Defensive Star Search

15 comments so far March 16, 2010 by Brandon Vogel

In a way, Ndamukong Suh probably kept Nebraska from getting as much credit as they deserved as a defensive unit. That's not a slight towards anyone, he was just that dominant. Suh was Bob Dylan and the rest of the Blackshirts were The Band.

Of course The Band ended up making a pretty good name for themselves when they finally stepped out on their own and released Music from Big Pink in 1968, an album so good that, according to Wikipedia, it convinced Eric Clapton to quit Creem.

So as we stare out from Suh's shadow towards a new spring season the question is this: Which returning Blackshirt will step into a starring role and be so good that Mack Brown will quit football?

Here are some names, thoughts and entirely subjective "Odds of Stardom":

Jared Crick 3/1
The five sack game carries a lot of weight but the preseason publications will undoubtedly question how much Suh's departure will affect Crick. It might affect his numbers--Crick is Nebraska's returning leading tackler--but, as he no doubt learned this season, that only means more for someone else. That said, I think Crick will do enough disrupting to get himself noticed.

Prince Amukumara 3/1
The flood of NFL interest at the end of the season no doubt elevated Prince's college football Q Score. I'm trying hard not to think of the '03 secondary when I consider this year's crop, but Amukumara makes that hard. Could he be an All-American? Doesn't seem out of the question and that's good enough to make him a co-favorite.

Dejon Gomes 6/1
I've already given Gomes the "clutch" designation but we all know it's possible to be clutch without being a star. We've seen Gomes come up big in some big moments, and that's a good way to get notice quickly. Being a star, however, is being noticed all the time and I could see Gomes being a guy teams have to account for at all times.

Pierre Allen 10/1
Expecting big things out of Allen in 2010. If Crick proves himself a disruptive force early in the season, Allen's numbers should only rise later on.

Eric Martin 20/1
Tough to forecast a defensive performance out of a bunch of special teams play, but Martin obviously likes to run into things at a very high rate of speed, a valuable trait for a linebacker. Some people think Martin will take over starting linebacker duties next season and the thing I love about this guy is I know he thinks that.

Jason Ankrah 50/1
You can't have a field without one "come from the clouds" longshot so I'll nominate Ankrah sight unseen. Heard murmurs from the coaching staff that Ankrah was ready to play last year but this is more a reflection of my faith in Bros. Pelini and their magic touch with defensive linemen. Becoming a bona fide star in year one is a tall order but I think Ankrah could easily take the mantle of star in waiting after next season.

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