or great WRs?

The conference hasnt seen the quality of depth at this

position in quite sometime. And its a conference

known for producing big-time players at WR.

Green is one of the most dynamic weve ever seen andJones turned in a (finally) great year.

Theres talent coming out the ears here, from top to

bottom.

Green:ThemosttalentedwidereceiverintheSECgetsthetoprankinghere.Sure,hedidnthavethenumberofcatches

ortouchdownsashisbrethren,buthealsomissedthefirstfourgamesthisyear.ButwhenyouaveragemorethanaTD

agameandmorethan6rpgagame,itsworthyofahighranking.Besides,didntyouSEEsomeofthegrabshehad?

Jeffery:Big,strong,andfast,heseverythingJulioJoneswassupposedtobe.JefferydidabulkofhisdamageinUSCs

middlingpartoftheseason(7TDinfivegamesvs.Auburn,Alabama,Kentucky,VanderbiltandTennessee),butstillhad

thebestall-aroundseasonforaGamecocksreceiversinceSidneyRicesfinalyear.

Jones:SpeakingofMr.JonesHefinallyputupnumbersworthyofhispotentialthisyear.Bestedhispreviouscareer

highsincatches,yardspercatchandTDs.Itsweird,then,theCrimsonTidecouldntrepeatlastyearssuccess.

Childs:AlmostanyoftheRazorbackstopthreemaybeevenfourWRscanstakeaclaimastheteamsbest.Theydall

berankedrightaroundhere,too.WegivethenodtoChildsashehasthebestbigplayabilityandstillledtheteamin

mostreceivingcategoriesdespitemissingthefinalfourgames.

Cobb:TiedfortheconferenceleadinreceptionswithJeffrey,finishedthirdinyards,andtiedsecondinTDs.Froma

numbersperspective,hedeservesahigherranking.Heck,ifthiswereautilitylist,hedbehigher,too.ButUKthrew

theballalot,sosomeonehadtomakethegrabs.Atleastitwasagoodsomeone.

Bumphis:AlmosttheoppositeofCobb.Bumphisplayedinaground-heavyoffense,butstillmanagedasolid44grabs.

Sure,fourofhisfiveTDswereingamesagainstAlcornStateandMemphis,buthewashandsdownthebestonhisteam.

Adams:DefinitelythemosttalentedreceivertheTigershave,Adamsisalsothemostfrustrating.Heseemstonotquite

benaturalattheposition,relying,instead,onathleticism.Hisdropsandshakyrouterunningdrophimintherankings.

Toliver:HedidntleadLSUinyardsorTDs,andhepickeduphisonlytwoTDsagainstFlorida.Butitsthatgamethat

makeshimthebestoftheTigers.Remember,LSUstillhadnationaltitlehopesthatweek.Toliverkeptthemalive.

Moore:Maybethebestbig-playwidereceiverintheconference,apossessionreceiverMooreisnot.Itsallornothing

forhim,whichknockshimdownabit.Stillfinishedwithaconference-high21.2yardspercatchandtiedforthe

conferenceleadwithninescores.

Summers:SummersyearwaslikeMooresTDorbust.Finishedfourthontheteaminreceptions(onlyfourgrabsfrom

thetopspot),butledtheRebelsinscoresdespitehavingamediocrepassergettinghimtheball.

Thompson:ThebestoftheworstGatorsreceivingcorpsinrecentmemory.Thompsonhadjustonetouchdownanddid

nexttonothinginlossestoFloridaState,LSUandMississippiState.Nottotallyhisfault,butanyotheryear,wouldbe

thethirdbestonhisownteam.

Cole:BrandonBardenwastheteamsbestreceiver,buthesatightend.Colegetsthisspotforhis25catchesand317

yards.Thosenumbersshouldbereasonenoughtorealizehisrankingoflast.


17/58

17

Big XII Wide Receivers

1. JustinBlackmonOklahomaState2. RyanBroylesOklahoma3. JeffFullerTexasA&M4. KendallWrightBaylor5. LyleLeongTexasTech6. T.J.MoeMissouri7. ScottyMcKnightColorado8. NilesPaulNebraska9. JamesKirkendollTexas10. AubryQuarlesKansasState11. DaymondPattersonKansas12. JakeWilliamsIowaState

Big XII Conference

Only the SEC can match the Big XIIs top three at

WR. All three are truly fantastic players.

From Wright to Paul, theres a lot of good reliability

and a dash of play making.

But Texas, KSU, Kansas and ISU need to find moredepth and a true No. 1 to get back on the right

track.

This is a passing league with gigantic numbers. These

WRs are why.

Blackmon:Labeledasapotentialbreakoutplayerlastseason,BlackmonwasthereasonIwassodeadwrongaboutthe

Pokesthisyear.Thenumbersspeakforthemselves,butthebestthingaboutJ.B.?Watchhimontape.HesWIDEopen

almostallthetime.Exceptionalrouterunner.

Broyles:Sure,hisnumbersareinflatedbecauseOUthrows.Andthrows.Andthrows.Buthesstilloneofthetopthree

orfourWRsincollegefootball.AndfewmeantmoretotheirteamthanBroylesdidthisyearfortheSooners.

Fuller:Toughyearwhenthisguyisnamedjustthethird-bestintheconference.Hedbefirstorsecondineveryother.

DidasmuchwithJohnsoncallingthesignalsashedidwithTannehilllater.Atremendoustalent.

Wright:Griffindidagreatjobofspreadingtheball,astheBearshadfiveplayerswithmorethan35catches.Wright

wasthebestofthebunchasthepossessionman.Evenstill,hefinishedsecondontheteamwith6TDs.

Leong:SeventeenreceivingTDsaretobeexpectedintheRedRaidersoffense.Those17being11morethanthenext

bestontheteam?Notsomuch.ItwasaroughtransitionyearinLubbockandyoushuddertothinkwhattheydhave

donewithouthim.

Moe:BeveryafraidofT.J.Moeinyearstocome.Hesadeptattheshortpassinggameandcanjustaseasilybeatthe

secondarydeep.HesrankedthishighbecauseitwashistwoTDgrabsv.K-StateonNov.13thatprovedthedifference

andhelpedMUsnapatwo-gameskid.

McKnight:Probablythemostunderratedplayerintheconference.Fromwalk-ontoAll-Big12,McKnighthasbeenthe

BuffsbestoffensiveplayerineachofhisfouryearsinBoulder.Theepitomeofhard-nosed.

