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College football 2019 season preview: Ranking the Top 100 players – SEC dominates

By Nicholas Ian Allen

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 20: Jaylen Waddle #17 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a touchdown with Defensive back Bryce Thompson #20 of the Tennessee Volunteers defending during the first half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 20: Jaylen Waddle #17 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a touchdown with Defensive back Bryce Thompson #20 of the Tennessee Volunteers defending during the first half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

He still may not be a household name, but Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos proved to be one of the best in the Big Ten at getting to the quarterback in 2018. Gross-Matos led the Nittany Lions with eight sacks and fell just shy of the conference lead with 20.0 tackles for loss during a breakout sophomore campaign.

Rondale Moore gets the headlines (and a higher spot on this list), but the Purdue Boilermakers have a second 100-rated player according to the CFB Winning Edge VGR+ ratings. Bailey was credited with 11 Production Points in 2018 after leading the team with 115 total tackles and adding 5.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss, and famously picking off a pass and taking it to the house during the upset of Ohio State. He leads a group of nine returning starters in the most experienced defensive unit in the Big Ten.

There may not be a better cornerback duo in college football than Utah’s Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson. Both are 100-rated players, though Johnson gets the edge in our list of the Top 100 players in college football in 2019 because of the four interceptions he recorded last year. Johnson, who (like Blackmon) recorded one pick-six, also added 41 total tackles, two TFLs, one sack and broke up four passes for the Utes last season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have arguably the most talented and deepest set of receivers in the country, and sophomore Jaylen Waddle might be the most explosive player in the group. Though often the fourth option among Bama wideouts, Waddle finished second on the team with 848 receiving yards, and he scored seven touchdowns on 45 catches. He took a punt return to the house as well.

If Boston College head coach Steve Addazio were able to build a running back in a factory, he’d probably end up with A.J. Dillon. The 250-pound junior can be unstoppable when healthy, as evidenced by the 2,697 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns he has accumulated during his first two seasons with the Eagles.

Former five-star tackle Walker Little stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman and grew into an All-Pac-12 performer as a sophomore. After making 18 starts, the 6-foot-7, 318-pound junior is expected to blossom into an All-American candidate in 2019.

The Oklahoma defense was often embarrassing in 2018, but linebacker Kenneth Murray is a talented playmaker who amassed 155 total tackles (including 28 in the game against Army!), 12.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and two pass breakups as a sophomore.

Michigan lost a lot of defensive production from last year’s elite unit, but the Wolverines are still loaded with talent. Corner Lavert Hill doesn’t fill up the stat sheet (he recorded just 14 tackles, one interception and five pass breakups in 2018), but he is arguably the best player on Don Brown’s 2019 unit.

Defending Big Ten West champion Northwestern relied heavily on its defense last season, and sideline-to-sideline tackling machine Paddy Fisher was a star for the Wildcats. Fisher racked up 117 total tackles in 14 games and chipped in with five tackles for loss and one sack. He also broke up two passes and forced five fumbles.

The LSU defense is absolutely loaded. In fact, the Tigers rank No. 1 overall in defense Roster Strength according to CFB Winning Edge. Rashard Lawrence, the second 100-rated LSU defensive lineman (and one of five total suiting up for Tigers DC Dave Aranda), is a big reason why. Lawrence was credited with 54 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks as a junior.