Post by bigdawgs on Apr 17, 2024 15:39:13 GMT -5
BRAD CRAWFORD
Apr 13th, 10:24 PM
7
College football's national champion each of the past three seasons ranked inside the top 10 in total defense, so yes, that side of the football does still lead to titles. Which programs have the strongest defenses in 2024? With the transfer portal's spring window opening this week, keep an eye on college football's elite potentially adding another player or two to toss on the two-deep this fall. America's strongest defenses will have depth and star power and sometimes, you can find both on the open market.
Spring games across the country kick off to give a closer look at some of the nation's top defenses. While defenses are often ahead of schedule when it comes to preseason, some programs stand atop the list.
This is a projection that takes into account returning players, transfer portal acquisitions, defensive coaching hires and where we predict these units will be ranked in scoring production, total yardage and efficiency by the end of the 2024 season.
Here are the nation's best-projected defenses for the 2024 season.
8. NEBRASKA HUSKERS
Best returning defensive player: Isaac Gifford, DB
Biggest offseason departure: Nick Henrich, LB
A borderline top-10 total defense and scoring defense during Year 1 under Matt Rhule and coordinator Tony White, this group should be even better in 2024. Gifford became Nebraska's first player in the secondary to register 80 or more tackles since 2014 a season ago. The defense gave the Huskers a chance, and that happened despite the other side of the football being a three-and-out and giveaway machine. Nebraska brought back nearly 2.5 dozen players who either started or played significant snaps on defense in 2023 and owns one of the most-experienced units in the Big Ten.
7. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Best returning defensive player: Xavier Watts, S
Biggest offseason departure: Marist Liufau, LB
Top roster addition: RJ Oben, Edge, Duke
Notre Dame veteran linebacker Jack Kiser has his hands full with two productive teammates at the position off to the NFL, but this Notre Dame defense from front to back remains potent. Watts is back as the man in centerfield after winning the Nagurski last fall, leading college football with seven interceptions. Jaden Mickey will do some heavy-lifting at cornerback since the Fighting Irish replace Cam Hart and Thomas Harper at the spot.
6. CLEMSON TIGERS
Best returning defensive player: Peter Woods, DL
Biggest offseason departure: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
Top roster addition: Sammy Brown, LB
Eight starters are back on defense, though the talent missing — notably Trotter and defensive back Nate Wiggins — were top-end players. Barrett Carter returns on the weakside and will assist the five-star Brown, who expects to start as a freshman. Carter's up there with Woods as the face of Clemson's defense. Expect a difference-making years out of safety R.J. Mickens and defensive lineman DeMonte Capehart, who rejoined the team in March after an offeseason weapons charge was dropped.
5. GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Best returning defensive player: Malaki Starks, S
Biggest offseason departure: Kamari Lassiter, CB
Top roster addition: KJ Bolden, S
Bolden was one of four five-star freshmen who enrolled early with the Bulldogs this spring, joining cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and linebackers Justin Williams and Chris Cole. Kirby Smart doesn't need to take portal additions on defense when his two-deep is elite. Hybrid pass rusher Jalon Walker is the player this spring who kept coming up in conversations with those close to the program. If he stays healthy, Walker could possibly be handed significant snaps within a talented front seven.
After Saturday's spring game, Smart said the secondary was an area of interest.
"We've got a long way to go. We lost three really good football players there. We're thin," Smart said. "David Daniel wasn't able to go today, Malaki was out, Justyn Rhett was out, Demello was dealing with a little bit of a hamstring. We got better in the secondary, but we're not where we need to be in terms of being able to make plays on the ball down the field and be able to affect the quarterback."
4. OREGON DUCKS
Best returning defensive player: Jordan Burch, Edge
Biggest offseason departure: Brandon Dorlus, DK
Top roster addition: Elijah Rushing, Edge
Dan Lanning must look at his two-deep on defense and feel extremely confident the Ducks have one of the top pass rushes in the Big Ten. They should be reliable at the back end, too. With Burch returning for a final season along with the arrival of five-star signee Rushing, four-star freshman Aydin Breland and Houston transfer Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon has ample strength strength at the line of scrimmage. The Ducks will have a defense that should be nasty against the run. Oregon took Washington's Jabbar Muhammad from the portal and he's an immediate impact guy on the outside.
