SEC Football Top 150 Players: No. 118, Nosa Eguae, Auburn DE

The SEC Blog will be counting down the top 150 players in the SEC every day, concluding on August 30 at the start of the college football regular season.

No. 118: Nosa Eguae, No. 94, Defensive End, Auburn

2011 Stats: 38 tackles, six tackles for loss

Strengths

Eguae won the starting job for the Tigers as a freshman in the national championship year of 2010, and proved to be a solid speed rusher off of the edge. Eguae is a student of the game and always seems to be around the football. He has started 24 games at defensive end in his first two seasons on the Plains.

Weaknesses

Eguae notched 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a freshman in 2010, but his sophomore season was disappointing. Was his success as a freshman a by-product of defensive tackle Nick Fairley taking up blocks in the middle of that line? We will have to wait and see. Eguae missed spring practice after having shoulder surgery.

2012 Prediction

New defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has already stated that the returning starters will still have to go out and win their jobs, so Eguae's injury could cut into his playing time in 2012. Dee Ford and LaDarius Owens emerged as solid options at defensive end this spring, in addition to All-SEC candidate Corey Lemonier.

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