11 Most Intimidating Players in College Football
Football is a sport made for inherently intimidating people.
But among the group of big, strong, hardy athletes who gravitate toward the game in high numbers, a faction emerges as even bigger, stronger and hardier than the rest.
More often that not, this has to do with size and physique, with pure physical appearance. But in some cases, smaller players earn a reputation based on how hard and often they hit.
Either way, they're the last thing opponents want to see barreling toward them in a game filled with giants barreling toward them.
Sound off below and let us know who we missed.
DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State
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Measurables: 6'5", 278 pounds
Ignore his jokey Twitter account and his mellow off-field persona.
Joey Bosa will rip you to shreds.
He's especially scary when you insult him, as Penn State learned the hard way when it assigned running back—n.b., running back—Akeel Lynch to block him on 4th-and-6 with the game on the line in double overtime.
Bosa steamrolled Lynch into the legs of Christian Hackenberg, using the 6'0" blocker as a prop en route to the game-sealing sack.
DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon
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Measurables: 6'7", 290 pounds
If a picture speaks a thousand words, the above photo of DeForest Buckner screams, "Please, sir; don't hurt me!" 200 times on repeat.
Unlike former teammate Arik Armstead, another uniquely sized (6'8", 290 lbs) lineman, Buckner also plays with a motor to match his frame. You only wear the predator facemask if you mean business.
And Buckner means serious business.
DE Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
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Measurables: 6'5", 250 pounds
Shilique Calhoun looks like a defensive end but moves like an outside linebacker. He carries 250 pounds with a full head of steam.
More than that, he finishes plays like a WWE superstar. Last year, he suplexed both Eastern Michigan quarterback Rob Bolden and Purdue running back Akeem Hunt, throwing a pair of grown men/college football players to the ground like rag dolls.
Which unlucky soul will become victim No. 3 next season?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU
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Measurables: 6'1", 230 pounds
Leonard Fournette was the No. 1 overall recruit in 2014, per 247 Sports, and the highest-rated running back prospect since Adrian Peterson.
He didn't have the freshman year some expected, but that speaks more to his expectations than his performance. He finished with 187 carries, 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns and proved beyond a fraction of a doubt that he's as scary to tackle as advertised.
Just ask former Texas A&M safety Howard Matthews.
RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
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Measurables: 6'3, 242 pounds
Derrick Henry holds the record for most rushing yards in high school football history. Despite that, recruiting services listed him as an "athlete" because so many college teams wanted him at linebacker.
That should tell you all you need to know.
Even if he played linebacker—a more physically imposing position than running back—Henry would boast uncommon size. He is built like a small locomotive, and he moves like one too.
Even more than Fournette, he's a tackler's worst nightmare.
DB Karl Joseph, West Virginia
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Measurables: 5'11", 197 pounds
Karl Joseph lacks the size of the other players on this list.
He does not lack the intimidation factor.
Mike Huguenin of NFL.com ranked Joseph the hardest hitter in the country last August—and that was before Joseph's 90-tackle, three-forced fumble junior season.
"Opposing receivers must make sure they know where he is because, man, Joseph hits a ton," Huguenin wrote.
Making other players hear footsteps is the essence of intimidation.
DT Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
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Measurables: 6'4", 280 pounds
Even as a freshman, Robert Nkemdiche looked like a man among boys. As a sophomore, he looked like a giant man among boys.
Next year, he's on pace to look like a giant man among insects.
The former No. 1 overall recruit has not posted gaudy numbers at Ole Miss, but that's a product of his position (and, on occasion, his effort) more than his talent. When he's fully invested—which is most of the time—he can single-handedly beat double teams or obliterate single blocking.
His bull rush against Alabama guard Leon Brown, who checks in at 6'6", 320 pounds, was one of the most terrifying clips of 2014.
DE Shawn Oakman, Baylor
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Measurables: 6'9", 280 lbs
The new rule banning crop tops will reduce Shawn Oakman's intimidation factor significantly.
Even so, he was the first name we wrote on this list.
Pictures of Oakman before the coin toss of last year's Cotton Bowl went viral, turning the 6'9" defensive end into an Internet meme. The basis of the meme? Basically, people find new ways to call Oakman the scariest dude on the planet. Honestly, there's nothing else to it.
Like Buckner, Oakman's picture speaks a thousand words.
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
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Measurables: 6'2", 230 pounds
In most cases, quarterbacks go down easy. When a defender lays a hand on them, they might as well be playing touch. They are supposed to hit the ground and protect themselves.
Dak Prescott does the opposite, lowering his shoulder and functioning like one of the best power running backs in America. He's the same weight and one inch taller than Fournette, and although he's not as fast, he's every bit as privy to seeking contact.
A defender being laid out by a quarterback is apropos to a power forward getting dunked on by a point guard. It's emasculating.
Prescott emasculates defenders every weekend.
DT A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
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Measurables: 6'4", 312 pounds
In high school, A'Shawn Robinson looked like an angry 30-year-old. Really, that's how former teammate Anthony Steen described him—minus the "angry" part—when Steen was a senior and Robinson was a freshman, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com.
But in the context of a defensive tackle, "angry old man" is a compliment. Robinson plays the way he looks—i.e. like the biggest, baddest dude on the field. He's the personification of Alabama's defense, which intimidates opponents unlike any unit in the country.
And he's only getting scarier with age.
Note: Robinson left practice this week with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Sources say the injury is minor, per Matt Zenitz of AL.com, but his status is at least worth mentioning.
LB Scooby Wright III, Arizona
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Measurables: 6'1", 246 pounds
"Scooby" sounds more like a shaggy-haired suburban teenager at a skate park than someone from whom Division I athletes cower.
Scooby Wright III breaks the mold—and then some.
The 2014 recipient of the Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award and Lambert Award became a terrifying figure up the middle of Arizona's defense, finishing his sophomore year with 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
He also led the nation with six forced fumbles, so if you tremble in fear of a big hit—which is common—he'll make you pay with a turnover.
There's nothing Scooby Dooby can't Doo.
Note: All recruiting info refers to the 247Sports composite rankings.
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