Top 10 College Football Pass-Rushing Duos for 2016 Season
Elite pass-rushers are must-have weapons on any college football team, but even the best can't do it alone. Going at it solo means opposing offenses can scheme up double-teams and other ways to limit the star player's impact over the course of a game.
Why have just one elite pass-rusher when you can have two fearsome ones? Together, these duos make it hard for offenses to key on just one threat, which leads to better numbers all the way around.
College football lost some of its top duos from last season, including the Clemson combo of Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, as well as the high number of pass-rushing packages Penn State could throw out with the likes of Carl Nassib, Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel.
But there are still a good number of established pass-rushing duos left in the college game, especially in the defense-savvy SEC. Here are the 10 best combos in the country heading into the 2016 season, based mainly on production in sacks and QB hurries from last year, per CFBStats.com.
Which duo do you think is the best in college football? Have any newer combos you think will be added to the list by season's end? Shout them out in the comments below.
10. LSU: Lewis Neal and Arden Key
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2015: 13 sacks and 17 QB hurries
Let's kick off this countdown with a duo who had a solid 2015 season but has the potential to be one of the best in all of college football by season's end. Between defensive end Lewis Neal and hybrid linebacker Arden Key, new LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has some standout talents to work with in his attack-first defense this fall.
Neal occupied a defensive end spot in LSU's traditional 4-3 defense last season, posting a team-high eight sacks for the Bayou Bengals. As Ross Dellenger of the Advocate wrote, Neal could line up anywhere from a three-point end opposite a tackle, closer to the interior with his hand in the dirt, to standing up to attack the offense off the edge in Aranda's defense. He has a number of possible roles and a lot of opportunities to explode this fall.
Key, on the other hand, has been a stand-up outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid in what Aranda is calling the "Buck" linebacker. At 6'6" and boasting tremendous speed, Key is the type of player who can straight-line attack the quarterback and become a matchup nightmare in Aranda's defense. Last season, Key led LSU in QB hurries despite not being an every-down player.
Aranda is one of the most coveted names in defensive football from his standout success at Wisconsin, and now he has former blue chippers such as Neal and Key to utilize in his unique scheme. This pass-rushing duo was tough to compete with in 2015. This year, they could be household names.
9. Ole Miss: Marquis Haynes and D.J. Jones
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2015: 14 sacks and 11 QB hurries
Marquis Haynes has been an instant game-changer for Ole Miss, combining for 17.5 sacks in his first two seasons with the Rebels. Last year, he hit the 10-sack mark, and he got some solid pass-rushing help on the inside from D.J. Jones. Together, they'll seek to keep the Land Sharks going strong after the loss of several key names.
Haynes has been a top-notch edge-rusher who didn't get as much spotlight as he probably deserved on an Ole Miss defensive line that featured star Robert Nkemdiche. However, his 10 sacks, eight QB hurries and three forced fumbles speak for themselves. Haynes has a puncturing partner down the middle in tackle D.J. Jones, who is looking to build off a solid four-sack season in 2015.
"Get in shape, full shape," Jones said, per Daniel Paulling of the Clarion-Ledger. "I feel like if I'm in the best shape of my life, we as a unit, myself, can't be stopped.”
Ole Miss fans will hope Jones' words ring true as the Rebels adjust to life without Nkedmiche this season. If Jones can produce at an even higher level as Haynes continues his attack from the edge, the Land Sharks will have plenty of chances to feed on quarterbacks in 2016.
8. Ohio State: Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard
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2015: 14.5 sacks and five QB hurries
With Joey Bosa having to handle double- and sometimes triple-teams last season, his sack numbers went down for the Buckeyes. But Ohio State got good production from its other defensive ends in 2015 as teams focused on slowing down the shrugging superstar. This year, both Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard will be back to lead OSU.
Lewis lined up opposite Bosa last season and led Ohio State with eight sacks, scattering them across a good selection of games. According to Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch, Lewis posted his pass-rushing numbers despite suffering a torn labrum early last year. He fought through the injury last fall and had surgery on it this spring with the goal of getting him to 100 percent for the upcoming campaign.
Hubbard, on the other hand, filled in for Bosa at times and showed great promise in his first season at a new position. He added a lot of weight to his safety-like frame out of high school, and he has the raw ability to become a superstar name for the Buckeyes this season.
