Five Defensive Players to Watch This Bowl Season
As the old ESPN commercial remix song used to say, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Sure, the holidays are always a great time to get together with family, friends, and colleagues. But the spot referred to college bowl season starting in December and culminating with the biggest games in January.
It’s a lot of fun for collegiate players to end their semester, and perhaps their collegiate careers, to have extended time preparing for a big game. It gives many student-athletes one shot to feel like they’re participating in a big-time spectacle.
We’re not going to focus on the players who are going professional in something other than sports, though. Let’s examine five players on the defensive side of the ball who should be interesting to watch this bowl season.
Edge, Will Anderson Jr., University of Alabama
Once a upon a time, the SEC conference was all about play in the trenches and who could control the line of scrimmage. It would be common to see teams emphasize the run and try to wear out their opponent physically and mentally. Long drives and punishing physicality would be the common theme.
Times have changed. Just like in the NFL, the SEC has opened up their offenses, leaning on talented passers to strike down the field early and often. As a result, defenses have had to prioritize getting after the quarterback, so as not to allow a signal caller to sit in the pocket and pick them apart.
Football odds tend to lean towards higher scoring games at the next level on Bovada.lv, but Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. is one of the best game-wrecker prospects in years. Going up against some of the best athletes in the country, Anderson shows that he is a premier player. He will finish his college career with at least 34.5 sacks, which is an incredible figure.
DL, Jalen Carter, University of Georgia
Despite the emphasis on bringing pressure from all angles of the line of scrimmage, there’s still something to be said for being able to generate push right up the middle. It’s the type of disturbance that quarterbacks and running backs alike hate the most. If the center of the line is compromised, it becomes very difficult to register positive yardage.
Despite the 2023 NFL Draft looking like a QB-heavy class, Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter is going to be awfully difficult to pass up on. The 300 pounder has made his competition look like Pop Warner players, as he’s someone that consistently needs to be doubled. He may not be the next Aaron Donald, but there’s an awful lot to like.
Georgia football capsules show that the Bulldogs defense is elite against the rush and the pass, and Carter’s brilliance up front is a big reason why.
CB, Kelee Ringo, University of Georgia
While you’ve got your eye on Carter, keep your attention fixed on the back-end of the Bulldogs defense as well. They have a promising cornerback prospect named Kelee Ringo, who is someone that has the ability to be a top 10-15 NFL Draft pick.
Georgia will square off against Ohio State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, and Ringo will have an enormous opportunity to prove that he’s worth a high pick. He’ll square off against Marvin Harrison Jr. who has been an elite pass catcher for the Buckeyes. It’ll be interesting to see if Ringo is able to shut down the son of the NFL Hall of Famer, which would get the attention of many evaluators.
With the ascension of Sauce Gardner in the NFL, teams might be willing to pay a premium for the next great cornerback.
Edge, Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
There are some players who have astronomical defensive statistical production, which is hard to ignore. Then there are players like Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech, who has good numbers, but nothing that will blow someone’s mind. A little more work needs to be done to help qualify a player’s value in that scenario.
While the traditional football statistics may not tell Wilson’s full story, 6’6” and 275 pounds does. You can’t teach height or size, and Wilson’s athletic ability figures to be a huge problem at the next level. He may still be learning how to use his physical gifts, but Wilson will be fun to watch in his final college game.
LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson University
The first few players mentioned in this column all should go within the top 10-15 picks in next year’s draft. Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson may crack that ceiling or may fall a little later in the first round. He probably doesn’t have the same type of upside as the other players, but there’s also very little chance that he’s a bust at the next level.
Simpson has great instincts and speed at the heart of the Tigers’ defense. He has a quick first step, and darts to the area of the ballcarrier. His productivity should be on full display against the University of Tennessee in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
