Writer’s Choice: Defensive Freshman of the Year

I know that generally the offensive side of the ball gets the media spotlight, but this season some of the defensive freshman outshined everyone! In a league that is generally thought of as a passing or offense-first league, it takes a special talent to stand out like these following players. Not only does the defensive freshman class feature some of the highest flyers in the game, it includes a generational talent that you do not see every season or even every few seasons. It is one that stands out further than anyone else, in my opinion. Here are (in no particular order) some of the freshmen defensive standouts and my personal choice for CFSL Freshman of the Year.

1. Jedidiah Longtree, OLB – Oregon
2. 106 tackles (leads all of CFSL)
3. 21 tackles for loss
4. 2 sacks
5. 3 passes defended
6. 2 forced fumbles

Squidy (OC – Oregon) – “Jedidiah has really brought our defense to life. It seems he is helping out on every play and making big plays all over the field. He is a great leader and knows how to get us fired up when we need a big play.”

• Colten Allen – DE – OSU
• 40 tackles
• 23 tackles for loss (leads all of CSFL)
• 13 sacks (leads all of CFSL)
• 1 pass defended
• 2 forced fumbles
• Owns single game TFL record
• Tied for 2^nd in most single game sacks ever
• Owns season TFL record
• 2^nd in record books for sacks in a season ever

Legion of Slugs (AD, OSU) – “Colten Allen has impressed many people this season, including ourselves. There’s many reasons for his breakout season, one of those being his quickness off of the line into the backfield, he’s one of the top players in the league at that”

According to Colten –

1.    Q. What was your favorite game this year?

1. Many people would think my favorite game would be the Miami game due to my performance that game, but my favorite game was the USC game. First time stepping foot on the field wearing the scarlet and grey. It’s the same game I recorded my first sack, and we pulled out the win over the Trojans.

2.    Q. What is one area you want to improve on next season?

1. One area I would like to improve next season is my ability to drop back in coverage and be able to help give my team another dimension of the game.

3.    Q. Name one player you model yourself after, and why?

1. Julius Peppers is the one guy I try to model myself after. You watch him on the field, and off the field and he is incredibly humble, and thankful to be able to play the game. When he is on the field though it’s all business, and teams know they have to really prepare for him. As for myself, I continue to work to be closer compared to him. I want teams to have to worry when we play them and try to game plan for me because putting extra work in focusing on me will only help my teammates make more plays.

4.    Q. If you win, who will you thank?

1. If I win, I will thank my teammates and my AD as those guys are family to me, and I wouldn’t be where I am without all their help. I would especially thank my roommate/teammate Michael Kruger. From day one on campus we set goals and made friendly wagers against each other to push each other to become better.

5.    Q. Who is the funniest person in your locker room?

1. The funniest person in the locker room is a tough one because both the turner’s (Austin and Dylan) are pretty funny especially when you get them started at who is better at Warzone; good lord.

• Casen Dinwoody, DE – Florida
• 40 tackles
• 15 tackles for loss
• 11 sacks
• 1 interception
• 1 fumble recovery

HunkyDory1 (AD – Florida) – “Casen is a great guy on and off the field. His stats speak for themselves, but the way he had ingrained himself into our defense as well as the locker room has made him a standout dynamic player that represents well what it means to be a Gator.”

• Josh Claydon, FS/WR – Clemson
• 59 tackles
• 6 tackles for loss
• 1 sack
• 1 interception
• 4 passes defended
• 1 fumble recovery
• Pretty good on-air commentator

Clutch (AD – Clemson) – “He has meant a lot to this defense. He has stepped up to be a great leader and teammate and has done whatever we have asked of him from swapping positions on defense a few times to playing some offense too.”

According to Josh –

1.    Q. What was your favorite game this year?

1. It might sound strange, but the Auburn vs. Clemson game. Even though we lost, it really helped ignite the team and we all came together after that loss.

2.    Q. What is one area you want to improve on next season?

1. Probably my offensive presence, got to improve that 3.2 yards per carry average.

3.    Q. Name one player you model yourself after, and why?

1. Sean Taylor, I connected with him as a kid and loved his no nonsense approach and he was a straight head-hunter.

4.    Q. If you win, who will you thank?

1. Clutch and Shane for believing in me, and my brothers on the AMBUSHHHHH for always having my back.

5.    Q. Who is the funniest person in your locker room?

1. Hands down Dane Jones; dude just has a great energy. He’s the lightning to my thunder.

• Steven Parks, MLB – USC
• 88 tackles
• 10 tackles for loss
• 1 sack
• 1 pass defended
• 1 forced fumble

Ted Stern (AD, USC) – “Parks is a dual threat at linebacker, which we don’t see a lot of anymore. His numbers are up there in tackles and he’s a great run stopper. He also really excels in his zone coverage and was a big reason the Legion succeeded at stopping the pass. He has such a great future ahead of him”

According to Steven –

1.    Q. What was your favorite game this year?

1. My favorite game has to be USC/Texas. We (USC) really came to play that night and our defense played exceptionally well, plus who doesn’t like beating #1.

2.    Q. What is one area you want to improve on next season?

1. With Xavier Halle graduating I need to step up my coverage ability. This season I was more of a pure run stopper while Xavier helped the DBs out a lot. I have to step up and prove that I can defend the pass when called on.

3.    Q. Name one player you model yourself after, and why?

1. I have always loved watching Brian Urlacher play and always picture myself playing like him. He always shows the grit of playing middle linebacker and can always make a key stop in any game.

4.    Q. If you win, who will you thank?

1. If I win, all thanks go to every single player and coach at USC. When I was recruited by USC, they preached the family first mentality and it wasn’t until I got to know the guys in the locker room that I knew just what that meant. I’m thankful for every down I get to play with my brothers.

5.    Q. Who is the funniest person in your locker room?

1. It’s hard to pick one person as the funniest when we all joke around with each other and lift each others spirits every week. Burks has definitely kept everyone going and having a great time as we grind through the season.

My Choice for Freshman of the Year:

DE Colten Allen – The Ohio State University Colten has been overlooked basically all season while having one of the best seasons any player can have, especially a freshman. He directly impacts the outcome of nearly every single snap he plays and for sure every single game he plays in. He is the league leader in tackles-for-loss and sacks. He set new benchmarks and records for tackles-for-loss in a single game and for any season in the history of the CFSL. He is tied for second most sacks in a game and second most sacks in a season. This was literally a record-breaking year for Colten! This tells me he beats his blocker more often than everyone else. He is almost unstoppable at the line of scrimmage. He may not be a high-flyer that we all hear about or throw for 3,500 yards, but I believe he is the overwhelming choice for Freshman of the Year.