WilliamDuVOL
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Is 2015 the Year of the defensive lineman in the SEC? - SEC Blog - ESPN
I pulled the parts that discuss Barnett. Feel free to read the full thing. It's pretty good. I think this is an interesting prospect though. I've heard quite a few people mention this year could be focused heavily on RBs in the SEC (e.g. Hurd, Fournette, Chubb) with so many questions at QB for many programs. Looking at the full article and all the names mentioned on that list and the acheivements and talent associated with them, however, I'm beginning to wonder if DLs across the board could be the stars in the SEC. We know we should have a great D line this year, but will defense eclipse offense as the strong point of some teams this year? Thoughts?
I pulled the parts that discuss Barnett. Feel free to read the full thing. It's pretty good. I think this is an interesting prospect though. I've heard quite a few people mention this year could be focused heavily on RBs in the SEC (e.g. Hurd, Fournette, Chubb) with so many questions at QB for many programs. Looking at the full article and all the names mentioned on that list and the acheivements and talent associated with them, however, I'm beginning to wonder if DLs across the board could be the stars in the SEC. We know we should have a great D line this year, but will defense eclipse offense as the strong point of some teams this year? Thoughts?
Two of the returning sack leaders in the SEC were both true freshmen a year ago.
Texas A&M's Myles Garrett was second in the league to Ray with 11.5 sacks as a freshman, and freshman Tennessee's Derek Barnett was just a few spots behind with 10 sacks. The amazing thing is that neither player was an early enrollee last year. They both reported in the summer without the benefit of spring practice and immediately started putting up huge numbers.
The Vols were thrilled to get Barnett a year ago and knew he was an excellent prospect, but coach Butch Jones had no idea the 6-foot-3, 267-pound Barnett would have the impact he did as a freshman. His 18 tackles for loss in SEC games led all players, and nobody else in the league had more than 12.
"He just took off and kept getting better," Jones said. "The best thing about him is that he's nowhere near as good as he's going to be."
Barnett is recovering from shoulder surgery and won't participate in spring drills. The same goes for senior Curt Maggitt, who finished with 11 sacks last season and gives the Vols the best returning sack tandem in the league. The 6-3, 251-pound Maggitt splits his time between outside linebacker and defensive end, but is at his best as an edge rusher.