[2024] SB+ Best Defensive Lines

[SageBow]

@Sarge had a great discord idea and I decided to expand on it. Concept is simple, you've got the opposing offense in 3rd and long. Which defensive coordinator has the best weapons in their arsenal to field a 4-down lineman, classic nickel defense and be confident they're getting to the QB no matter what? Using this metric, I took the top 2 DE and DT from each team per the SB+ proprietary player rankings and from there we found, on paper, the best line ups heading into the 2024 season.

10.  - 285.70

Bowling Green comes in at #10 in the nation with a sick lineup off the edge. DEs Jake Cuthbert and Damontae Lim are one of the best edge rushing tandems in the country. They're weaker in the middle, DT ArDarius Tiller and highly touted freshman DT Jasper Chunk are still great, but this score is high off the edge. 

9.  - 292.43

The Rebels are another formidable lineup.  DE Christian Tilson and DT Cobi Tulowitzki are two future NFL guys that will be lining up against Mountain West offensive linemen this fall, get ready for the carnage. DE Muhammad Thomas is great in his own right, but the lack of a great DT2 keeps this team from being any higher. DT Chris Gonzalez is only a Sophomore and has the makings of a future star, but he's not there yet.

8.  - 301.69

First team to crack the #300s, the Mean Green is led by junior phenom DE Tyler Heredia. Look him up, be a cool guy at the water cooler to say you knew this kid before he got big. What a talent. On the other side, DE Stanley Villarreal is a productive and experienced vet, and two junior DTs in the middle with DT Roubbens Fedde and DT Kyle Marimon means if everyone returns, North Texas will be even better next year.

7.  - 303.36

DE Freddy Gervacio is a demon. The projected 2025 first round pick is one of the reasons Tulsa is at this spot. DE Joey Acklin is an excellent player on the opposite side, and DT Zac Hicks will plug up big holes on the inside. This will be a big year for sophomore DT Chris Basham as he takes his first meaningful snaps for the Golden Hurricane. 

6.  - 310.09

I know what you're thinking, "Sage, FAU for real?" Yeah these guys are for real. They clear 310 behind the back of DT Terry Kalis who is an absolute destroyer. DE Mike Fulton is another guy that will hear his name called early in the 2025 draft and to be quite honest, these two are good enough on their own to put them at #6. DE Jay Hazel and DT Lane Nickerson will be productive for the Owls in the American, but nothing like the dominance I expect from Kalis and Fulton.

5.  - 313.44

The best junior in America is a Poke, DT Caleb Reiter is a top 10 player in college football and thats good enough for them to be at #5. DE Aqib Beresford will provide the edge pressure, and DE Steven Edwards is a talented junior in his own right. Beside Reiter in the inside will be DT Brad Green, and if he was in the same stratosphere as the other 3, this may be the top defensive line in the country. 

4.  - 319.33

Sitting just outside the top 3 are @Sarge's Bulldogs. They're headlined by DT Jon Gore, but DE Cam Atchison, DE Dante Riley, and DT Toby Mayfield make this the most well rounded out of all the teams we've seen so far. All 4 of these guys have shots at the next level, but Gore is something special.

3.  - 321.00

@Vivid's Baylor strikes again, this time as the #3rd best dline in SB+ metrics. No one is a mega star here, but everyone is talented. DE Darrell Sadler is the best of the bunch, closely followed by DE Zach Lundblade and DT Mike Gallman. DT Josh House is further behind on the SB+ national rankings, but Sadler, Lundblade, and Gallman are all top 300 players. When any one of them can beat your offensive lineman, you're in trouble.

2.  - 323.53

Wisconsin takes #2 in this category. @kwheele's Badgers are led by one of the best players in the nation in DT Denver Litton. SB+ loves Litton, and has him as the #1 interior defensive lineman in the country. DT Dante Williams and DE Matt Matthews (LMFAO) are a tall task for any tackle to stop, and Sophomore DT Shalom Taylor likely comes in on the 4 down sets to seal the deal. This team is crazy, Litton in particular. 

1.  - 350.42

And by a monstrous landslide, Texas State has the #1 defensive line in the country. DE Lyndon Hart, awesome. DE Wesley Pence, awesome. DT Matt Taylor, outstanding. DT Ryan White, phenomenal. This is no joke, all 4 starting defensive linemen are top 500 players in the country. I fear for any offensive line that the Bobcats run into.

 

Edited January 31 by SageBow