Paul:BrandonKinnieandKylerReedhadallbutthreeoftheHuskersTDcatches,butitwasPaulwhomadethemgo

throughtheair.Onlyhad39catches,butwasakeyreasonUNLslippedpastOklahomaStateinOctober.

Kirkendoll:LikeThompsonatFlorida,hesthebestofamediocrebunch.Didntdoanythinginteamsupsetof

Nebraskaandpickedupmostofhisnumbersinlosses.But,ofcourse,Texashadalotoflosses.

Quarles:FarandawaythebestreceivertheCatshad.Didhispartinlosses,keepingKSUcompetitive,asheregistered

morethan2/3ofhiscatchesandyardsinthosegames.

Patterson:TookthespotlightfromteammateJonWilsonwithagreatWeek2performanceagainstGeorgiaTech(7for

85andaTD).Still,hedbeaNo.2onmostoftheseotherteams.

Williams:Only35grabsand404yards,butnearlyledanotherISUupsetofNebraskawithhistwoscoresagainstthe

HuskersonNov.6


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18

ACC Wide Receivers1. LeonardHankerson Miami2. TorreySmithMaryland3. ConnerVernonDuke4. KrisBurdVirginia5. JarrettBoykinVirginiaTech6.

OwenSpencerNorthCarolinaState

7. DwightJonesNorthCarolina8. BertReedFloridaState9. DeAndreHopkinsClemson10. ChrisGivensWakeForest11. BobbySwigertBostonCollege12. StephenHillGeorgiaTech


Hankerson and Smith are two of the countrys best.

Vernon is a very good player, too.

But past that, theres nothing outstanding. But to be

honest, theres nothing bad either.

Even Hill, who plays on a team that never throws,

could prove to be a good player in the future.

With such heavy losses at QB, though, we wonder if

these receivers will develop or regress in 2011.

Hankerson:JustimaginewhathedhavedonewithahealthyJacoryHarris.Hestillmanaged12TDsandfinished

secondintheACCwith16.4ypc.Wasalsooneofonlytwotoeclipse1,000yardsreceivingintheconference.

Smith:WeremembertellingafriendaMarylandalumafterWeekTwotheTerpswouldgoodaslongastheydidnt

passtheball.Turnsout,theoppositewastruethankstoSmith.Breakoutseasonforthehighlytoutedhighschooler.Finishedonecatchand40yardsshortofHankersonandtiedhimforleagueleadinTDcatches.

Vernon:VernonandteammateDonovanVarnerwouldbothlistifitwerethebestWRsperiod.Vernonuppedhistotals

fromlastseasondespitehavingatremendousdropinQBplay.Oh,andhesjustasophomore.

Burd:GetsthenodoverthenextthreebecauseheputupsimilarnumberswithoutagreatQB.Hedidfadedownthe

stretchduringtheCavsfour-gamelosingstreak,butstillputupmorethan100yardsinfourgamesontheseason.

Boykin:TheHokieswereabletoreboundfromtheearlyseasonslumpthankstoBoykin.WhenTaylorwaspressedinto

throwing,J.B.wasthere.His48grabswerethemostforaTechreceiverinsixyears.

Spencer:Hislate-seasonplayvaultedhimupthenoticecharts.Finishedwith17catches,299yardsandthreeTDsinteamsfinalthreegamestoforceatiewithFSUforAtlanticDivisioncrown.

Jones:Nearly60catchesandjust105yardsshortof1,000andhesseventh?Sorry,Dwight.Hadamonstergameinan

upsetofFSUonNov.6(8for233andTD),butfollowedthatwithacombinedsixcatchesfor58yardsinlossestoVa.

TechandNCState.

Reed:Overthelasttwoyears,Reedhas115grabs.andtwotouchdowns.Apparently,hesallergictotheendzone.He

getsopenbetterthananyoneelseontheteam,butistheoppositeofadeepthreat.Purepossession,therearefew

better,butaredzonethreatheisnot.

Hopkins:Thefreshmanisreallyhardtorate.Hedidntplaymuchearlyanddidntreallyevencomeonstronguntilthe

Tigersfinalfourgames(25for346,3TD).Takenasawholeseason,hefallsshort.Butmygoodness,watchoutnextyear.

Givens:Aperfectlylegitimateplayer,Givensdoesntpossessthestrengthorspeedtobeagame-changerfortheDeacs.

Hisbestgamewas4-catch,159-yardeffortintheteamsonlyconferencewinagainstDuke.Everythingelsewassubpar.

Swigert:Swigertmightbecomeoneoftheconferencesbestreceivers.Heisntrightnow,though.Hadonlyone

standoutgameanditwasinan18-pointlossagainstNotreDame.Hesonhiswayup,though.

Hill:D.Thomasheisnot.ButthisisaGa.Techteamthatneverthrowstheball.Hehasthetoolstobeadecentenough

player,justdontexpecthimtoputupbignumbers(partlybecauseofthesystem,partlybecauseofhisgame).


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PAC 10 Wide Receivers

1. JuronCrinerArizona2. JeffMaehlOregon3. JermaineKearseWashington4. DougBaldwinStanford5. RonaldWoodsUSC6. MarquessWilsonWashingtonState7. MarkusWheatenOregonState8. MarvinJonesCalifornia9. KerryTaylorArizonaState10. DonteRosarioUCLA

PAC 10 Conference

There are clear-cut lines of demarcation in the Pac10.

No.s 1 to 3 are great. No.s 4 7 are OK and No.s

9 10 need some work.

Criner is the conferences most athletic WR since

Dwayne Jarrett. When hes on, he cant be covered.

But other than he and Kearse, there isnt much

next-level talent to speak of. Still some perfectlycapable college players, though.

Criner:HowcanIputaplayeronamediocreoffenseoveraplayeroncollegefootballsbestoffense?Easy.

WithoutCriner,theCatswouldnthavehadmuchatall.Had23percentofteamscatches,32percentofthe

yards,and42percentofthetouchdowns.Hesoneofthecountrysbest.

Maehl:IfyoustackMaehlspercentagesagainstCriners,theyrecertainlycomparable.Maehljustdoesnt

havethesametools.Moreaslot-typethananXorY,Maehlsrun-after-the-catchabilityissecond-to-none.

Kearse:AsKearsegoes,sodotheHuskies.HadnineTDsinUWwins,butonlythreeintheteamslosses.Was

athisbestinmust-wingameagainstOregonStateonOct.16(9for144,4TD)ina35-34win.

