Tag: Defensive Line U

Texas included in ESPN’s Defensive Line U rankings

Texas makes a surprise appearance high up ESPN’s Defensive Line U rankings.

The Texas football program continues to receive credit for its development at various positions over time. And while some see Texas as a perpetual talent waster, that’s more of a recent struggle for the program.

The Longhorns surprisingly cracked ESPN’s list of top defensive line schools in a recent Defensive Line U ranking. The list put Texas at No. 6 among all programs in pumping out quality linemen.

Brian Orakpo, Tony Brackens and Tim Crowder certainly come to mind when discussing Texas edge rushers in recent seasons. Albeit, its the interior defensive line that kicked off the beginning of former head coach Mack Brown’s dominance. Casey Hampton, Shaun Rodgers and Cory Redding made plenty of noise in their time on the Forty Acres.

Older Longhorns fans will remember former defensive linemen Kenneth Sims, Bill Atessis, Brad Shearer, Tony Denegrate and Scott Appleton among others.

Ahead of Texas is the dominant force of the last 15 seasons, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide’s involvement atop the list is a no-brainer. Several Alabama interior linemen and edge rushers have made a home in the NFL. Florida State, Ohio State and Clemson make up the next three on the list.

It’s no mistake that Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson have seen postseason success given what each team has produced up front. The three teams have dominated the playoff era.

As for Texas, the program needs to make the most of its current front line talent. It all starts on the interior with Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins and Trill Carter. The four will look to add to the legacy the Longhorns have at the position.

Ohio State in top five of Sports Illustrated’s Defensive Line U

Ohio State has churned out some great edge rushers lately, but where does it land on Sports Illustrated’s designation of Defensive Line U?

Sports Illustrated has been making its way through each position group in modern college football history (since 2010) and using a ranking system to designate schools as the best. The Buckeyes have already appeared near the top of Running Back U, Wide Receiver U, and O-Line U. But that’s not all. Ohio State also is also hanging out near the penthouse when it comes to Defensive Line U.

In the recent past, we’ve seen guys like Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones, and Sam Hubbard make their mark in the NFL, and the next one has a great chance to be Chase Young.

But believe it or not, despite all the edge rushers coming out of Columbus lately, OSU is not even in the top three. Now, the formula used to by Sports Illustrated to determine these sorts of things isn’t exactly college football science, but Ohio State checks in at only No. 4 overall.

So, what teams are ahead of the Buckeyes? You could probably guess that Alabama is No. 1, but behind the Tide are Clemson (2) and Georgia (3). LSU rounds out the top five with Florida, Wisconsin, USC, Mississippi State, and Pittsburgh rounding out the top ten.

What do you think? Do you agree with this assessment, or should Ohio State be higher up the list?

We’ll keep going through this with the next position group Wednesday.