In an effort to combat The Sporting News’ watered-down version of SEC position rankings, what follows is an SEC fan’s perspective on the defensive rankings by position.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
1. Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU
2. Geno Atkins, Georgia
3. Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn
4. Demonte' Bolden, Tennessee
5. Ernest Mitchell, Arkansas
Notes: Oddly enough, top-tier defensive tackles are not in abundance in the SEC this season. A lot of great players at the position, but only a handful would classify as dominant.
DEFENSIVE END
1. Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
2. Jeremy Jarmon, Kentucky
3. Kirston Pittman, LSU
4. Antonio Coleman, Auburn
5. Eric Norwood, South Carolina
Notes: As usual, the SEC will have plenty of speed from the end position. This list could be twenty players long.
Unusual to this year, however, is that Florida does not have a proven dominant defensive end. While I do think that Carlos Dunlap will become a household name by October, he simply didn’t see the field enough as a freshman to justify a top-five spot.
Norwood has switched to linebacker this season but will still get snaps on the line, giving South Carolina even more versatility.
LINEBACKER
1. Brandon Spikes, Florida
2. Rolando McClain, Alabama
3. Jamar Chaney, Miss. State
4. Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina
5. Rico McCoy, Tennessee
Notes: Again, you could probably find another twenty names for excellent SEC linebackers. Speed, size, athleticism—these guys have it all.
CORNERBACK
1. DJ Moore, Vanderbilt
2. Captain Munnerlyn, South Carolina
3. Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
4. Jerraud Powers, Auburn
5. Joe Haden, Florida
Notes: Like the linebackers, these players all have good size, speed, hands, and everything else you could ask for. Most importantly, these corners can all man-up. The problem, of course, is the wide receivers they have to face.
SAFETY
1. Eric Berry, Tennessee
2. Derrick Pegues, Mississippi State
3. Rashad Johnson, Alabama
4. Emmanuel Cook, South Carolina
5. Major Wright, Florida
Notes: Broken record here, but once again, these guys all share the size and big hits that you would normally find from a linebacker—and a few will line up at linebacker from time to time.
PUNTER
1. Brian Shoemaker, Auburn
Notes: Like the kickers, punters in the SEC seem to be average at best, so a list is pointless. With Colquitt’s suspension and a group of guys who have to pull double duty with place-kicking and punting, it doesn’t look like the SEC will have punters who can flip the field regularly.
For the offensive breakdown, click here.
comments (16) write a comment »
write a new comment
2 months ago
pretty sold list. i've enjoyed the offensive one and this one. the sporting news is a terrible place for college football info.
two LSU related things:
1) while pittman is like a 16th year senior, i think tyson jackson will have the better year. pittman is a speed rusher with alot of heart though.
2) jean francois is the real deal. putting him on this list (and at #1 to boot) is pretty insightful/a gamble after only playing two games last year but tiger fans are hoping he can deliver over a whole season.
physically, he's a freak.
any other things i would change would just be nitpicky. i like captain as the #1 CB but like i said that's nitpicky. pegues is fun to watch for MSU.
2 months ago
Thanks for the feedback, Justin.
To be honest, it was a toss-up between Pittman and Jackson, and I didn't want to have both. Jackson seems to go after more big plays rather than playing his responsibilities each play; hence, I went with the 27-year-old Pittman.
Do you have concerns with LSU's secondary? The DB's were obviously impressive last year, but a lot can get hidden when your team has a front 4 and front 7 like last year's team.
South Carolina's D should be nasty this year.
from about 1 month ago
Unless Carolina improves its run defense it will be a nasty year, for the wrong reasons. Injuries were blamed for last year's 5 game losing streak to close the regular season. If we review the last 6 seasons, under 2 legendary coaches, we see that losing streaks in the last 5 games of the regular season are commonplace. Example:
2002) Lost last 5 in a row.
2003) Lost 4 of last 5 (Beat Vandy)
2004) Lost 3 of last 5 (Beat Kentucky & Arkansas)
2005* See Note Below
2006) Lost 3 of last 5 (Beat Middle Tenn & Clemson)
2007) Lost last 5 in a row.
*2005 is by far the best Carolina finish of this era. The Gamecocks beat Tenn,Florida,Arkansas, & Vandy to finish 4-1. Very impressive end to SPURrier's 1st season.
There were injuries in '07 but Glen Dorsey was injured at LSU and they won the natl title. Better run defense, more depth and substitution in the defensive line, and an ability to stretch defenses with the downfiled game will provide the answer to Carolina's inconsistent finish at the end of the season. 9 wins in the final 30 regular season games over the past 6 seasons does not a title contender make.