Baldwin:HisquarterbackoftengetsextracreditbecauseteamsthinktheCarindalswidereceiversare

averageatbest.Yes,Luckmakeshimbetter,buttheBaldwinsurprisefactorisnttobeoverlooked.Hehad

onlyfourgrabslastyear.

Woods:TheTrojansmayhavethebestduoofWRsintheconference,butonlyonecanbelisted.WegowithWoodsherebecauseofhisyouthandbigplayability.Freshmanhadanincredible12-catch,224-yarddayina

near-upsetwinoverStanford.

Wilson:TherearereasonsforoptimisminPullman.Wilsonisthemainreason.Thefreshmanhadan

outstandingyear,evenintheCougspass-happyoffense.HadsevenfewercatchesthanteammateJeff

Karstetter,butmanagedaPAC10-high18.3yardspercatch.

Wheaten:AskedtofillthevoidleftbyJamesRodgers,WheatensteppedupwhenRodgerswentdown.Had

onlythreecatchesinteamsfirstthreegames,hehad51inthefinalnineanddidhispartintheCivilWar(10

for137andaTD).

Jones:Hadalmost50grabsfor750yardsevenwithbelowaveragequarterbackplayandbroke100yardsthrice,butstilldisappearedinmust-wingamesagainstOregonStateandArizona.

Taylor:ThemostfortunaterecipientofThreetspassesthatactuallyfoundtherightteam,Taylorhasthe

worstnumbersofanyleadingASUreceiversince2006.Hesbetterthanhisnumbers,though.

Rosario:Playedinonlyninegamesthankstoinjuryandstillfinishedsecondontheteamwithjust29catches.

Hesnotagreatreceiver,butnotanawfulone.Hehassomespeed,whichhelps,buttheresimplyisntalot

oftalentfortheblueandgold.


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Big East Wide Receivers

1. ArmonBinnsCincinnati2. JonBaldwinPittsburgh3. MarkHarrisonRutgers4. TavonAustinWestVirginia5. VanChewSyracuse6. DontaviaBoganSouthFlorida7. JoshBellamyLouisville8. MichaelSmithUCONN

Big East Conference

Binns and Baldwin would be good players on any

team. The rest? Not so much.

They make capable enough plays for the teams

theyre on, but theres a reason this is the Big Eastand the conference is struggling.

Easily the conference with the least amount ofplaymakers at the position, the Big East needs to

improve its WRs to make a jump in respectability.

Binns:ForcedtobethemanthisyearinCincy,Binnsresponded.Hedidntfinishwiththesamenumbersas

formerteammateMardyGilyardlastyear,butbroke100yardsinsixofteamsfinaleightgames.Problem?

Theywononlythreeofthose.

Baldwin:ThePantherskeepchurningoutbig,strong,andfastwidereceivers.Baldwinisthelatestinthat

line.Hismiddlingnumbersaremoreaproductofless-than-stellarquarterbackplay,butthetalentiscertainly

there.

Harrison:Notsurewhyitssurprisehecameoutofnowhere,butitis.At6-3,230lbs.,Harrisonhasthetools

tobeaproductive,ifnotelite,widereceiver.TheScarletKnightswerebad,but10catchesfor240yardsand

fourTDsisimpressiveeveninaloss(atCincy,Nov.20).

Austin:WhiledefensesfocusedonDevineandJockSanders,Austinwasmorethanhappytotakethe

limelight.Hehadthreemulti-touchdowngames(allWVUwins)andreallyshinedinaseason-endingwinover

Rutgers(6for121andaTD)tokeeptheMountaineersBCShopesalive.

Chew:Dontlooknow,butSyracuseisslowlybuildingarosterfilledwithlegitimatefootballplayers.WithmaybethebestnameinFBS,ChewwasaregularintheOrangeboxesthisyear.Hefadeddownthestretcha

littlebitanditwasclearasSyracusewononlyoneoftheirfinalfour.Still,hegetsthisrankingforpossession

ability.

Bogan:ItwasaperfectlycapableyearforBoganallthingsconsidered.TheBullsoffenseisnotthemostfun

towatch.Theycantseemtodecideiftheyreapassingteamorarunningoneandtheydontreallydoeither

especiallywell.ButBogannearlyplayedspoilerintheteamslastgamewitha7-catch,70-yardandTDeffort

againstUCONN.

Bellamy:Inretrospect,maybeweshouldhavegivenFromanmorecredit.Hehasalmostnothingtowork

with.Bellamywasthebestofabadgroup.Hedidnothingoutstandinganddidntshineinanyparticulargame.Still,heledtheteamwith5TDsandfinishedthirdinreceptionswith27.Hey,someonehastobe

listed.

Smith:TheresareasonUCONNdoesntthrowtheballoften.Well,tworeasonsactually,butwealready

touchedonTodman.TheHuskieswidereceiversarentgreat.OnlySmithandteammateKashifMoore

providedanylegitimatethreatintheair.Smiththegetsthenodforhisplaydownthestretch(UCONN'sfive-

gamewinningstreak).


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Big Ten Defensive Ends

1. RyanKerriganPurdue2. J.J.WattWisconsin3. AdrianClaybornIowa4. CameronHeywardOhioState5. VincentBrowneNorthwestern6. MarkNeelyMichiganState7. PeteMassaroPennState8. JewhanEdwardsMinnesota9. DariusJohnsonIndiana10. RyanVanBergenMichigan11. ClayNurse-Illinois

Big Ten Conference

Arguably two of the countrys top three DEs reside

in the Midwest. Kerrigan and Watt are elite players

who dont just get to the QB; they make plays allover the field.

Theres good depth here, too, as Heyward and

Clayborn may be even bigger NFL prospects.

Even Nurse and Van Bergen are pretty skilled

players.

This is the countrys best unit.

Kerrigan:Monster.ThatsallthatsneededtodescribethebestPurdueplayersinceMikeAlstott.Regularlyoccupies

theentireleftsideoftheopposingteamsoffensiveline,hestillmanagedanFBS-high26tacklesforloss.Unreal.

Watt:Maybethesecond-bestdefensiveendinthecountry,notjusthisconference.Ofcourse,DaQuanBowersmight

havesomethingtosayaboutthat.Still,WatthadanAll-Americaworthyseasonandanyotheryear,hedhavemadeitwithmorethan20TFLhimself.

