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30 college football players with the biggest shoes to fill in 2018

By Nicholas Ian Allen

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 14: Baker Mayfield
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 14: Baker Mayfield /
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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 16: Washington (99) Greg Gaines (DL) walks onto the field with teammates prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and the Fresno State Bulldogs on September 16, 2017 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 16: Washington (99) Greg Gaines (DL) walks onto the field with teammates prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and the Fresno State Bulldogs on September 16, 2017 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Shoes to Fill: Vita Vea

Vita Vea is a special player. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds, Vea is a mountain of a man who clogs up multiple gaps at the line of scrimmage. On paper, he’s the physical prototype in Washington’s 3-4 defense, but in action, he’s even better. Despite his massive size, Vea proved to be one of the most athletic players on the field for the Huskies during his college career, capable of making plays as a run stopper or pass rusher, even as opposing offenses game planned around him.

Last season, Vea tallied 37.5 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four run stuffs and four pass breakups. Not surprisingly since most mock drafts list him as a likely first round pick, Vea opted to forego his senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

The loss is a big one, both literally and figuratively, but with Greg Gaines on the roster, the Huskies are prepared to fill it. Gaines, a 6-foot-2, 322-pound rising senior, is slightly shorter, lighter and less athletic than Vea, but he is still capable of anchoring the interior of the Washington defensive line. Big No. 99 recorded 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five run stuffs and three pass breakups in 2017 – a stat line that practically mirrored his famous teammate.

However, with Vea playing on Sundays next season, Gaines will be the one to garner attention from opposing offensive coordinators, and he’s likely to receive the majority of the double teams as a result. Nevertheless, as a three-year contributor, Gaines is prepared to take them on.

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