3. IOWA HAWKEYES
Best returning defensive player: Jay Higgins, LB
Biggest offseason departure: Cooper DeJean, CB
As long as Phil Parker is in Iowa City, it's hard not to include the Hawkeyes in a top-10 defense projection given this program's prowess on that side of the football under one of the top veteran coordinators in the country. Iowa convinced linebackers Nick Jackson and Jay Higgins, defensive back Sebastian Castro, safety Quinn Schulte and cornerback Jermari Harris all to return for the 2024 season. New offensive coordinator Tim Lester could provide a few wrinkles that gives the Hawkeyes' defense some breathers for a change, too.
2. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Best returning defensive player: Denzel Burke, CB
Biggest offseason departure: Tommy Eichenberg, LB
Top roster addition: Caleb Downs, S, Alabama
It all starts with bookends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau for the Buckeyes, who are loaded on defense without a weakness under Jim Knowles. This should be Ohio State's best secondary in several years after swiping the best available defensive player from the portal (Downs) and convincing Burke and a few others to return. The star-studded cornerback group of Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock is the Big Ten's and one of the top units in the country.
1. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Best returning defensive player: Will Johnson, CB
Biggest offseason departure: Junior Colson, LB
Top roster addition: Jaishawn Barham, LB, Maryland
Sherrone Moore's staff hires defensively will work out beautifully for the Wolverines since there are multiple All-American candidates at every level. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant return at the line of scrimmage and Michigan can absorb the loss of Colson with Ernest Hausmann and Maryland transfer Barham taking over in leadership roles. Makari Paige is back too, and Will Johnson — one of the nation's top cornerbacks. Safety Keon Sabb leaving for Alabama was the only notable portal casualty following the coaching change. Impressive.
Apr 13th, 10:24 PM
7
College football's national champion each of the past three seasons ranked inside the top 10 in total defense, so yes, that side of the football does still lead to titles. Which programs have the strongest defenses in 2024? With the transfer portal's spring window opening this week, keep an eye on college football's elite potentially adding another player or two to toss on the two-deep this fall. America's strongest defenses will have depth and star power and sometimes, you can find both on the open market.
Spring games across the country kick off to give a closer look at some of the nation's top defenses. While defenses are often ahead of schedule when it comes to preseason, some programs stand atop the list.
This is a projection that takes into account returning players, transfer portal acquisitions, defensive coaching hires and where we predict these units will be ranked in scoring production, total yardage and efficiency by the end of the 2024 season.
Here are the nation's best-projected defenses for the 2024 season.
8. NEBRASKA HUSKERS
Best returning defensive player: Isaac Gifford, DB
Biggest offseason departure: Nick Henrich, LB
A borderline top-10 total defense and scoring defense during Year 1 under Matt Rhule and coordinator Tony White, this group should be even better in 2024. Gifford became Nebraska's first player in the secondary to register 80 or more tackles since 2014 a season ago. The defense gave the Huskers a chance, and that happened despite the other side of the football being a three-and-out and giveaway machine. Nebraska brought back nearly 2.5 dozen players who either started or played significant snaps on defense in 2023 and owns one of the most-experienced units in the Big Ten.
7. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Best returning defensive player: Xavier Watts, S
Biggest offseason departure: Marist Liufau, LB
Top roster addition: RJ Oben, Edge, Duke
Notre Dame veteran linebacker Jack Kiser has his hands full with two productive teammates at the position off to the NFL, but this Notre Dame defense from front to back remains potent. Watts is back as the man in centerfield after winning the Nagurski last fall, leading college football with seven interceptions. Jaden Mickey will do some heavy-lifting at cornerback since the Fighting Irish replace Cam Hart and Thomas Harper at the spot.
