The 7 SEC Defensive Players Who Will Explode in 2015
Defense doesn't win championships anymore. "Just enough" defense does. Finding the next superstar on defense is the first step for teams to find enough to get into the College Football Playoff mix.
Defensive stars like former Missouri defensive end Shane Ray, Alabama safety Landon Collins, Georgia linebacker Ramik Wilson and Arkansas defensive end Trey Flowers have moved on, but there's a new crop of defenders just waiting to make a mark in the SEC.
Who will step up and become the breakout star defenders in the SEC in 2015? Our top seven based on talent and opportunity are in this slideshow.
Auburn DE Carl Lawson
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Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson was slated to be the man to fill in for departed defensive end Dee Ford and provide the pass rush for the 2014 Tigers. An ACL injury suffered in the spring ended Lawson's season before it even started.
Better late than never.
Now a redshirt sophomore, Lawson, a 6'2", 261-pound monster, is ready to be the true three-down force off the edge that Auburn needs under first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Lawson had 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in spot duty as a true freshman in 2013, and he is the closest thing to a Dante Fowler clone that Auburn has on its roster.
The marriage of Muschamp and Lawson will make Lawson the most feared defensive end in the SEC in 2015.
Florida DB Jalen Tabor
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Vernon Hargreaves III will have one side of the field locked down, which means that opposing quarterbacks will be looking elsewhere for open receivers.
They won't find many hanging around Jalen Tabor either.
The 6'1", 195-pound rising sophomore had 31 tackles, four for loss, two sacks and one interception as a true freshman in 2014, and he will be battling with several other youngsters for playing time. He's already made an impression on new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, according to Mark Wheeler of Inside The Gators.
Tabor has great cover skills, is physical at the line of scrimmage and will get plenty of chances to shine as a sophomore.
Alabama S Laurence "Hootie" Jones
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Laurence "Hootie" Jones came to Alabama to be the next in line behind Landon Collins at safety for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and he'll get his chance in 2015.
As expected, Collins declared early for the NFL draft, which leaves a gaping hole at the back end of the defense for Jones to fill.
He saw spot duty as a true freshman, making two tackles in seven games. According to Drew Champlin of AL.com, Jones is excited for the spring and the chance to implement some of the lessons he learned from Collins.
"It's going to be real big," Jones said of spring practice. "Landon taught me a lot. I've been getting real good on tackling. Everything's just been unraveling for me. It's been good, [Collins has] taught me a lot and taught me things to carry on in life since he's going to leave before me."
Like his predecessor, the 6'2", 221-pound Jones is solid in coverage and a hard hitter who's willing and able to stick his nose and help out in run support.
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Georgia LB Lorenzo Carter
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Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is known for producing fast, physical linebackers who get after the quarterback and disrupt plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Lorenzo Carter is a perfect fit for Pruitt.
As a freshman in 2014, Carter notched 41 tackles, seven for a loss and 4.5 sacks, and he had 11 quarterback hurries. He was phenomenal down the stretch, posting eight tackles in each of Georgia's final two games—vs. Georgia Tech and Louisville.
Fellow outside linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd are returning in 2015, but Pruitt has a knack for getting his best linebackers in the lineup, which could move Jenkins down to a pass-rusher role on a regular basis.
However Pruitt makes it work, he will find a place for Carter in the lineup, and the Norcross, Georgia, native will blossom into a star as a sophomore.
Tennessee DL Commit Kahlil McKenzie
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If you're looking for a player from the class of 2015 who's going to make a big splash in the SEC, Tennessee defensive line commit Khalil McKenzie is your guy.
The 6'3", 354-pound, 5-star stud from Concord, California, is a Tennessee legacy and will step in and compete for playing time in the middle of the Vols' defensive line from day one.
One look at McKenzie, and you might think he's just a space-eater. You'd be wrong. He's light on his feet, has great technique and will force opposing offensive linemen to double-team him, which will free up sophomore Derek Barnett off the edge.
The Vols finished second in the SEC in opponent's third-down percentage last season (34.21 percent), and McKenzie's presence will give them a good chance to actually improve upon that stat.
Ole Miss S C.J. Hampton
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Ole Miss safety C.J. Hampton was a hot-shot recruit but only managed 10 tackles as a freshman on an Ole Miss secondary that featured Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson.
With Prewitt gone, it's likely Hampton's job to step up in the back end of the Rebel "landshark" defense alongside fellow hot-shot recruit and last season's second-leading tackler Tony Conner.
Hampton, a 6'0", 192-pounder from Meridian, Mississippi, is a hard hitter and good in coverage, and he will get the benefit of a pass rush up front that should be second to none in the SEC.
LSU LB Clifton Garrett
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The arrival of Kevin Steele as LSU's new defensive coordinator will bring a clean slate for LSU's entire defensive roster, and that's good news for redshirt freshman Clifton Garrett.
After only a few plays on special teams, Garrett redshirted in 2014 and will step into a situation in 2015 where Kendell Beckwith is locked in at middle linebacker, but playing time is available elsewhere.
At 6'2", 242 pounds, Garrett is best-suited to play in the middle, but LSU has always moved around linebackers to different spots in order to get their best three or four out there even before former defensive coordinator John Chavis arrived.
Garrett plays downhill, gets off of blocks and is a ferocious hitter, which will find him a spot in the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2015.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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