Lewis and Hubbard will have the pressure on them to produce at a high level in the absence of the block-swallowing Bosa, but they'll also have more chances to get after quarterbacks in their higher-responsibility roles. From what they've shown so far, they can be a terrorizing tandem.
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7. Missouri: Charles Harris and Walter Brady
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2015: 14 sacks and 17 QB hurries
Last year was a tough one for the Missouri football team, but the Tigers could keep their heads held high about one thing—they continued to produce top-notch defensive line talents. While Charles Harris and Walter Brady didn't reach double digits in individual sack totals like Shane Ray or Michael Sam before them, the underclassmen combined for a formidable pass-rush duo.
Harris was consistent in a season that was anything but consistent for Missouri. He had a pair of sacks in a tight win over Arkansas State early in the campaign and then had a nice streak of games with a sack that ran through the heart of SEC play. The sophomore had 10 quarterback hurries last season and also forced a pair of fumbles, giving him plenty of momentum for this fall.
Brady lined up opposite Harris on the Missouri defensive line and matched him in sacks, but the freshman's numbers came more in spurts. He had big games in victories over UConn and South Carolina, and he was a consistent presence in Dak Prescott's backfield in the game against Mississippi State. Now entering his sophomore campaign, Brady has plenty of room to improve.
The Missouri defensive line as a whole is stacked with impressive talent, and the combination of Harris and Brady as bookends could see a jump into the 20-plus-sack range this season. The Tigers' tradition of fierce line play is showing no signs of decline.
6. Florida State: DeMarcus Walker and Derwin James
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2015: 15 sacks and five QB hurries
DeMarcus Walker broke out to have a fantastic season as an edge-rusher for Florida State in 2015, and he had a rather unlikely partner following him up in the total sack count by the end of the season. Together, Walker and freshman safety Derwin James put together a unique and fierce pass-rushing combo.
In a sea of top-notch pass-rushers last season from the ACC, Walker stood out on his own with 10.5 sacks. He came up big in important games for the Seminoles, recording multiple sacks in matchups against the always-pesky NC State and in-state rivals Miami and Florida. Heading into his senior season, Walker should be a real force on the edge for this legitimate national title contender.
The No. 2 pass-rusher on the team was James, a true freshman who didn't have a full-time starting job until midway through the 2015 season. He lived up to the hype and then some, becoming a tackle magnet who felt right at home rushing the quarterback as much as he did dropping back in coverage. With a key role from the opening kickoff of the upcoming campaign, James should post even bigger numbers.
Whether James continues to be a noteworthy pass-rushing menace in 2016 or Florida State gets more production from another source—Josh Sweat would be a fine pick there—it's clear the Seminoles have different and effective ways of getting after the passer. Either from the edge of the line or the back of the defense, quarterbacks have to stay alert at all times for the FSU pass rush.
5. Houston: Steven Taylor and Tyus Bowser
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2015: 15.5 sacks and 18 QB hurries
Houston has to replace a few key players from its aggressive, title-winning defense from 2015, but it still has the outside linebacker combination of Steven Taylor and Tyus Bowser, who cranked up the pressure on quarterbacks all season long.
Taylor led the American Athletic Conference in sacks with 10 last season, and he had the ability to completely take over games for the Cougars. He had three sacks in back-to-back games against Tulsa and SMU, and he was a constant menace on the edge against Cincinnati and Florida State. Taylor will be the unquestioned leader of this attack-minded Houston defense in 2016.
On the opposite side of Taylor was Bowser, who was a perfect complementary piece. Of his 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 of them were sacks, and he was good for a big stop or two each game. His pressure was apparent in Houston's crucial conference victory over Memphis, when Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch had one of his quieter games of the entire season.
Even though the Cougars will have to deal with the losses of players such as Elandon Roberts and William Jackson, they'll still have Taylor and Bowser on the edges—with 5-star signee Ed Oliver playing on the defensive line. Good luck, rest of the AAC.
4. Tennessee: Derek Barnett and Jalen Reeves-Maybin
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2015: 16 sacks and 10 QB hurries
A fractured hip for Curt Maggitt early in Tennessee's 2015 season took away his dream pass-rushing combo with Derek Barnett. But Barnett found another partner on defense to terrorize quarterbacks in the form of do-it-all outside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Barnett matched his 10-sack count he had as a freshman in 2014, and he had nearly the same number of quarterback hurries. He turned his game up as the season went on for the Volunteers, recording a sack in seven of the last eight games, including multi-sack performances in routs of Kentucky and Vanderbilt. He's got the look of a future first-round pick and should take a big step this fall under new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who had excellent line play at Penn State.