6. CLEMSON TIGERS
Best returning defensive player: Peter Woods, DL
Biggest offseason departure: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
Top roster addition: Sammy Brown, LB
Eight starters are back on defense, though the talent missing — notably Trotter and defensive back Nate Wiggins — were top-end players. Barrett Carter returns on the weakside and will assist the five-star Brown, who expects to start as a freshman. Carter's up there with Woods as the face of Clemson's defense. Expect a difference-making years out of safety R.J. Mickens and defensive lineman DeMonte Capehart, who rejoined the team in March after an offeseason weapons charge was dropped.
5. GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Best returning defensive player: Malaki Starks, S
Biggest offseason departure: Kamari Lassiter, CB
Top roster addition: KJ Bolden, S
Bolden was one of four five-star freshmen who enrolled early with the Bulldogs this spring, joining cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and linebackers Justin Williams and Chris Cole. Kirby Smart doesn't need to take portal additions on defense when his two-deep is elite. Hybrid pass rusher Jalon Walker is the player this spring who kept coming up in conversations with those close to the program. If he stays healthy, Walker could possibly be handed significant snaps within a talented front seven.
After Saturday's spring game, Smart said the secondary was an area of interest.
"We've got a long way to go. We lost three really good football players there. We're thin," Smart said. "David Daniel wasn't able to go today, Malaki was out, Justyn Rhett was out, Demello was dealing with a little bit of a hamstring. We got better in the secondary, but we're not where we need to be in terms of being able to make plays on the ball down the field and be able to affect the quarterback."
4. OREGON DUCKS
Best returning defensive player: Jordan Burch, Edge
Biggest offseason departure: Brandon Dorlus, DK
Top roster addition: Elijah Rushing, Edge
Dan Lanning must look at his two-deep on defense and feel extremely confident the Ducks have one of the top pass rushes in the Big Ten. They should be reliable at the back end, too. With Burch returning for a final season along with the arrival of five-star signee Rushing, four-star freshman Aydin Breland and Houston transfer Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon has ample strength strength at the line of scrimmage. The Ducks will have a defense that should be nasty against the run. Oregon took Washington's Jabbar Muhammad from the portal and he's an immediate impact guy on the outside.
3. IOWA HAWKEYES
Best returning defensive player: Jay Higgins, LB
Biggest offseason departure: Cooper DeJean, CB
As long as Phil Parker is in Iowa City, it's hard not to include the Hawkeyes in a top-10 defense projection given this program's prowess on that side of the football under one of the top veteran coordinators in the country. Iowa convinced linebackers Nick Jackson and Jay Higgins, defensive back Sebastian Castro, safety Quinn Schulte and cornerback Jermari Harris all to return for the 2024 season. New offensive coordinator Tim Lester could provide a few wrinkles that gives the Hawkeyes' defense some breathers for a change, too.
2. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Best returning defensive player: Denzel Burke, CB
Biggest offseason departure: Tommy Eichenberg, LB
Top roster addition: Caleb Downs, S, Alabama
It all starts with bookends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau for the Buckeyes, who are loaded on defense without a weakness under Jim Knowles. This should be Ohio State's best secondary in several years after swiping the best available defensive player from the portal (Downs) and convincing Burke and a few others to return. The star-studded cornerback group of Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock is the Big Ten's and one of the top units in the country.
1. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Best returning defensive player: Will Johnson, CB
Biggest offseason departure: Junior Colson, LB
Top roster addition: Jaishawn Barham, LB, Maryland
Sherrone Moore's staff hires defensively will work out beautifully for the Wolverines since there are multiple All-American candidates at every level. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant return at the line of scrimmage and Michigan can absorb the loss of Colson with Ernest Hausmann and Maryland transfer Barham taking over in leadership roles. Makari Paige is back too, and Will Johnson — one of the nation's top cornerbacks. Safety Keon Sabb leaving for Alabama was the only notable portal casualty following the coaching change. Impressive.