Clayborn:ItsratherdifficulttorankIowasdefensivelineplayersasindividuals.Theyreprobablythebestunitin

collegefootballandworksowellwithoneanother.Fromarawtalentperspective,Claybornisthebest.Aggressiveand

mean,hesthebestproprospectofthebunch.

Heyward:CameronHaywarddoesnthavemagnificentnumbers.Only13tackles?Yeah,thathappenswhenyouhog

twoandthreeblockersatatime.Still,9.5ofhis13tackleswerestopsbehindtheline.LikelybehindjustClaybornin

NFLability.

Browne:TheWildcatshavebeenfortunatetohavenotjustgood,butverygooddefensiveendsinrecentyears.

BrownefollowsinCoreyWootensfootstepshere.Heisntthebestagainsttherun(especiallyconsideringhissize),but

hegetstothequarterbackonlyKerriganhadmoresacks.

Neely:Oneoftheoverachieversinthisgroup,heisntblessedwithtremendousstrengthorquickness.Andwewont

sayhehasnon-stopmotor.Instead,welljustgowith:Thedudemakesplaysandgetsinthebackfield.

Massaro:OneofthefewtheNittanyLionshadwhoplayedtoexpectations.Wasneithergreatnorbad,Massaroisa

verytypicalBigTenendwhodoesenoughtomakeendsmeet.

Edwards:Needstogetmoreoutofhisimpressivephysique.Itdidnthelpthatoffensivelinescouldconcentrateon

shuttinghimdownandnotworrymuchabouttherestoftheline,though.

Johnson:OneofonlytwoplayersontheIUdefensethatreallydidanabove-averagejobthisyear,Johnsonhadasolidseasonnotching4.5sacks.OneofthebetterIUlinemeninyears,stillisntoverwhelming.

VanBergen:Shouldbemuchhigherbuttotallydisappearssometimes.Hugeupside,VanBergenfinishedwithjust4

sacks.TheWolverinesdidntgetnearlythepressureonopposingquarterbackstheyshouldhaveandthewhole

defensefeltit.

Nurse:ThestrengthoftheIllinoisdefenseliesdownthemiddle(DT,MLB,S),notontheoutside.Nurseisbasicallyjust

abodyonthelinewhoisntgoingtomakeplaysthatllgetyoubeat.Thatsnotgoodenoughtorankhigher.


22/58


23/58

23

Big XII Defensive Ends

1. JeremyBealOklahoma2. VonMillerTexasA&M3. SamAchoTexas4. JakeLaptadKansas5. TevinElliottBaylor6. AldonSmithMissouri7. ArthurBrownKansasState8. PierreAllenNebraska9. UgoChinasaOklahomaState10. WillPericakColorado11. PearlyGravesTexasTech12. JacobLattimerIowaState

Big XII Conference

Big-time playmakers abound in the Big XII, where the

top six on the list are the most dynamic players on

their respective defenses, regardless of position.

There are also two legit All Americans, too. Andthough many list Miller as an LB, he plays with his

hand on the ground enough to get him noticed there.

Hes a true hybrid who specializes in getting to the

QB.

Smith, Allen and Chinasa could all be ranked higher

and wed have no quarrel.

Beal:TheBig12isloadedwithDE/LBhybridsandBealisthebestofthebunch.Moreanaturalhand-on-the-ground

player,hefinishedwithaconference-leading18.5TFLandwassecondinsacks.SoonersDEsjustseemtogetbetter

everyyear.

Miller:Itshardnottobeputhimfirst.Arguablythemostfuntowatchplayerdefensivelyintheconference,hehadmoresacks(9.5)thanBealandjust3.5fewerTFL.AlegitfuturestarintheNFL.IfhewerelistedasOLB(likemanyhave

him),hedbetops.

Acho:Hecanplaytheinside(anddidattimes),butismuchmoresuitedtoplayontheedge.Notapurerusher,nora

purerun-stuffer,Achojustseemstomakebigplays.WhetheritsgettingtotheQBorcomingupwithaforcedfumble,

anyotheryear,hedbealockforfirstorsecondonthislist.

Laptad:TheJayhawksstunkin2010.Theresnotwowaysaboutit.Laptad,however,shined.Hedidntquitehavethe

numbersassomeothersonthislist,buthealsoplayedagainsttheteamsbesttackleseverygameandhadlesshelpon

hisownteam.

Smith:TheTigersotherend,JeremySmith,couldbeonthislist,butwegowithAldonSmithbecauseofhisabilityto

playtherunandpassequally.WhileJeremyisaget-to-the-QBtype,Aldoncanstoptherun,too.

Elliott:TheBearshadtheirbestseasoninyearsin2010.MostofthefocusgoestoRGIIIandtheoffense,butElliottwas

averyimpressivefreshmanforadefensethatplayedoveritstalent-levelalmostallseasonlong.

Allen:Talentwouldsuggesthefitshigheronthislist,buthesabouttheonlyplayertheHuskershadthatactually

playedbelowhistalentlevel.HehadanOKthreesacksand6TFL,butdefensestendedtofocusonthetwoUNLDTs

andAllenshouldhaveputupbiggernumbers.

Chinasa:NodefensivecoordinatorgetsmoreoutofhisplayersthanBillYounginStillwater.Chinasaisntasuperstar,

butnorisheabadplayer.TheentireOklahomaStatedefenseplayedwellaboveitsheadmostoftheseason(savethe

Oklahomagame)andChinasapersonifiedthehard-nosedabilitiesoftheentireD.

Brown:Thepass-rushingspecialisthadagoodseason(5sacks)fortheWildcats,whoweexpectedtobetheBig12

Northsworstdefense.Anditwas.

Pericak:WhenMarquezHerroddidntliveuptoexpectationssetlastyear,itwasuptoPericaktofillthevoid.He

doesnthaveHerrodspass-rushingskills,butisoneofthebetterendsagainsttherun.Problemis,hedoesnthaveour

passrushingskillseither.

Graves:Thefreshmandidntplayawholelotofsnapseventhoughhedidplayinninegames.Stillwasamongtheteam

leadersinsacksandTFL.Couldverywellseehiminthetopfivenextyear.

Lattimer:HesanothertweenerwhoplaysLB,too.Hesnotabadplayer,andinfact,hisabilitytoplaybothisa

testamenttohisskill.Buthedoesntquitematch-upwellwiththeotherDEsintheconference.


