Second Team 5.
DE
LaMarr Woodley, Sr. Michigan
6. DT Alan Branch, Jr. Michigan
7.
DT
Glenn Dorsey, Jr. LSU
8.
DE
Justin Hickman, Sr. UCLA Third
Team
9.
DE
Mkristo Bruce, Sr. WSU
10.
DT
Amobi Okoye, Sr. Louisville
11.
DT
Brandon Mebane, Sr. Cal
12.
DE Anthony Spencer, Sr. Purdue
Honorable Mention
13.
DE
Calais Campbell, Soph. Miami
14.
DE
Albert McClellan, Soph. Marshall
15.
DE
Abraham Wright, Sr. Colorado
16.
DE
Quentin Groves, Jr. Auburn
DE
Gaines Adams, Sr. Clemson
56 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, 25
quarterback pressures
It wasn't just that Adams led the ACC in sacks, he was the
consistent playmaker on a banged up defense saving the day
against Wake Forest with a fantastic blocked field goal
attempt for a score. With 56 tackles, he was also great
against the run. Now he'll be off to the NFL as a top 15
pick.
DT Sedrick Ellis, Jr. USC
28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss
Very quietly, USC led the Pac 10 in defense and was 17th in
the nation against the run with Ellis the anchor on the
inside. Even though he missed three games early on, he came
back to be the major difference maker for the defensive
front.
DT Quinn
Pitcock, Sr. Ohio State
36 tackles, 8 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss
Buckeye linebacker Jim Laurinaitis got all the national
attention because of a splashy start, but Pitcock was the
real star of the nation's number two scoring defense. The
rock against the run on the inside was also an excellent
interior pass rusher.
DE Bruce Davis, Jr. UCLA 43 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced
fumbles
While Justin Hickman got more national attention after a big
start, Davis was the more consistent of the two. Davis came
up with at least one sack in each of the last six games and
was a fixture in opposing backfields against the run.
Linebackers
Second
Team
4.
H.B.
Blades, Sr. Pitt
5.
Paul
Posluszny, Sr. PSU
6.
Desmond Bishop, Sr. Cal Third Team 7.
Jon
Abbate, Jr. Wake Forest
8.
Rufus Alexander, OU
9.
David Harris, Sr. Michigan Honorable Mention 10.
Jasper Brinkley, Jr. So. Car.
11.
Buster Davis, Sr. Florida State
12.
J
Leman, Jr. Illinois
13.
Jim
Laurinaitis, Soph. OSU
14.
Xavier Adibi, Jr. Virginia Tech
15.
Quinton Culberson, Sr. MSU
Vince Hall, Jr. Virginia Tech
115 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles,
8 quarterback hurries
The best unknown national defensive star, Hall led the ACC
in tackles combining with Xavier Adibi to wreak havoc all
season long. He was great at getting into the backfield and
a sideline-to-sideline nightmare against the run.
Ameer
Ismail, Sr. Western Michigan
86 tackles, 17 sacks, 25.5 tackles for loss, 2
interceptions, 3 broken up passes
Not just a pass rusher, Ismail was also one of the MAC's top
tacklers as a do-it-all defensive playmaker from several
spots on the Bronco defensive front. He tore through Ball
State for six sacks and cranked out three the following week
against Eastern Michigan, but he didn't just light up MAC
teams with great games against Indiana and Virginia to go
along with six tackles against Florida State.
Patrick Willis, Sr. Ole Miss
137 tackles, 3 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, 7 broken up
passes, 2 forced fumbles
A two-time CFN First Team All-American, there wasn't a more
sure tackler in the country with 87 solo stops on the way to
leading the SEC in tackles. He showed off
sideline-to-sideline range combining with Rory Johnson to
clean everything up behind a lousy defensive line with 12
solo tackles against Kentucky and ten against Arkansas.
Defensive
Backs
Second
Team
5.
CB
Daymeion Hughes, Sr. Cal
6.
CB
Aqib Talib, Soph. Kansas
7.
S
John Wendling, Sr. Wyoming
8.
S
Eric Weeks, Sr. West Virginia Third Team 9.
S
LaRon Landry, Sr. LSU
10.
S Josh Gattis, Sr. Wake Forest
11.
CB Antoine Cason, Jr. Arizona
12.
S
Jonathan Hefney, Jr. Tenn. Honorable Mention 13.
CB
Darrelle Revis, Jr. Pitt
14.
CB
Trae Williams, Jr. USF
15.
S
Quincy Black, Sr. New Mexico
16.
S
Kevin Payne, Sr. UL Mon.
CB Leon Hall, Sr. Michigan 41 tackles,
1 sack, 2 TFL, 3 interceptions, 15 broken up passes
The future top ten draft pick struggled a bit in the season
finale against Ohio State, but he made his presence felt in
other ways with six tackles. He lived up to all the
preseason hype the rest of the year with a whopping 15
broken up passes despite being avoided as much as possible.
SS Reggie Nelson, Jr. Florida
50 tackles, 6 interceptions, 5 broken up passes, 2 blocked
kicks
Numbers don't quite do justice to the type of leader and
all-around playmaker Nelson was as the steady force in an
occasionally shaky secondary. He blocked two kicks, picked
off two passes against Tennessee, and came up with one in
the SEC title win over Arkansas.
CB Aaron
Ross, Sr. Texas
73 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 18 broken up
passes, 3 forced fumbles, 21 punt returns, 241 yards, 1 TD
Somehow Texas finished 98th in the nation in pass
defense even with Ross and Michael Griffin in the secondary,
but you can't blame Ross who broke up a whopping 18 passes
and forced eight turnovers. He was be game-changing
defensive back in America making big play after big play
while also turning in an all-star season a punt returner.
DB Eric
Weddle, Sr. Utah
58 tackles, 6 interceptions, 2 broken up passes, 2 tackles for
loss, 34 carries, 147 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2-4 passing, 43
yards, 1 TD One of the nation's most versatile player, Weddle could
play any spot in the secondary and turned into the team's
most dangerous rushing threat over the final few games. He
even threw a touchdown pass against BYU. He returned two
interceptions for touchdowns against San Diego State and ran
for four scores.
