All this week Husker Corner.com will be breaking down each position in the Big 10 Conference. Today we talk grunt workers of the defense. The defensive linemen. We will be ranking each position from 12 to 1. Twelve being the group that is lacking depth, doesn’t have any proven player, and/or needs to improve the most. One will be the strongest group of defensive linemen.
12. Minnesota: The Gophers finished last in the nation in sacks (9). New defensive coordinator Tracy Claseys trys to turn around one of the worst defenses in the country in 2010. Former Gopher and Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove has left for Akron. Minnesota returns all four starters on the defensive line, none of which are seniors, so there is plenty of room to grow.
11. Illinois: Corey Liuget is an amazing talent, the problem is he was the number 18 pick in the NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. The Illini will look to junior to be Aakeem Spence to be the big man in the middle in 2011. Spence is a 6-foot-1, 305 lb force to be reckoned with. As a sophomore he recorded 45 tackles, and a sack. Senior Michael Buchanan is 6-foot-6, 24o lbs and will be the top defensive end on the team.
10. Indiana: Senior defensive end Darius Johnson is a monster off the edge when he is healthy. If he can stay on the field in 2011 look for Indiana’s defense to turn things around from where they have been. Adam Replogle will anchor the middle of the line. He is a 6-foot-3, 290 lb senior.
9. Northwestern: A side from senior Vince Browne at defensive end, there really isn’t much on the line. The Wildcats need Browne to to have as susccesfull of a year in 2011, as he did in 2010. He had 15.5 tackles for loss, a long with 7 sacks. Jack DiNardo will be the top defensive tackle for the Wildcats. He is a 6-foot-4, 290 lb senior from Hinsdale, Illinois.
8. Penn State: Devon Still was rated among the best defensive tackle recruits in the country in 2007, and the number one player in the state of Delaware. Jack Crawford was considered a sleeper in the 2007 class. Eric Latimore was a member of a very highly regarded 2006 class. Like Still, Latimore also from Delaware. Penn State needs to get more production out of the pass rush in a very quarterback driven Big 10 in 2011. Still and Crawford are the only members returning with a sack last season. Each had two.
7. Iowa: The Hawkeyes are going to have to replace Adrian Clayborn, who was the number 20 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. His defensive end spot will be filled by Broderick Binns, or Lebron Daniel’s.Both sat out last season with injury. Daniel is a 6-foot-2, 250 lb senior who recorded just 3 tackles in his whole career. Binn will need to return to his 2009 form of 6 sacks, and 63 tackles.
6. Purdue: Tackle will be the strength of this group. Kawann Short is a 6-foot-4, 310 lb junior who recorded 6 sacks in 2010, along with 41 total tackles, and two interceptions in 2010. The other tackle spot in the Boilermakers 4-3 defense will be fellow junior Bruce Gaston Jr. Senior Gerald Gooden is the biggest question mark. If he can stay healthy, will he be able to sure up the line at the end spot?
5. Ohio State: With the loss of Cameron Hayward to the NFL, the Buckeyes turn to junior John Simon. He is a 6-f00t-2, 270 lb junior from Youngstown Ohio. The Buckeyes hope that he lives up to his superstar potential. He moves from defensive tackle to defensive end in 2011. Look for Johnathan Hankins to fill the hole in the middle. In clean up duty, Hankins had 16 tackles and a sack last season.
4. Michigan: This ranking is so high due to new defensive coordinator, Greg Mattison’s ability to mold defenses. Mattison was the defensive coordinator for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens for the last two years. Senior Mike Martin recorded 36 tackles, and 2.5 sacks in 2010, but has all the upside in the world to double those numbers. He is a potential NFL prospect. Craig Roh is a productive pass rusher. He recorded 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2010. It can only get better for the Wolverines defense in 2011 with Mattison at the helm.
3. Wisconsin: With the loss of J.J. Watt to the NFL, Wisconsin needs to fill a huge void. Watt was the number 11 overall pick to the Houston Texans. Senior Louis Nzegwu and junior David Gilbert will look to be the next great Badger defensive linemen. They will be the defensiv ends in 2011. Patrick Butrym will be the big man in the middle of the line in replacing Watt. Playing opposite of the first rounder last season Butrym recorded 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
2. Michigan State: Two words to describe Spartans defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, “potential superstar.” Worthy had 40 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 2010. Worthy is also a projected first round draft pick in 2011. Sophomore William Gholston is 6-foot-7, 270 lb former linebacker who will move down to the line, and will play defensive end.Gholston is a real physical presence.
1. Nebraska: Maybe the only team with sno question marks on the defensive line. With senior Jared Crick returning, after being projected as a possible first round draft pick in 2010, the Huskers are set in the middle of the line with Crick and junior Baker Steinkuhler. Crick had 7o total tackles and 9.5 sacks in 2010, and has the opportunity to improve those numbers and be a top 10 pick in the 2011 draft. Stienkuhler recorded 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his sophomore campaign, with an extra year playing next to Crick he will improve his numbers, and look to take over as the leader of the defense in 2012. The defensive ends will be full of depth and play making ability. Junior Cameron Meredith will be the top end on the line in 2011. Meredith had 64 total tackles, and 2 sacks in 2010, experience and great players around him will only make Meredith’s junior season a success. Eric Martin has been a big hit on and off the field since he arrived in Lincoln 3 years ago. He has been a play maker on special teams, and has played in pick up time at linebacker. Martin moves to defensive end this season, and has all the athletic ability to be a star. Junior Jason Ankrah will be the most entertaining story line of this group. He is a freakishly athletic. It is just a matter of if he can translate that athleticism to on the field production.
-By Jimmie Allen