College Football 2011: 10 Top Defenders For Top 25 Teams
The old adage is that defense wins championships. If this is accepted as true, then college football teams need strong defensive players for any hope at bringing home a national championship.
The following 10 players will play an important role in the success of their teams.
Interested to see who they are?
Read on to find out.
DE Devin Taylor, South Carolina
1 of 10
At 6'7", 249 lb., Taylor has an intimidating physique.
After an impressive game against Tennessee in which he returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles, Taylor earned SEC defensive lineman of the week honors.
Taylor also forced a Cam Newton fumble in the SEC Championship Game—particularly impressive since Newton had not previously fumbled at all during the 2010 season.
DE Bruce Irvin, West Virginia
2 of 10
Irvin is overlooked, but he is a good player.
He was second in the nation and first in the Big East with 14 sacks. The game against Maryland in which he got three sacks—earning Big East Defensive Player of the Week in the process—helped set the tone for the rest of the year.
Quarterbacks fear getting sacked. Bruce Irvin gets sacks. Quarterbacks fear Bruce Irvin.
That's called the transitive property.
S Mark Barron, Alabama
3 of 10
Barron is a key cog of the Alabama defense.
Over the past two seasons, he has recorded 74 and 77 tackles.
For his stellar play, he has been selected to All-SEC and All-American teams.
Barron is rated the second-best safety in the 2012 draft class by NFLDraftScout.com.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech
4 of 10
Hosley recorded nine interceptions, the most in the nation in 2010. He also recorded 39 tackles and seven pass-breakups.
For his play, he earned All-American honors from Scout.com and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
In the Orange Bowl, Hosley intercepted an Andrew Luck pass—perhaps the only bright spot on the night for the Virginia Tech defense.
S Cliff Harris, Oregon
5 of 10
Harris may talk a lot, but he backs it up with his play on the field.
During the 2010 season, he snagged six interceptions. Against Stanford, he had five tackles, one pass deflection and two interceptions.
This performance earned him Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Harris is also an excellent special teams player, with four punt returns for touchdowns.
LB Tank Carder, Texas Christian
6 of 10
Just for his name, Carder deserves to be on this list.
That aside, he is a talented linebacker. He was selected as a 2010 All-American and 2011 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP.
At 6'3, 237 lb., he is physically imposing.
LB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
7 of 10
Lewis is a tackling machine. He has 343 career collegiate tackles including 109 in 2010.
In 2008, he set the Oklahoma freshman record for most tackles in a season and in a game.
He was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award in 2010.
LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
8 of 10
Te'o is a playmaker. The sophomore has 15 tackles for loss in his first two seasons, including 9.5 in 2010. His 133 tackles led the Fighting Irish last season.
Against Stanford this year, Te'o had 21 tackles.
Te'o was selected as a Freshman All-American in 2009 and Second Team All-American in 2010.
DT Jared Crick, Nebraska
9 of 10
When Ndamukong Suh left for the NFL, Crick became the focal point of the opponent's offensive line. Despite the extra attention, he played well with 70 tackles and 10 sacks.
For a defensive lineman, 70 tackles represents active involvement and excellent range. Crick has done that two consecutive years.
Crick passed up the NFL Draft in favor of another season at Nebraska, and there is no reason to believe he won't finish with a bang.
LB Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State
10 of 10
Burfict is regarded as the top inside linebacker of his class.
With 89 tackles and two forced fumbles, The Sporting News selected Burfict as an All-American and Pac-10 Defensive MVP.
The number of personal foul penalties Burfict incurs also helps his fear factor.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