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24

ACC Defensive Ends

1. DaQuanBowersClemson2. KyleWilberWakeForest3. BrandonJenkins FloridaState4. AlvinBaileyMiami5. DontePaige-MossNorthCarolina6. CamJohnsonVirginia7. StevenFridayVirginiaTech8. PatrickEgbohDuke9. MaxHollowayBostonCollege10. JustinAnderson Maryland11. IzaanCrossGeorgiaTech12. DavidAkinninyiNorthCarolinaState


Bowers is so far ahead of everyone else on thislist.

That isnt to say the rest of the conference is bad.

On the contrary, Bowers is just that good. Even asgood as Kerrigan, Watt and Beal are (his closest

three competitors for the top slot), we have him a

clear-cut No. 1 overall.

But dont overlook No.s 2 7, all good players in

their own right and the kind youd want on your

team, too.

Bowers:NooneinFBSismorereadyfortheprogamethanBowers.Big,strong,fast,quick,andathinker,Bowersisa

completeplayerandonlyonefellowDLcomesclosethisseason.

Wilber:ItsashametheDemonDeaconshadveryfewnationallytelevisedgames.PeopledeservetoknowMr.Wilber.ThebestWakedefendersinceAaronCurry.

Jenkins:IfitwerentforBowers,JenkinsmighthavewonDefensivePlayeroftheYearhonorsintheACC.TheNoles

haventseenanendthisgoodsinceAndreWadsworth.

Bailey:YoutakealookatMiamisindividualtotalsandyouwonderhowtheylostagame.Thenyouwatchthemand

realizeitsjustthat:alotofindividualplay.ThefourMiamiDLscombinedfor21sacksand32.5TFL.Baileyledtheteam

inbothwith7and11.

Paige-Moss:WeclaimedbeforetheseasonstartedtheTarHeelshadadefensebetterthansomeNFLteams.Well,

Paige-Mosswasabackupatthattime.TheUNCissuesarewelldocumented,buthewasntamongthem.Playedvery

admirably,especiallygiventhecircumstances.

Johnson:TheCavsactuallyhaveoneoftheACCsbestdefensivelines.Theyjustdonthavealotelse.WhileMatt

Conrathdominatesthemiddle,Johnsonprovidestheexcitement.Hadateam-highsixsacks.

Friday:Madealotofpostseasonall-conferencelists,butwerenotashigh.Hesagoodplayer,notagreatone,tous.

Butwedontwanttospeakpoorlyofhim.Thedudesdefinitelyaplayer(7.5sacks,13TFL).

Egboh:Doesnthavethenumbersassomeofhisbrethren,butwasstillthemostfearedBlueDevilsplayer.Occupied

twoblockersmostofthetimeifonlybecausetheDukieshadlittleelse.Hisnumberwouldmuchhigherotherwise.

Holloway:Pureget-in-the-backfield,Hollowaydoesthatwell.Buthedoesntplaytherunatallandhasaone-track

mind.Talenteddefinitely,butsometimesdoesntmakethesmartplay.

Anderson:TheentireMarylandrosterisfilledwithho-humkindofguys.Andersonsamongthem.Butthethingis,there

arentmanyteamswhoworkbettertogether.Andersonhadateam-high10TFL.

Cross:IftheRamblinWreckhadanysemblanceofadefensethisyear,theydhavewontheACC.Crossistheteams

bestupfront,butprobablywouldntstartonanyotherteambutDuke.

Akinninyi:LikeMaryland,theNCStatefrontlineisfilledwithaverageplayerswhoprovidemorethanyoudthink.The

Packdonthaveapure,run-stuffingDT,though.Akinninyiisascloseastheycome.Still,hehaddecentthreesacks.


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PAC 10 Defensive Ends

1. KennyRoweOregon2. CameronJordanCalifornia3. RickyElmoreArizona4. JamaarJarrettArizonaState5. TravisLongWashingtonState6. StephenMillerOregonState7. WesHortonUSC8. MikeMasifiloStanford9. HauoliJamoraWashington10. OwamagbeOdighizuwa-UCLA

PAC 10 Conference

No one at DE in the PAC 10 jumps out at us as being

elite. Rowe and Jordan are the head of the class,

though, and really good players.

Elmore and Jarrett may not even be the best on theirrespective teams.

Its a straight-forward group and you know what

youre going to get when they step on the field: not alot of mistakes, but not a lot of amazing plays, either.

Rowe:Thisisoneoftheuniquelistingswheresomeonehastobefirst.Roweisntaterriblydominantplayeratypical

ofmostNo.1sintheserankings.Buthesaverygoodendonadefensethatwasterriblyunderrated.Hissixsacksand

11TFLwerebothsecondfromtheDEspotinthePAC10.

Jordan:Hasalegitargumenttoberankedfirstonthislist.MoreaphysicalfreakthanRowe,Jordanisinvolvedin

almostallthebigplaystheBearsdefensemakes.Hesnotsomuchapass-rusherasanall-aroundplayerandthat

showswithhis61tacklesand10.5TFL.

Elmore:Elmore,however,isapass-rusher.Hescompetentagainsttherun,butexcelswhengivefreereigntogetto

thequarterback.HehadaPAC10defensivelinemen-higheightsacks.

Jarrett:TheSunDevilsstrengthliesinitsdefensiveline.Ifitwerentforanoffensepronetomistakes,ASUwouldhave

beenahigher-endbowlteam.Jarrettistheleaderoftheline,though,notnecessarilythebestplayer.FreshmanJunior

Onyealiplayedinjustninegamesandpacedtheteamwith5.5sacksand10.5TFL.Jarrettwasjustbehindwith4.5and

10.5,respectively.

Long:EasilythemostaccomplishedplayerontheWazzudefense,itseemsasthoughLongsbeenaroundforsixor

sevenyears.Hesjustasophomore.ShowedhisAll-PAC10HMselectionwasnofluke.Hecanplaytherun,buthe

excelsatmessingwiththeQB.

Miller:HeandteammateStephenPaeaformoneofthePAC10sbestDE/DTduos.Millerisntawowfactorkindof

player,butdoeseverythingneededtotakesomeofthepressureoffhisveryeliteteammatenexttohim.

Horton:ThisisntyourfathersUSCdefense.HortonledaveryaverageUSCdefensivefrontwith4sacksasmall

numbercomparedtoyearspast.Thewholefrontlineisyoung,though,andgiventime(andtheirpedigree),weexpect

betterresultsnextyear.

