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Basically ... The Bulldogs only allowed 22.6 points per game last year and now most of the key components come back. The one exception is at linebacker where several young, but athletic, reserves have to become reliable starters. It'll be a shock if the line doesn't combine for around 25 sacks while the secondary, led by safety James Sanders, should be outstanding. Depth isn't much of a problem anywhere.
Star of the defense: Junior SS James Sanders
Player that has to step up and become a star: Sophomore LB Dwayne Andrews
Unsung star on the rise: Junior CB Raymond Washington
Best pro prospect: Sanders
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Sanders, 2) DE Brian Morris, 3) Washington
Strength of the defense: Secondary
Weakness of the defense: Linebacker
Defensive Line
Projected Starters
- Defensive end Brian Morris, Sr. - Morris overcame his knee problems to become a second-team All-WAC performer making a team high 11 sacks to go along with 46 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss. He's extremely quick and almost impossible to handle one-one-one.
- Defensive tackle Garrett McIntyre, Jr. - McIntyre, a top end prospect, was moved to the inside to a spot as a small, but quick tackle. He's a former walk-on who has become a productive player over the last two seasons earning second-team All-WAC honors. He's a fantastic pass rusher making eight sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and 39 tackles despite banging up his knee.
- Nose tackle Louis Leonard, Soph. - At 330 pounds, Leonard is the biggest player on the line making a few plays as a freshman with five tackles and a sack. He'll take over at the nose in place of Donyell Booker.
- Defensive end Claude Sanders, Sr. - Possibly the best athlete on the line, the 240-pound senior has starting experience and could easily fill in at either end spot after starting the final eight games last season. He made 44 tackles and five sacks.
Top Backups
- DT Fai Satele, Sr. - While Satele hasn't been a star yet, he's been a productive inside presence over the last two years making 20 tackles and five tackles for loss. He should make more plays with Donyell Booker taking up more attention on the nose.
- DT Donyell Booker, Sr. - Booker isn't just a 305-pound run stuffer, he's also great at getting into the backfield making nine tackles for loss and a sack to go along with his 42 tackles.
The Skinny: The line had issues against the run last year, but was great at getting into the backfield. Good luck at stopping this group from hitting the quarterback repeatedly, so the only concern is at tackle where Louis Leonard and Garrett McIntyre have to be stronger against the run than Fai Satele and Donyell Booker were.
Player to keep an eye on: Louis Leonard ... Defensive Line Rating: 7
Linebackers
Projected Starters
- Manuel Sanchez, Soph. - The former walk-on has become a good all-around linebacker making 38 tackles and four interceptions. He's not all that big at 215 pounds, but he's very athletic and should make plenty of plays on the outside.
- Dwayne Andrews, Soph. - Andrews will have to shine in the middle in place of Marc Dailey. He made 37 tackles last year and should shine in a full-time role with the size and instincts in the middle to grow into one of the team's leading tacklers.
- Todd Garcia, Sr. - Garcia has spent most of his time on special teams, but he's also a good-sized, quick linebacker on the outside making 33 tackles and four tackles for loss last year.
Top Backups
- Kyle Goodman, Jr. - Goodman is a good hitter on special teams and overdue to make an impact as a linebacker. He'll play in the middle behind Dwayne Andrews.
- Alan Goodwin, Soph. - Originally considered a defensive end, the 220-pound Goodwin has found a home at outside linebacker making 22 tackles last year. He'll backup Todd Garcia.
The Skinny: This is the team's main concern needing the steady backups to grow into top starters. It's a young and athletic group that only needs a little bit of time, but youth in the linebacking corps isn't a good thing for a team needing to improve its run defense.
Player to keep an eye on: Dwayne Andrews ... Linebacker Rating: 5
Secondary
Projected Starters
- Cornerback Awan Diles, Jr. - Diles was one of the biggest surprises of last year making 63 tackles and two interceptions. He's only 5-9 but he can tackle. He took over one of the starting jobs this spring and should combine with Raymond Washington and Richard Marshall in a corner rotation.
- Free safety Tyron Culver, Jr. - The 6-1, 200-pound Culver was mostly a nickel player last year making 45 tackles. He's an All-Academic performer who'll battle with Josh Sherley for the starting free safety job.
- Strong safety James Sanders, Jr. - Sanders led the team in tackles last season turning in an All-WAC performance with 93 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions last year. He also blocked two kicks.
- Cornerback Raymond Washington, Jr. - Washington is a good-sized corner able to be physical with the bigger receivers with the speed to stay with the quicker ones. He was out for half the season with a hand problem but still made 36 tackles and two interceptions. He returns this year ready to be one of the WAC's better corners.
Top Backups
- Corner Richard Marshall, Soph. - Marshall stepped in last year when Raymond Washington went down with a hand injury. He's a strong corner and a fantastic tackler and can make the big play taking one of his three interceptions 81 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee. He led the team with six broken up passes.
- Free safety Josh Sherley, Soph. - Sherely will see plenty of action teaming with Tyrone Culver at free safety. He didn't see much action last season but will be a regular in nickel and dime packages.
- Strong safety Nate Ray, Sr. - The former quarterback has become a top reserve in the secondary making 18 tackles last year. He's a reliable backup behind James Sanders.
- Corner Therrian Fontenot, Sr. - Fontenot is a former running back with elite-level speed. He hasn't become a top corner yet still learning the position, but he was able to making 16 tackles and an interception to go along with four broken up passes.
The Skinny: The pass defense improved a little bit last year but still allowed 206 yards per game and 22 touchdowns. However, those numbers are great in the WAC. This is an experienced secondary with enough depth to overcome the loss of any starter outside of strong safety James Sanders. Expect this to be a fantastic group.
Player to keep an eye on: Raymond Washington ... Secondary Rating: 8
Special Teams
- Placekicker Brett Visintainer, Sr. - One of the WAC's best kickers, Visintainer nailed 21 of 28 field goal attempts with three of those misses coming in the slop of the Silicon Valley Bowl. He has a good, but not elite, leg.
- Punter Mike Lingua, Soph. - The former soccer star only averaged 38.3 yards per kick, but that's misleading as he put a whopping 28 inside the 20 and boomed it enough to force 18 fair catches. Opponents only averaged 6.2 yards per return.
- Kickoff and Punt Returners Adam Jennings - Jennings didn't get as many return attempts as Bernard Berrian got last year, but he was just as effective averaging 10.8 yards on punt returns, with a touchdown, and 21-9 yards per kickoff return.
The Skinny: This is one of the best overall special team units in college football if Brett Visintainer can show a bit more range. Adam Jennings will be a more-than-adequate replacement for Bernard Berrian, while Mike Lingua would get more credit if people looked beyond his yard-per-kick average.
Special Teams Rating: 9
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