On Tuesday, we debated who should be the frontrunner for Big Ten offensive player of the year. Naturally, we decided to turn our attention today to who should be the league’s defensive player of the year. And the race is even more wide open on this side of the ball with two weeks left in the regular season. Here’s who we see as the top four candidates right now, though others have a strong case as well:
Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier: He leads the Big Ten with 14.5 tackles for loss and paces the No. 3 Buckeyes with 88 total stops, to go along with 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Wisconsin LB Chris Borland: Borland is the clear leader of a Wisconsin defense that ranks just behind Michigan State. He has 80 tackles and four sacks, though he did miss the Iowa game and most of the Illinois game.
Nebraska DE Randy Gregory: The junior college import leads the Big Ten in sacks with 8.5 and is second to Shazier with 13.5 tackles for loss.
Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard: The best cornerback in the league, if not the nation, Dennard has three interceptions and makes the Spartans defense go by locking down his side of the field.
To the debate we go … Those are four pretty good candidates, and we haven’t even mentioned guys like Shilique Calhoun, Max Bullough, Denicos Allen, Ra’Shede Hageman, James Morris, etc. Has any player truly separated himself in this race at this point?
Austin Ward: This is about as crowded as a field can get for an individual award, and it’s a reflection that there has been some pretty good defense played in the picked-on Big Ten this season. This race is going down to the wire, and a strong case could be made for all of the four finalists — and the margin isn’t that wide between those guys and the next wave of defenders worthy of consideration. Shazier’s production and vital importance to an Ohio State team that has had to replace so many key contributors from a year ago pushes him over the top, but it’s impossible to ignore how much individual talent is lining up defensively in the league. Mitch Sherman: It’s still wide open. Each one of the four brings something unique. I’ve seen more of Gregory than the others, and he’s simply an athletic freak, though a better candidate to be the league’s top newcomer. Shazier is probably the best football player in this group; Borland is the best leader and difference-maker in the locker room. And while it’s often tough to consider a cornerback in this kind of company, Dennard is dominant in a way I’ve not seen from any player nationally at his position.
Brian Bennett: It’s incredibly difficult to decide between the top four candidates we named, and some other defensive players are also having outstanding years. …
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Roundtable: B1G defensive player of year