Masifilo:Masifiloprovidesaveryun-Stanfordworkman-likeapproach.Heisntastudentofthegameintheclassic

sense,buthesabrawlerwhoregularlyfindshimselfintherightpositionsbecauseofhisworkrate.

Jamora:HewasabouttheonlybrightspotintheHuskiesfrontfourthisyear.TheyoungestD-lineintheconference,

theyvealotofgrowinguptodo.Jamorahadmediocrenumbersinthebackfield,buthadateam-high41tacklesfrom

theline.

Odighizuwa:Anotheryoungster,OdighizuwawasthebestplayerontheendsfortheBruins.TheresalotofDE

rotationinWestwood,sononeofthemhaveglimmeringnumbers,butcombineagewithskill,andhesthebest.


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Big East Defensive Ends

1. JabaalSheardPittsburgh2. BruceIrvinWestVirginia3. MikeSilvestroRutgers4. JuniorJosephUCONN5. BrandonMillsCincinnati6. RodneyGnatLouisville7. ChandlerJonesSyracuse8. RyneGiddinsSouthFlorida

Big East Conference

When Greg Romeus went down for Pittsburgh

early in the season, things looked bleak. He was a

potential Big East DPOY. Sheard stepped in and

decided to just win the honors himself. He was thatgood.

Its a group that is actually pretty special on the

pass rush, but they struggle against the run on a

whole. Lots of potential here, though, for future

years.

Sheard:PittsburghlookedtobeintroublewhenAllBigEastDEGregRomeuswentdownearlyintheseason.

Sheardsteppedoutandtrulydominated.Hehad45tackles,12.5TFL,9sacks,4forcedfumblesandafumble

recovery.FaceddoubleteamsallyearandstillnotchedoneofthebestseasonsinrecentmemoryintheBig

East.

Irvin:Oneofthebestpass-rushonlytypesinallFBS,IrvinjustgetsthenodasMountaineersrepoverthe

morewellroundedJulianMiller.Why?BecausealthoughMillercanplayeverydownandIrvincantonly

ahandfulbetteredhisoutstanding12sacks.

Silvestro:Lunch-pail,clock-in,clock-outplayerMikeSilvestrodeservesmorerecognition.Hehadanamazing

56tacklesandtiedwithSheardfortheleadinBigEastTFL.

Joseph:Josephprovidesthebestpressureonalinestackedwithgoodtalent.Playersonthelinehavea

particularroleandJosephfillshisaswellasanyofthem.TheUCONNdefenseiswildlyunderratedupfrontthanksinlargeparttohisplay.

Mills:TheCincinnatidefensecausedalotofheartbreakinsouthernOhiothisyear.DontblametheBearcats

frontfour,though.MillsandCo.werematchedbyjustPittandWestVirginiaintheirabilitytogettotheQB.

Problemis,theyrenotterriblyadeptatstoppingtherun.

Gnat:Anotherpurepass-rusher,GnatisahybridDE/LB.Hadjust23tackles,but9.5TFLandheadded8.5

sacks.CameoutofnowheretobetheCardinalsprimarydefensiveplaymaker.

Jones:His8.5TFLwouldsuggestherankhigher,butthoseweremorecoincidentalthananything,wefigure.Hehadateam-high53tacklesfromtheline,butisreallyjustanaverageBigEastplayerwhowonthurtyour

team.

Giddins:TremendousupsideinTampa.GiddinshopestofollowformerBullsJasonPierre-PaulandGeorge

Selvieintheranksofgreatpass-rushers.Hesnotthereyet.Hadjust3.5sacksand6TFL.


27/58


28/58

28

SEC Defensive Tackles

1. NickFairleyAuburn2. LadiAjiboyeSouthCarolina3. DrakeNevisLSU4. JerrellPoweOleMiss5. MalikJacksonTennessee6. FletcherCoxMississippiState7. JayeHowardFlorida8. BrandonLohr Vanderbilt9. JoshChapmanAlabama10. LukeMcDermottKentucky11. DeAngeloTysonGeorgia12. LavunceAskew-Arkansas

Big Ten Conference

Now if youre seeking play-making big men, come to

the SEC.

Fairley, Powe, Jackson, Lohr and Nevis are all masters

of the game-changing play. Ajiboye, Cox and

Chapman are consistently loads in the middle, too.

Theres a big drop from No. 9 to 10, though. The

Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas DTs leave something

to be desired.

Not a lot of a balance, but a lot of talent here.

Fairley:ThebestSECdefensivetacklesinceGlenDorsey,Fairleyissimplyunblockableonmostplays.NoDTinthe

countrygetsthroughmultipleblockersaswellashedoes.

Ajiboye:Surprised?Yes,weknowhedidntputupthenumberssomeofhiscounterpartsdid.Butforourmoney,theresnoonesmarteratknowingwhentopenetrateandwhentotakeupspace.Plus,hestheanchorofthemost-

talenteddefensivelineintheSEC.

Nevis:Surprisingly,hewastheonlyplaymakertheTigersdefensivefrontsuppliedthisyear.Agoodunitasawhole,

Nevisistheclosestthingtoastaronateamthatsusuallyfilledwiththem.

Powe:Maybethemostfunplayertowatchwhenhesfullyhealthy,JerrellPowefinallyavoidedthetrainerstablefor

mostofthisseason.Whensheon,therearefewbetterinthecountry.

Jackson:Thebrightestspotonanunderachievingdefense,Jacksonhad11TFL,secondtoonlyNevisandFairleyfor

DTs.Withabodybuiltforthepros,wedcountonJacksonbeingahellofanNFLer.

Cox:TherewasntamoresurprisingteaminthecountrythantheBulldogs.Mostofitwastohigher-than-expectedplayfromguyslikeCox.Alwaysfiguredtobeasolid,ifunspectacular,player,Coxwastheperfectfitforthemean,tough

BulldogsD.

Howard:TheGatorsmayhavestruggledthisseason,butwhenitcomestostoppingtherun,theywerestillsolid.Most

ofthatthanksbelongstoMr.Howardwhosequallyadeptatgettinginthebackfieldandeatingblocks.

Lohr:Anotherreallyfunplayertowatch,Lohrhastheunfortunatedistinctionofbeingthebestplayerinabadfront

four.Offensescanfocusonhimandhandletheotherswithjustoneblocker.Despitethat,hestillhadanice7.5TFL.

