Big Ten schools dominate top players list
1. Chase Young, Ohio State (Jr.)
Young will be the next Ohio State defensive lineman to earn national accolades. If somewhat overshadowed across his first two seasons by former teammate Nick Bosa, Young represents the total package at end: He’s big, strong, explosive when rushing the passer, stout in run support and athletic enough to do whatever is asked from Ohio State’s defensive scheme. He’s a lock for every preseason All-America list.
2. A.J. Epenesa, Iowa (Jr.)
After getting his feet wet in situational roles as a freshman, Epenesa led Iowa in tackles for loss and sacks in 2018 to earn first-team all-conference honors. Already labeled as a contender for the upper level of the NFL draft, Epenesa is the sort of piece who makes Iowa an under-the-radar New Year’s Six contender.
3. Derrick Brown, Auburn (Sr.)
The multiple-year starter hasn’t landed the same attention and acclaim as other linemen in the SEC, but Brown is a ground-swallowing interior star with the athleticism to consistently disrupt plays behind the line of scrimmage. He’s accounted for 20 tackles for loss across the past two seasons.
4. Raekwon Davis, Alabama (Sr.)
That Davis opted to return for his senior season gives Alabama a tone-setting presence for its defensive line and entire defense. He’s long, at 6-7, and more than strong enough to either hold the edge along the Tide’s front or slide inside and make plays in the backfield.
5. Kenny Willekes, Michigan State (Sr.)
The former walk-on has become one of the great success stories in college football. After wearing a redshirt in 2015 and playing in just one game in 2016, Willekes surged into all-conference contention as a sophomore and took his game to another level a season later, leading the Big Ten in tackles for loss in being named the league’s defensive lineman of the year.
6. Bradlee Anae, Utah (Sr.)
Anae is just one part of Utah’s superb defensive line. While Leki Fotu (No. 8 on this list) engulfs blockers, Anae has developed into an excellent edge rusher with the propensity for coming up big in Utah’s biggest matchups.
7. Xavier Thomas, Clemson (Soph.)
The sky is the limit for Thomas, even if he’s yet to produce at the same level as those ahead of him on this list – then again, he is just only a true sophomore. If not as highly acclaimed as the other Clemson true freshman on last year’s roster, a quarterback named Trevor Lawrence, Thomas had a jaw-dropping rookie campaign given his numbers and impact for one of the top teams in modern Football Bowl Subdivision history. He’s a superstar in the making.
8. Leki Fotu, Utah (Sr.)
Fotu doesn’t match Anae in filling up the box score; his role is to own the space from guard to guard, giving Utah’s ends and linebackers ample room to operate. In that sense, Fotu is perhaps the Utes’ most important piece of the puzzle. He’s just the program’s most recent interior lineman to excel in a relatively thankless role.
9. Curtis Weaver, Boise State (Soph.)
Like his teammate Ezra Cleveland, who made the list of the nation’s top offensive linemen, Weaver flew under the radar for many of the West’s top Power Five programs and into Boise State’s lap. Since taking the field as a redshirt freshman in 2017, Weaver has shown himself to be the top defensive lineman in the Group of Five, one of the top rushers in program history and a surefire bet to soon land on an NFL roster.
10. Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State (Jr.)
The numbers jump off the page: Gross-Matos made 20 tackles for loss in 2018, tying him for eighth on Penn State’s single-season list. That earned him first-team all-conference honors from the media but third-team accolades from Big Ten coaches, indicating how opposing teams weighed Gross-Matos’ production against his impact.
Five just missing the cut
Nick Coe, Auburn; Carter Coughlin, Minnesota; Julian Okwara, Notre Dame; Jay Tufele, Southern California; Marvin Wilson, Florida State.