The second-most sacks on Tennessee's squad last season went to Reeves-Maybin, who was an all-around stats magnet for the Volunteers in 2015. He opened and closed the season with back-to-back games featuring sacks, and he also came up with key takedowns in close defeats to rivals Florida and Alabama. When Reeves-Maybin pins his ears back and gets after the quarterback, he can produce.
Tennessee has a wealth of options to pair with Barnett in the pass rush for 2016, but Reeves-Maybin has been the best one so far. This combination should cause a lot of headaches for opposing offenses as Tennessee focuses on getting back to championship contention in the fall.
3. Louisville: Devonte Fields and Trevon Young
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2015: 19.5 sacks and 15 QB hurries
In Louisville's 3-4 defense, Devonte Fields and Trevon Young formed an incredible partnership last season. The pair of transfers—Fields from TCU, Young from Iowa Western Community College—combined for just under 20 sacks and were constant presences for opposing defensive lines.
Fields returned to the form that made him the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. Eleven of his 22.5 tackles for loss were sacks, and he was marked down for a dozen quarterback hurries. He turned it on late in the season, coming up with a combined 7.5 sacks in the final three games against Pittsburgh, Kentucky and Texas A&M.
The late-season surge by Fields put him higher than Young in total sacks for 2016. Young had his own impressive trio of games, recording eight of his 8.5 for the year in midseason matchups against Florida State, Boston College and Wake Forest. Unfortunately, he broke and dislocated his hip in the season finale. While he was originally feared to be out for the 2016 season, Louisville is "shooting for" his return this fall, per Steve Jones of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
If Young is able to make his return for the upcoming season, Louisville will have a ferocious pass-rushing game at both edges of its defense. Young's injury takes some shine off this ranking, but the Cardinals have other options to pair with Fields if he can't take the field in 2016.
2. Texas A&M: Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall
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2015: 19.5 sacks and 14 QB hurries
Myles Garrett is perhaps the best all-around pure pass-rusher in college football heading into the 2016 season, as he's lived up to his 5-star billing in two years at Texas A&M. Daeshon Hall is a mountain of a man on the opposite side, taking advantage of the added emphasis on Garrett with his 6'6" frame.
Together, Garrett and Hall give Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis an all-star defensive end duo for his famed system. Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney's freshman SEC sack record two seasons ago and followed it up with 12.5 sacks in 2015—the most of any Power Five player returning to the field in 2016. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projects Garrett to be a top-10 pick in the 2017 NFL draft as the class' best 4-3 defensive end.
Hall has been Garrett's pass-rushing sidekick for the last two seasons. He started 2015 with a bang, coming up with four sacks and two forced fumbles in Texas A&M's neutral-site win over Arizona State. Although he only added three more sacks for the rest of the season, he was a constant pass-rushing presence for the Aggies with his outstanding length.
The 2016 campaign will be the third and final season for this dynamic duo on the same field, and there are high expectations for them. Garrett and Hall have all the physical tools and the experience in Chavis' system to meet them and spark a turnaround season in College Station.
1. Alabama: Jonathan Allen and Tim Williams
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2015: 22.5 sacks and 10 QB hurries
Defensive end Jonathan Allen's return to Alabama for his senior season meant the Crimson Tide were already going to have a killer pass rush in 2016. But the added return and further development of outside linebacker Tim Williams mean Alabama should have the best duo in the entire country this fall.
Allen recorded a dozen sacks last season for Alabama as it ran to another national championship. To show how impressive that season was for Allen, consider the fact he did it at defensive end—a position that usually doesn't rack up the big-time stats in Nick Saban's defense. His 12 quarterback takedowns were also a new best for any Alabama defensive star in the Saban era.
Then there is Williams, an outside linebacker who was solely a third-down specialist last season for the Crimson Tide. His speed and instincts made him a highly productive role player, as he added 10.5 sacks. Now he's the favorite to become an every-down starter in Tuscaloosa, and he capped an impressive spring with a pair of sacks and plenty of pressure on Alabama's quarterbacks at A-Day, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com.
Allen was the best player on the nation's best all-around defense last season and should be an All-American-type talent from the start of 2016. Williams was an incredible pass-rusher for the small amount of time he got on the field in 2015, and now he's in line to play a lot more snaps this fall. Together, they should be the most feared tandem in the country.
Stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
