Risers In The CFB Saturdays College Football DT Rankings

With a few weeks of the season in the books and a chance to see some of the top prospects, we have updated the College Football DT rankings. A few notes before we discuss the rankings themselves.

• The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
• Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
• Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
• We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the college football DT rankings here.

Here is a look at a few of the defensive tackles who have made big moves up in the rankings.

Calijah Kancey – Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh defense was supposed to take a hit when Jaylen Twyman opted out before the season. Sure the Panthers miss the superstar defensive lineman, but Calijah Kancey and company have done an excellent job filling his shoes. Kancey in particular, has shined with the opportunity to get more playing time up front. He is a bit undersized for a defensive tackle (6’0″ 270 lbs), but that’s becoming a trend at tackle for Pittsburgh. Kancey plays with burst and agility that makes him difficult for offensive linemen to block. He plays with good leverage and surprising strength, getting penetration and rushing the passer or making plays in the backfield against the run. Kancey has put together a strong start to the season and shows no sign of slowing down.

Kancey has proven himself to be an every down defensive tackle who can play the run and pass with a high level of proficiency. He has an excellent motor, pursuing the football relentlessly until the whistle. The results have been excellent, Kancey has 15 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 2 QB hurries through five games this season. The Panthers defensive line is a talented and deep group but Kancey has been able to make his share of plays up front. Only a redshirt freshman, his best football is still ahead of him, which is a scary prospect for the rest of the ACC.

Bryan Bresee – Clemson

Speaking of scary prospects in the ACC, Bryan Bresee arrived at Clemson as one of the most highly touted prospects in the country. Early in his career he has shown the skill and athleticism that led to that high ranking. He has a rare combination of size (6’5″ 300 lbs) and athleticism on the interior that makes him a nightmare matchup for offensive linemen. With a quick first step, good strength and technique that is advanced for a freshman, Bresee has been able to get in the backfield consistently this season. Bresee is athletic enough to be a defensive end but strong enough to hold up on the interior, that combination makes him a mismatch against just about any offensive lineman.

Bresee has not had the stats that fellow freshman Myles Murphy has recorded, but the impact is similar. Bresee has accounted for 7 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and a blocked kick in five games. The stat sheet does not tell the full story, watching Clemson play Bresee is easy to spot in the backfield throwing off the timing of passing plays and forcing running backs to stretch runs to the outside. With Clemson blowing opponents out on a weekly basis, Bresee does not play much in the second half of games either, doing most of his damage in the first half. Most college football fans thought Bresee was going to be very good and he is well on his way to making that projection a reality.

Jowon Briggs – Virginia

The Cavaliers scored a big recruiting win when they landed Jowon Briggs out of Ohio as part of their 2019 recruiting class. Briggs made seven starts as a true freshman and was solid playing nose tackle for Virginia. Before the 2020 season, we chose Briggs as a breakthrough player and he has certainly done that in the early portion of the season. Briggs is a physical force with good strength, but is also an intelligent player who recognizes what the offense is doing and adapts quickly. He has developed his technique and become a fundamentally sound tackle who has the power to get past blockers. With the tools in place the results have also been very encouraging.

Briggs has started all four games for Virginia this year and has been productive on the defensive line, particularly as a pass rusher. Briggs has made 9 tackles and 4 tackles for loss, including 3 sacks from his nose tackle position. Traditionally the 3 – 4 defense does not lend itself to big stats from nose tackles, yet Briggs has been able to make plays in the backfield and fill up the box score. Still a young player, the future is bright for Briggs who has shown the ability to learn and improve his craft quickly. He will be a force in the middle of the Cavaliers’ defense going forward as he continues to improve his game.

Jared Harrison-Hunte – Miami

Jared Harrison-Hunte is still relatively new to football, he was a basketball player and only started playing football as a junior and didn’t play on the defensive line until his senior year of high school. The quick feet from his days on the hardwood have been an asset for Harrison-Hunte who moves with quickness and balance not often seen in players his size (6’4″ 285 lbs). Equally impressive has been his ability to learn to use his hands and grasp the nuances of the defensive tackle position. Harrison-Hunte played very little as a true freshman but has developed very quickly and is making a big impact as a redshirt freshman.

Harrison Hunte has earned more playing time as the season has progressed, making more of an impact the more he gets on the field. Through five games, he has tallied 10 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, forced a fumble and blocked a kick. All of that has come while being a second stringer on the depth chart, though his snap counts indicate he is more than just a reserve. He still has work to do against the run at times and has plenty to learn about the position, but Harrison-Hunte has come so far in such a short amount of time that it’s hard to bet against him. This is a high ceiling player who is rocketing towards that ceiling at a frightening pace.

O’Bryan Goodson – Memphis

When O’Bryan Goodson arrived at Memphis in 2017 he was a productive player as a true freshman, but he was not in the best football shape. Goodson slimmed down from 315 to 283 over the next two season to drop the bad weight and play quicker. Now he has added strength and is a solid 6’1″ 297 lbs. Goodson has always played with good leverage and had the strength to drive blockers into the backfield, but his improved quickness and conditioning has helped him be quicker off the ball and more agile at the point of attack. Goodson has gotten better with his hands, making it easier for him to disengage blockers and avoid getting tied up at the point of attack. He has worked hard to reshape his body and hone his craft, now he is reaping the rewards.

While Goodson has been a productive player through out his career he is on pace to blow his past production out of the water in 2020. Through three games, the senior has been credited with 10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, a fumble forced and a quarterback hurry. His previous career high for tackles for loss was 8.5 in 2018 and Goodson only had 2 sacks in his career before this season. The new and improved Goodson will be a key player for the Tigers on the defensive line in 2020 and is a good example of where hard work can take a player.

Click here for the Top 25 DT Rankings.

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Clemson receiver EJ Williams in warmups image taken by Tigernet.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.