2 months ago
My concerns lie with two new starting corners. The safeties are strong in fact like i stated in an article before, LSU is very strong up the middle on defense. but teams can attack lsu's perimeter with some success so speedy WR's and accurate QB's may make some headway. but i wouldn't expect much of a drop off on the front 7 as i would the corner positions with two departing seniors. the other thing would be the two new DC's although not a whole lot is supposed to change scheme wise. if anything mallory and peveto will be more aggressive when it comes to blitzing. pelini liked to install a 3-3-5 every once and a while to shake things up but i wonder if we have the experience at DB for that now.
it'll be hard to run on the tigers. the teams with the two best chances will be UGA an AU who both possess great lines. tebow will get his as well against LSU.
moreno is quite arguably the best player in the SEC.
the one worry spot for tiger fans should be injuries if they happen especially at QB or LB. also the OL will be great but may not be that deep after the starting 5. the DL and RB's have ridiculous depth though.
but LSU fought through injuries last year pretty well so who knows.
i'm not expecting the world this year for LSU. but it's not unreasonable to think they can compete for the West.
2 months ago
Joe Haden is a nice player, but I think it's too early to name him as a top-5 CB in the conference. A lot of people said he was better last year than he actually played.
I would make a case for Chas Henry being worthy of mention at punter. Just 5 of his 37 punts (only three teams had fewer) were returned, and he had no touchbacks. His average punting yards aren't spectacular, but the Gators weren't punting from deep too often thanks to the Gators' excellent return game.
2 months ago
David,
Haden played every down as a freshman after never playing the position before. The kid got burned a few times, but he tackles well and is usually in solid position. With a better pass rush up front and a year of experience, I think Haden is in for a big year--including some picks. Out of curiosity, though, who would you put in front of him?
I want to see the Sturgis kid try a 55-yarder.
from 2 months ago
I'm not sure who I'd put ahead of Haden, I just don't know that he's earned top-5 honors yet. We'll see.
As for Sturgis, he definitely has a big leg but he's not accurate at all yet. He'll be kicking off, but I bet Jonathan Phillips starts against Hawaii if for no other reason than to motivate Sturgis. That's the sort of thing Meyer likes to do.
2 months ago
Tim,
Good breakdown of defensively players in the SEC. Hard to imagine there being 3 other linebackers in the league better than Jasper Brinkley, but that is a fair assesment due to the fact he is coming off of a season ending knee injury last year. If Brinkley is able to play at 100% without any reservations due to his knee, he is the best linebacker in the league.
I also like Tyson "Kung-Fu-Fighting" Jackson for LSU and I think it is difficult to leave him off the list.
Oh and I would like to throw in a vote for Britton "Give Me A Beer and My Car Keys" Colquitt of UT to the list of best punters. I know he is suspended right now, but you know Fulmer will put him back on the team.
2 months ago
Trey,
Good stuff. I simply couldn't put Colquitt on there because he is messing his team over big time. As usual, Tennessee's schedule is front loaded. Colquitt will miss the UCLA, FL, and Auburn games--unless Fulmer goes back on the 5-game suspension for "good behavior."
Not sure who the backup punter is, but it can't be anybody with experience. And with the way FL returns the punt, that could smell trouble. UCLA is by no means a good team, but the kid's first game is way out on the West Coast--there will have to be some nerves. And Auburn always wins the field position battle.
Colquitt will definitely be missed in those games, in my opinion.
Knee surgery always pushes 100% ability back another year. Brinkley will be a steal in next year's draft.
2 months ago
Any list that doesn't include LSU's Chad Jones as one of the best safeties in the SEC creates a credibility vortex. This kid is a freak of the positive kind - if you witnessed him run down McFadden last year you get the idea. He is big and he real, real fast - not track fast - football fast. He played sparingly behind seasoned veterans in his freshman year but still made an impact on a very good defense. Mark it down: Mr. Jones is the best safety in the SEC and, with experiance, maybe in the nation.
2 months ago
"He played sparingly" would be the key there. In fact, he did not even play in six-seven games, depending on whose research you use.
All of the gentlemen on my list not only played but starred. The experience earns them a spot. This was not projecting who will be the best--that would be nearly impossible to do with all the talent in the SEC.
I think your LSU bias may be interfering with the "credibility vortex" of which you speak.
2 months ago
i agree with yeaux in the fact that if jean francois can make the list then jones definitely could.
i wouldn't put either on a preseason list though.
it's a good list tim, and fans can come out and pick this guy and that guy to replace who you have (that's what make these lists read-worthy), while i see what yeaux is saying, i don't think you have to worry about a "credibility vortex" anytime soon.
while i wouldn't put either player on a preseason list, both are very likely to show up on post season lists. :)
2 months ago
Point well made.
Safety, however, seems like a much more stable and proven group overall than DT's, but I digress.
And nice picture change, Justin.
from 2 months ago
thanks, the second paragraph in this article
http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/24979-Rising-Tide-A-Preview-of-the-SEC-West
warranted the change for now.
about 1 month ago
that is geno with an e.
29 days ago
Hardy will be an SEC standout by seasons end, more than he already is. I expect him to go early in the draft when he does enter. And Rico McCoy will be one of the better LB's in the SEC
write a new comment