Thursday night we officially concluded week 4. That also means that we are halfway through the regular season! In this list we will look at our expert’s choices for the best players at each position on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Line:
- Aaron Josephs – Nebraska
- Bill McAllister – Clemson
- Jackson Adok – Alabama
- Zak Howard – Florida State
- Nick Harley – Texas
To start out on defense we got the big boys upfront. At the number five spot is Nick Harley. Nick has four sacks, ten tackles for loss, and eighteen total tackles. He has been a very strong presence on this Texas defense and will continue to be down the stretch. At number four is Zak Howard, who has been able to make some big plays so far. Zak has a total of five sacks, nine tackles for loss, and sixteen tackles. He is a type of guy everyone wants on their team but hates playing against. Expect his numbers to rise a lot in these final four games. Coming in at number three is Jackson Adok. Adok is one of the league’s best defenders and has been able to show it this season. With seven sacks, seven tackles for loss, and eighteen tackles, you have to keep an on him. He has been one of the best players on Alabama’s defense and will continue to be in the second half of the season. At the second spot in the rankings is Bill McAllister. In four games he has nine tackles for loss, six sacks and seventeen tackles. He is one of the best players in the league and by the end of this season could definitely be in the conversation for an award. Now finally at number on is Aaron Josephs. He has nineteen tackles with eleven of them being for loss. You also can not forget his seven sacks. He is an animal on the field and is one of the reasons why Nebraska’s defense is one of the best in the league.
Linebackers:
- Wyatt King – Florida
- Jedidiah Longtree – Oregon
- Ikkuma Tulok – Florida State
- Cletus Castle – Michigan
- Isaiah Fowler – Auburn
At the bottom of our linebacker rankings sits Isaiah Fowler. The former defensive player of the year has forty seven tackles, four being for loss. He also has an interception and two forced fumbles. He is one of the league’s premier defenders and is a huge piece on Auburn’s defense. At fourth is Cletus Castle. He has put up fifty tackles with seven being for a loss, and two forced fumbles. Like Fowler he is one of the best defenders in this league. He is also doing this on a struggling Michigan team. Number three is Ikkuma Tulok. In four games he has forty six tackles, ten tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. Tulok has also done some work at running back this season where he has fifty four yards and a touchdown. Coming in at the second spot is one of the top recruits in this past class, Jedidiah Longtree. In four games he leads the league in tackles with fifty two. He also has nine tackles for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. If he keeps up his stellar play, you can expect him in the talks for defensive player of the year. At the top of the rankings sits Wyatt King. Fifty one tackles, a forced fumble, and twelve tackles for loss. Just like Longtree and basically every other player on this list, if he can keep up his play, he will be in the polls come award season. King is one of the main reasons Florida is 4-0. He lives up to his name so far as the king of linebackers.
Defensive Backs:
- Isaac Krout – Miami
- Kevin Watts – Florida State
- Tutu Longtree – Oregon
- Minkah Solo – Notre Dame
- Alan Dutch – LSU
- Austin Turner – Ohio State
- JoJo Schillizzi – Nebraska
We decided to combine safeties and cornerbacks into one group and make it a top seven instead of five. To start out at number seven is Jo Jo Schillizzi. While he may have no interceptions, he does have eleven tackles for loss and a sack. He is a force and a big reason why Nebraska’s defense is one of the best. At six is Austin Turner. He’s got two interceptions, two tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and twenty two total tackles. Austin is among the elite cornerbacks in this league and will be very exciting to watch in the second half of season eight. Want another elite cornerback? Well here you go. Coming in at number five is Alan Dutch. Dutch has two interceptions, four pass deflections, and twenty four tackles. Next up at number four is Minkah Solo. In the first four games he has thirty nine tackles and two for loss. It seems like he is everywhere on the field and always making tackles. We are now down to the top three. At the third spot is Jedidiah Longtree’s brother Tutu Longtree. Tutu is a do it all guy with thirty five tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and two pass deflections. He is simply a monster on the field. At number two, Kevin Watts. Sitting with forty tackles, two for loss, and a forced fumble he is a playmaker. Now for number one. The top player in the secondary power rankings is Isaac Krout. At the halfway mark, Krout has three interceptions, forty one tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and three pass deflections. Also keep in mind he is playing on offense too. He is definitely going to be in the polls when award season comes around.