Chapman:WeirdtoseeanAlabamaplayerthislow.Chapmancertainlyisntabadplayer,though,evenwiththeTides

defensiveissuesthisyear.Thatbeingsaid,heisntaseliteaswethoughtlastyear.

McDermott:Nowwebegintogetintotherun-of-the-milltypes.McDermottisadecentenoughplayer,butdoesntdo

alotofspecialthings.Playshardandisconsistent,though.

Tyson:WelikemanyothersexpectedmuchmorefromtheBulldogsthisyear,especiallydefensively.Theresnolack

oftalenthere,justpoorplay.Tysonwasthebestofagroupthat,enteringtheseason,couldhavebeencalledoneof

theSECsbest.

Askew:InjuriesandinconsistencytookitstollonthemiddleoftheHogslinethisyear.Fourorfiveplayersfilledthe

primaryDTroleandnoneofthemwereterriblyimpressive.Askewwasthebestofthebunch,butisreallyjusta

rotationtype.


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Big XII Defensive Tackles

1. JaredCrickNebraska2. ColbyWhitlockTexasTech3. PhilTaylorBaylor4. TonyJerod-Edie TexasA&M5. AlexOkaforTexas6. JaMarkusMcFarlandOklahoma7. BrandonHaroldKansasState8. JoshHartiganColorado9. RichardJohnsonJr. Kansas10. StephenRuempolhamer IowaState11. TerrellResonnoMissouri12. NigelNicholasOklahomaState

Big XII Conference

Crick and Whitlock are two of the best DTs in the

nation. After that, though, things get muddled.

No.s 3 7 all have the ability to make a big play or

be consistent run-stoppers, but so far either nothingspecial has happened yet or theyre just plain.

Nothing wrong with plain, though. Plain is wins plentyof games.

Most of these guys are gone next year, though, so

were curious to see who steps up in 2011.

Crick:ThePreseasonDefensivePlayeroftheYear,Crickdidntwintheaward,butalsodidntdoanythingtodissuade

thatjustificationeither.FinishedthirdamongallBig12linemanwith11.5TFLandwasthebellcowfortheBlackshirts

returntoprominence.

Whitlock:Wildlyunderrated,ColbyWhitlockreallyisoneofthebest'tweenersinFBS.Hehasabodybettersuitedfor

theoutside,butwithhisbulk,hecanstillplaytheinsidewithnoproblem.

Taylor:TheBearsdefensivelinewasgoodthisyear.Verygood.ThePennStatetransfer,Taylor,isntaspace-eaterlike

mostofhisbrethren;insteadheshedsblockswhenheknowsheneedstoandhadaconference-high51tacklesfrom

theDTspot.

Jerod-Edie:He,however,ISaspace-eater.Sobigthatrunningbackspracticallygetswallowedwhentheyenterhis

atmosphere,Jerod-Edieisthebestreallybigmanintheconference.

Okafor:Givehimonemoreyearandhemaytopthislist.Another'tweener(likeAcho),Okaforshiftsinside-to-out

regularly.Hadjust3.5TFL,buthad3.5sacks,too.Tremendousupsidehere.

McFarland:ThemiddleoftheSoonersfrontsevenwaseatenupwithinjuriesthisyear.McFarlandisntthemost

talentedofthebunchinthemiddle,buthehadthebestseasonwith5TFL.

Harold:Notelite,justgood.Haroldhadaveryimpressive7.5TFLfromtheDTpositionandalsomanaged41total

tackles,oneofthebesttotalsforaDTintheconference.HewastheonlylegitproductionfromtheKSUfrontseven

thisyear.

Hartigan:TheendsweresupposedtobetheBuffsbread-and-butter.InsteaditwasHartiganandForrestWestwho

providedtheteamsmostconsistentplayandbestpashrush,forthatmatter.Ledtheteamwith7sacks.

Johnson:Thetalentbeginstofadehere.Johnsonsnotabadplayer,butisyourtypicalKansanofthisseason.Regularly

outplayedbysmaller,moreagilelineman,Johnsonwasstrongenoughtoslipthroughfor3.5TFL.

Ruempolhamer:Well,hewasntonourlistatallwhentheseasonbegan.Literally,atall.Wehadnoideawhohewas.

Butheplayedwellenoughtoearnastartingrolebytheseasonssecondgameandneverdidanythingtorelinquishit.

Healsodidntdoanythingtomovehimselfupthislist.

Resonno:RotateswithfellowinsidemanJimmyBurgeontheinterioroftheTigersline.Hedoesthingscapably,but

getsknockedofftheballabittooeasilybybiggercentersandguards.

Nicholas:OklahomaStateusesabig-timerotation,especiallyontheinsideofitsline.Nicholasistheteamsbest,but

youcouldreallyputanyoffourplayershereforthePokes.


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ACC Defensive Tackles

1. QuIntonCoplesNorthCarolina2. MattConrathVirginia3. JoeVellanoMaryland4. JarvisJenkinsClemson5. NikitaWhitlockWakeForest6. AntoineHopkins VirginiaTech7. AdewaleOjomoMiami8. J.R.SweezyNorthCarolinaState9. DamikScafeBostonCollege10. EverettDawkinsFloridaState11. CharlieHatcherDuke12. LoganWallsGeorgiaTech


Theres a lot of potential NFL talent here.

Coples, Jenkins, Whitlock and Ojomo are big-time

big-play guys. The others in the top eight are solid

regulars with upside.

Even Hatcher and Dawkins are decent, ifunspectacular, regulars.

Theres a drop in Atlanta, though, as the Jackets

couldnt find their groove most of the season.

Coples:HewassupposedtobetheendwithMarvinAustinontheinside.WhenAustinwascountedoutofthe

season,Coplesmovedinsideandwentaheadanddominatedanywaywith8.5sacksand14TFL.

Conrath:Nothinginhisstatsscreamsgreatplayer,evengoodplayerforthatmatter.Butittakesjustaglimpseofoneplaytoseehisimpact.OffensivecoordinatorsschemeAROUNDthisguy.

Vellano:Hesabrute,thatsallthereistoit.Anditworksforhim.Vellanogetsbyandgetsbywellwithpure

strengthandadrenaline.His10TFLfromtheDTspotwereonlytoppedbyCoplesandoneother.

