Last season, Mississippi State had 26 defenders finish the season with double-digit tackles. But many of those key contributors either graduated like Christian Holmes or are now in the NFL like Benardrick McKinney and Preston Smith.

The Bulldogs defense might rely much more heavily this season on the tackling ability of one playmaking linebacker as opposed to a constant group effort. And that linebacker would be junior Beniquez Brown.

Brown’s 62 tackles as a sophomore were the second-most for the Bulldogs last season and the most of any returning player on Mississippi State’s defense. That was Brown’s first full season as a starter and we will look to make even bigger impact in 2015.

Brown appears to be shoo-in as Mississippi State’s leading tackler this year. But could he take his game to the next level and actually be the first Bulldog to lead the SEC in tackles since Dominic Douglas did so in 2008 with 116?

Taking into account the last 10 seasons, the SEC’s leading tackler averages 133.7 tackles per season, meaning Brown would need to improve his number of tackles by more than 100 percent to achieve this feat.

Difficult? Yes. Impossible, given Brown’s role on the the Mississippi State defense? Absolutely not.

Brown is one of many elite linebackers in the conference but he might be the one with the least when it comes to a supporting cast. Brown is the Bulldogs lone returning starter at linebacker on a defense that has seen a lot of turnover from last year. And the fact that he could have to make up for missed tackles by teammates as a result of their inexperience could lead to a major spike in Brown’s numbers this season.

If Brown can use his instincts and high football IQ to the best of his ability, he is sure to finish amongst the SEC’s top tacklers and would just need a few spectacular individual efforts to propel him to the top.

In 15 career starts, Brown’s 101 tackles give him an average of 6.7 per game. With expected improvement to come with another year of experience under his belt, Brown could realistically improve that number by about 3 tackles per game and finish the season with around 120 tackles.

Brown might not be the favorite to lead the SEC in tackles this season but every year there are defenders within the conference that surpass expectations and become a force to be reckoned with.

Brown has all the tools to be that kind of player in 2015 and is set to have a monster season.