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A dominant defensive end may be the most coveted player in both college and the NFL in the current football landscape.
Quality pass rushers are hard to find.
Let’s take a look at the top recruits coming into college next season.
TOP 10 DEFENSIVE END PROSPECTS
1. Nick Bosa, Ohio State — Yes, he’s the little brother of Joey who will likely be the top pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Bosa suffered a knee injury that cut his 2015 season short but is expected to make a full recovery. He’s the No.6 overall prospect in the nation. It should be interesting to see how he bounces back.
2. Oluwole Betiku, Southern Cal — Coming out of Gardena, Calif., Southern Cal was always the frontrunner. He’s a 6-3, 340-pound, five-star recruit.
3. Marlon Davidson, Auburn — This is a major upgrade for an Auburn defense that can use all the help it can get. Davidson had heavy interest from Alabama and other notable SEC programs, but decided to go with the Tigers. The Montgomery, Ala., native was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team Defense.
4. Jonathon Cooper, Ohio State — Cooper is a 6-2, 234-pound weak side defensive end from Columbus.
5. Jeffery Simmons, undecided — Simmons is from Macon, Miss., and has heavy interest in Mississippi State and Ole Miss. But Alabama is also in the mix. He’s a four-star prospect and the No.3 strong side defensive end recruit in the nation.
6. Janarius Robinson, Florida State — He is the No.11 overall prospect in Florida coming out of Panama City. Robinson had strong interest from Florida and Alabama.
7. Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M — It’s scary to think about how dominating the Aggies front seven could be in 2016. Madubuike, four-star prospect from McKinney, Texas, could be paired with Myles Garrett to create havoc.
8. Shane Simmons, Penn State — Simmons had heavy interest from Florida State and Maryland, but ultimately chose the Nittany Lions. He was named to the USA Today All-USA Second Team.
9. McTelvin Agim, Arkansas — The Razorbacks defense was stout against the run in 2015. But Agim will add another dimension. He’s a 6-2, 268-pound, four-star prospect.
10. Terrell Hall, undecided — Hall is an impressive prospect from Washington, D.C. Alabama looks like a probable destination for Hall, but he also has interest in Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State.
Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.