Jenkins:LikeConrath,hedoesnthavehugenumbers,butthecomboofhimontheinsideandBowersontheoutside

makesoffensivecoordinatorscower.YoucantpassbecauseBowerswillannihilateyourQB.Youcantrunbecause

Jenkinswilleatyourrunningback.Now,howdidClemsonnotwinmoregamesagain?

Whitlock:Reallydeservestobehigher.Andagain,theDeaconsreallydeservedbetter.OnlyCopleshadmoreTFLthan

Whitlocks10.5.HeandWilberarethesecond-bestDE/DTcombointheconference,easily.

Hopkins:ItshisplaythatreallyopensthefieldforFriday.Herequirestoblockersatalmostalltimes,theonlything

thatdropshimishisoccasionaldisappearingact.Otherwise,hedbenolowerthanthird.

Ojomo:Hadheplayedmoresnaps,hewouldhaveputupthebestnumbersontheline.Buthesjustasophomoreand

waswelloutofshape.Tookhimselfoutofgamesandthusdroppedinthislist.Tough,becauseRandyShannonmade

hisplayersworkhard.Wonderifhellgetbetterorregress.Talentscertainlythere.

Sweezy:ItseasytobagontheACC,butweresevenDTsinandtheresnotatremendousdropintalentyet.Sweezy

actuallyledthePackinsacksin5.5andreallyismoreofanendplayingtackle.

Scafe:Adecentplayer,butnotagreatone,ScafeisatypicalBostonCollegeinteriorlineman.Big,strongandnot

incrediblyathletic,hestillmanaged9TFL.

Dawkins:TheNolesreallystruggledtostoptherunthisyear.DespiteallthepressureFSUprovidedofftheedge,

DawkinsandCo.couldntstopteamsfromgashingthemupthemiddle.Hesnotanawfulplayer,butmorewas

certainlyexpectedfromhim.

Hatcher:Actuallyhadbetternumbers(relatively)thanmoreheraldedteammateEgboh,Hatcherisafairplayer.

Nothingspecialhere,butyoullgetthesameeffortandsameresultseverytimeout.

Walls:TheTechDTsprovidethefirstrealdropinthislist.Funny,theteamthatrunsalldaycantstopiteither.


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PAC 10 Defensive Tackles

1. StephenPaeaOregonState2. BrandonBairOregon3. SioneFuaStanford4. LawrenceGuyArizonaState5. JustinWashington Arizona6. JurrellCaseyUSC7. DavidCarterUCLA8. DeandreColemanCalifornia9. AlamedaTaamu-Washington10. BrandonWolfgramm WashingtonState

PAC 10 Conference

The PAC 10 has never been known as a run-stopping

conference, but the four at the top of this list can do

it with the best of them.

Guy specializes at it while the other three can do just

about anything asked of them.

Theres a real drop toward after No. 7, but Carter

and Casey have maybe the most NFL ability,

regardless of their ranking.

Paea:HewasnamedPAC10DefensivePlayeroftheYearforareason.LikemostDTsthough,hisnumbers

dontjumpoutatyouliketheywouldifhewereatend.Heregularlyoccupiesmultiplelinemen(including

theeliteoftheconferenceontheinside)andstillledabetter-than-advertisedBeaversD.

Bair:Theseniorhadthebestnumbersofanyinteriordefensiveplayerintheconference,buthealsohad

betterlinematesaroundhim,thushisranking.Maybethestrongestofthegroup,his15.5TFLledallPAC10defensivelinemen.

Fua:MoreatechnicianthanMasifilo,Fuacanalsolineupontheoutside.Butitstheinsidewherehe

dominates,collectingateam-high4.5sacks.BuiltlikecountrymanfellowLosAngelesnativeandPacific

IslanderPaea,FuawastheCardinalsbestdefensiveplayerthisyear.Notasurprise.

Guy:Oneofthebestpurerun-stuffersinFBS,thatsallthereistoit.ASUsrundefensewasbolstered

becauseofGuy.Hadapedestrian4.5TFL,butthatsnothisjob.Fewclogthelineslikehedoes.

Washington:Usedinavarietyofwaysallseason,WashingtoncangettotheQBaswellashecanstuffthe

run.Noteliteineither,butaboveaverageinboth,hesprobablythemostversatileofthegroupalready(hesjustafreshman).

Casey:HewasthebestindividualplayerontheTrojansfrontthisyearwith3.5sacksand10TFL.Aswe

mentioned,though,itsafairlyyounggroupthat,rightnow,playstoomuchasindividuals.Successwillhinge

onfindingthattogetherness.

Carter:Hadareallygoodseason,allthingsconsidered.CarterledtheBruinsinsacksandTFLfromthe

middleandwasabouttheonlythreattodrawmultipleblockers.Hestillhad37tackles.

Coleman:WealmostplacedJordanasaDTmadetheBearsDEpickTrevorGuyton.ButJordanplayedmore

ontheoutside,sowewentwithColeman,whosnotabadplayerbyanymeans.Hadjust18tackles,butis

theBearsbestpurerun-stopper.

Taamu:Heisabsolutelymassive.Hegetsalmostnotacklesandrarelyfindshimselfinthebackfield,butat

330lbs.heknowshisroleistooccupyblockersforthesolidLBcorpsbehindhim.

Wolfgramm:Hiscareerwasderailedwithinjury,butfromatalentstandpoint,heshouldbehigher.Itsjust

thoseinjuryconcerns.


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Big East Defensive Tackles

1. ChasAlecxihPittsburgh2. ChrisNeildWestVirginia3. KendallReyesUCONN4. ScottValloneRutgers5. AndrewLewisSyracuse6. BrandonDunn-Louisville7. DerekWolfeCincinnati8. TerrellMcClainSouthFlorida

Big East Conference

Seems like every other player is different here.

Alecxih, Reyes, Lewis and McClain are the

playmakers. Neild, Vallone, Wolfe and High are thespace-eaters.

Dont be fooled by the lack of name recognition, this

is one of the best units from top-to-bottom. Very

little separation.

Alecxih:Thebestdefensiveendandthebestdefensivetackle?ThePanthersarenothingshortofloadedup

front.Alecxihtakestopspotonthislistbyjustahair.NoDTintheconferencemademorebigplays

individuallythanthePittmonster.

Neild:Thebestproprospectamongtheeight,Neildistrulyahoss.Strongasanoxandwiththetemperamenttomatch,Neildsnumbersarelowbecauseofhowgoodheis.Withouthim,BruceIrvinan

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