There is no doubt about the recent trend in college football towards high-powered offenses that work out of the spread and hurry-up to light up the scoreboards on a regular basis. With so much of an emphasis on the high-flying offenses, playing at a high level on defense is more important than ever. Every good defense is packed with talented players that can control the line of scrimmage, make plays at the second level and cover in the secondary. Those defenses also include some of the biggest hitters in the game. There is no doubt about the intimidation factor that those players bring to the table and the impact they can have on every single game. Here is a look at the four hardest hitters in college football right now.
S: Jamal Adams
LSU Tigers
Adams’ reputation as a big hitter preceded him at LSU as the son of former NFL player George Adams was known for his incredible power dating back to his high school days. Adams has talked about learning how to play an aggressive style from his father and admitted to getting kicked out of peewee leagues for hitting too hard. The star safety lived up to his billing with the Tigers as a freshman All-American and he was even better in 2015 when he recorded 67 tackles, five tackles for loss, four interceptions and six pass breakups while earning All-SEC honors. There are a number of big hitters to look out for in college football this season and at this point Adams deserves to be considered the best of them.
S: Derwin James
Florida State Seminoles
Florida State might have lost All-America defensive back Jalen Ramsey to the NFL, but they bring back their sophomore safety James, who is ready to emerge as the next great defender for the Seminoles. The 6’3’’, 213-pound James recorded 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and five pass breakups as a true freshman last season. Along the way, there were plenty examples of bone-crushing hits that helped set the tone for the Florida State defense. James should be even better with another full year of experience in the Seminoles’ defense. That should be bad news for the teams that have to play against FSU in 2016. Any receivers coming across the middle of the field will have to be very careful as James will be looking to knock some lights out.
DE: Myles Garrett
Texas A&M Aggies
The 6’5’’, 262-pound Garrett is an absolute beast coming off the edge for the Aggies. He followed up his first year in which he set the SEC record for sacks by a freshman with 11 by recording 12.5 sacks in 2015 and there is a very good chance he raises his sack total again in 2016. The Aggies tend to play in a lot of shootings and they’re often seeing their opponents throw the ball up many times against them. That means Garrett will have regular opportunities to get into the backfield and make some noise. If there is one player that opponents will be double-teaming, it’s him.
Garrett will have the opportunity to tremendously boost his NFL Draft stock with a big junior season and that could mean trouble for opponents as the defensive end – probably the hardest hitter out there – looks to set the tone off the edge for Texas A&M.
LB: Nico Marley
Tulane Green Wave
Tulane is undergoing some major changes with a new head coach in Willie Fritz, but the one thing that won’t change is the big hitting ability of their top linebacker Marley. The grandson of the legendary Bob Marley has developed a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in college football and he showed off his ability last season when he recorded 82 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble while earning first-team All-AAC linebacker honors. Marley will get one more chance to add to his legacy as a senior in 2016 and there is no doubt he will try to set the tone for the Green Wave as one of the hardest hitters in college football next season.
