Looking ahead: The best defensive players on Mizzou's schedule
After nearly three months of closed down college campuses, football teams around the country, including Missouri, started summer workouts Monday. While plenty of questions remain about how a 2020 college football season might look — and whether it will be played at all — in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the return to on-campus athletic activity marks a significant step toward making the season a reality. Assuming there isn't a spike in infections, Missouri still plans to open its season Sept. 5 against Central Arkansas.
So, with players and coaches now officially preparing for next season, it’s time we start looking ahead, as well. PowerMizzou is breaking down the challenges that lie ahead for Missouri by listing the best players the Tigers will face, on each side of the ball, in 2020. Tuesday, we broke down the best offensive players. Today, we shift our focus to the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Line
Jamar Watson, Kentucky
If he follows up on his breakout 2019 season, Watson could be the next pass rusher drafted out of Kentucky. Watson saw his playing time increase throughout the season and started the Wildcats’ final nine games of the year. He ended up recording seven sacks, tied for fifth-best in the SEC, and 11.5 tackles for loss on the year. With fellow defensive end Calvin Taylor Jr. gone to the NFL, Watson will be expected to lead Kentucky’s pass-rushing efforts in 2020.
Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
Ojulari burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman last season, starting in 13 of Georgia’s 14 games last season and leading the team with 5.5 sacks. Georgia needs more out of its pass rush this season, and Ojulari will be tasked with leading the charge.
Aaron Sterling, South Carolina
Like Missouri’s Kobie Whiteside, Sterling enjoyed a breakout junior campaign in 2019 while playing next to an NFL draft pick on the interior of South Carolina’s defensive line. Sterling recorded 40 tackles, including 10 for loss, and six sacks. Now, the question is whether he will pick up some of the slack in Javon Kinlaw’s absence or see his numbers dip as opposing offenses pay him more attention in 2020.
Khyiris Tonga, BYU (DT)
Tonga had a legitimate chance to be drafted after his junior season but opted instead to return to BYU in 2020. He doesn’t get a lot of sacks, with only five during his three-year career, but recorded 45 sacks and earned an impressive run defense grade of 83.7 from Pro Football Focus in 2019.
Honorable mention: After transferring to Tennessee from Michigan, defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon quickly earned a starting spot. He wasn’t always consistent but totaled 28 tackles and could be better after a full season to learn the scheme. Vanderbilt’s Dayo Odeyingbo will be back for his senior season after racking up 12.5 tackles for loss last season.
Linebacker
Dimitri Moore, Vanderbilt
If it wasn’t for Missouri’s Nick Bolton, Moore would be the leading returning tackler in the SEC. Moore racked up 99 stops last year, including six behind the line of scrimmage. Missouri fans might remember him, as he had 11 stops in Vanderbilt’s upset of the Tigers.
Monty Rice, Georgia
Not only is he the leading returning tackler from the best defense in the SEC last season, Rice is expected to call the signals and serve as the emotional leader for the group in 2020. He finished last season with 89 tackles.
Kobie Beltram, Eastern Mich.
There’s no shortage of productive linebackers returning in the SEC, but Beltram has to get a spot here. He finished last season with a whopping 128 tackles, which ranked eighth in the nation. Eastern Michigan’s defense as a whole wasn’t great last season, but it was no fault of Beltram’s.
Honorable mention: South Carolina’s Ernest Jones had a huge year in 2019, his first full season as a starter. Jones came in just behind Moore with 97 tackles on the year. Florida’s Ventrell Miller wasn’t as prolific in terms of tackling numbers with just 55 total stops, but he earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any returning linebacker in the SEC not named Bolton. Erroll Thompson of Mississippi State saw his numbers dip a tad from 2018, when he anchored the No. 1 total defense in the country, but he still recorded more than 80 stops for the second season in a row in 2019. Finally, Georgia’s Nakobe Dean battled injuries as a true freshman last season, but the former five-star recruit showed glimpses of the elite talent that has him projected to start in 2020.
Cornerback
Eric Stokes Jr., Georgia
After earning second-team All-SEC honors a season ago, Stokes is back for his junior season. Stokes broke up a team-high nine passes last season in addition to recording 38 tackles. He’ll be one of the leaders of an absolutely loaded Georgia secondary this season.
Kaiir Elam, Florida
The son of former NFL defensive back Abram Elam saw the field as a true freshman at Florida, and while he didn’t rack up gaudy numbers because he shared snaps with his more experienced teammates, his Pro Football Focus grades were among the best in the SEC for both coverage and overall defense. Look for Elam to become an every-game starter in 2020.
Honorable mention: After making the jump from junior college, Kentucky’s Brandin Echols logged an impressive 54 tackles, including a sack, in addition to nine pass break-ups in 2019. Tennessee’s Shawn Shamburger put up similar tackling numbers from his nickelback spot, totaling 47 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and three sacks. Georgia’s Tyson Campbell bounced back from a rocky true freshman campaign with a much better 2019 season, although a shoulder injury sidelined him for part of the year. If he can take another step this season, the former five-star recruit would make a formidable counterpart opposite Stokes.
Safety
Richard Lecounte III, Georgia
Lecounte did just about everything for Georgia last season, and now he’s back for his senior year. He finished the season with 61 tackles — third-most on the team — including 4.5 for loss. He also intercepted four passes (one of which he returned for 71 yards against Missouri), forced two fumbles and recovered three.
Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina
During his first full season as a starter in 2019, Mukuamu logged 59 tackles and broke up nine passes. He also had four interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
Honorable mention: Shawn Davis will be back for his senior season at Florida after logging 51 tackles and three interceptions last year. He and Donovan Stiner should form a strong duo in the back of the Gators’ secondary this year. Arkansas’ Joe Foucha had one of the most productive tackling season of any defensive back in the SEC last season, though part of that may have resulted from the Razorbacks’ porous defense giving up a lot of chunk plays. Still, 87 tackles and four pass break-ups marks a good year for any safety.