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When Georgia won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, elite play on the interior defensive line was a constant.
In this day and age, it's easy to get caught up talking about the pass rushers. It's a pass-happy sport, and a dynamic rusher off the edge can change a defense. But a pass rusher can't always make the same all-around impact that interior defensive linemen can.
A good defensive tackle allows defenses to create pressure up the middle, something even the best quarterbacks struggle to deal with. It can also allow defenses to play with a lighter box. When a guy up front can swallow gaps, it eliminates the need to bring a safety down. More linebacker and secondary resources can be allocated to the pass game.
Today, we'll rank the SEC's top defensive linemen entering 2025.
The line between edge rusher and defensive linemen can be blurry, so for our purposes, any player that spends most of their time with a hand in the dirt inside the tackles is a defensive lineman.
McClellan spent two seasons at Florida before hitting the transfer portal in 2024. He opted to stay in the SEC, landing at Missouri. In year one with the Tigers, McClellan was an impact player.
He's an all-around player, racking up 18 pressures and three sacks while making 25 tackles, 23 stops, and forcing a fumble. McClellan also batted three passes. Simply put -- McClellan is a havoc creator.
And while he plays aggressive, McClellan only missed three tackles in 2024.
Ball has played 1,281 snaps in four years at Arkansas and is back for more in 2025.
Ball's 27 stops in 2024 ranked among the best in the SEC. Rushing the passer, he notched 14 pressures and two sacks. At 6-5, he's a lot to handle in the trenches.
With fellow defensive tackle Eric Gregory gone, Ball will be the leader on the defensive line for Arkansas this fall. The Razorbacks need a big year from their veteran defensive tackle.
Williams spent the first two years of his career at TCU and was one of the most coveted transfers on the market last year. LSU made a strong push, but Williams took his talents to Norman. Few defensive linemen in the SEC have the experience of Williams with his 1,504 career snaps.
At 6-foot-1, 319 pounds, Williams is hard to move. He was one of the top run pluggers in the SEC with OU in 2024, making 14 stops and only missing one tackle. Williams didn't add much in the pass rush department, but he notched eight pressures and a sack.
Per PFF's defensive grade, 2024 was the best season of Williams' career. Williams is an All-SEC candidate entering the 2025 season.
Regis posted a 74.5 PFF defensive grade in 2024, one of the best marks among returning defensive tackles. He finished the year strong with three pressures in the bowl game and eight tackles across his final two games.
Regis has over 1,000 career snaps, and this will be his fifth year of college football. He's as consistent as they come and only missed three tackles all year.
With 23 stops in 2024, Regis was one of the top run defenders in the conference. He isn't physically overwhelming, especially for a one-tech, but he has good burst, a high motor, and knows how to use his hands.
Regis doesn't give up on plays, which shows up on the stat sheet with his eight batted balls. Look for Regis to have a big season with it being his second year in Mike Elko's system.
Halton makes a noticeable impact rushing the passer up the middle. He was a four-star recruit in 2022 and his 75.4 PFF defensive grade ranks top five among returning defensive tackles in the SEC.
Halton racked up 29 pressures, 16 stops, and forced two fumbles. He only has 567 career snaps, which means he might have another gear.
LSU fans should be familiar with Halton after the defensive tackle pressured Garrett Nussmeier four times. With Halton and Williams, OU's interior defensive line is one of the best in the country.
You could argue that Ole Miss' interior defensive line was the best in the country last fall. With Walter Nolen and JJ Pegues leading the way, the Rebels were hard to block.
Now, Nolen and Pegues are gone, but Ole Miss still looks strong up the middle thanks to Zxavian Harris.
Harris was a major part of the Rebels' defense last year. Now, the group is his. He can play the one-tech, three-tech, or even line up outside and set the edge. Harris' blend of strength and quickness allow him to split double-teams and disrupt run plays. He's not a dynamic pass rusher, but did sack the QB once in 2024.
Harris is a veteran entering his fourth year of college football. The standard is high in that Ole Miss defensive tackle room after the display in 2024. Harris will continue that level of play in 2025.
Keenan was one of the best defensive tackles in the country last year, and he has a case to be higher on this list. Per PFF, he posted a 90.1 grade against the run and an 85.6 grade overall.
Keenan sacked the quarterback three times while making 22 stops. He had a chance to enter the NFL Draft, but Keenan has unfinished business at Alabama. He has been one of the SEC's most consistent defensive linemen for two years, only missing two tackles in 2024.
Keenan was a three-star recruit in 2022, but has overperformed that rating. Expect the Alabama defensive tackle to be on NFL teams' radars in 2026.
We talked about it in the intro, but few programs develop defensive tackles at the rate of Georgia. The UGA defense demands elite play at this position.
According to PFF, Miller's overall defensive grade of 82.2 ranked No. 6 among SEC defensive tackles in 2024. He ranked top 10 in pass rush win rate and run stop rate, making him an impact player in all areas of the game.
Miller played just 385 snaps in 2024, less than most guys on this list, but he's entering his fourth year of college football and is primed to be a top contributor on one of the best defenses in the country.
Last year, I was high on Banks entering the fall. He lived up to the hype and emerged as one of the best interior pass rushers in the country. Banks has totaled 53 pressures over his last two seasons, providing the Gators with pressure up the middle.
He's 6-foot-5, 325-pounds. It's rare for a guy of that size to move at the speed of Banks. When guards have to block Banks one-on-one, they're overwhelmed.
Banks has room to grow as a run defender but made progress in 2024. Now back for his fifth-year of college football, there's a good chance we see a complete player.
Banks should benefit from a strong Florida defensive line and can be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Faulk is one of the players that blurs the line between defensive tackle and defensive end. At 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds, he has the size to play on the interior, but his athletic ability allows time on the edge, too.
Per PFF, Faulk lined up outside the tackle 307 times, over the tackle 215 times, and was in the B-gap for 49 snaps. For our criteria, that's enough to be a defensive linemen.
Faulk is already drawing hype as a potential top-five pick in next year's draft. Maybe even a top-three pick.
Faulk was one of the best at getting after the passer in 2024 with 45 pressures and nine sacks. Against the run, he made 23 stops, which leads all returning SEC defensive linemen. Only Walter Nolen and Landon Jackson had more, but they're both heading to the NFL.
Expect to see Faulk on the All-American team when the season is over.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Top SEC defensive linemen for 2025: Ole Miss and Oklahoma stand out
Continue reading...
In this day and age, it's easy to get caught up talking about the pass rushers. It's a pass-happy sport, and a dynamic rusher off the edge can change a defense. But a pass rusher can't always make the same all-around impact that interior defensive linemen can.
A good defensive tackle allows defenses to create pressure up the middle, something even the best quarterbacks struggle to deal with. It can also allow defenses to play with a lighter box. When a guy up front can swallow gaps, it eliminates the need to bring a safety down. More linebacker and secondary resources can be allocated to the pass game.
Today, we'll rank the SEC's top defensive linemen entering 2025.
The line between edge rusher and defensive linemen can be blurry, so for our purposes, any player that spends most of their time with a hand in the dirt inside the tackles is a defensive lineman.
10. Chris McClellan, Missouri
McClellan spent two seasons at Florida before hitting the transfer portal in 2024. He opted to stay in the SEC, landing at Missouri. In year one with the Tigers, McClellan was an impact player.
He's an all-around player, racking up 18 pressures and three sacks while making 25 tackles, 23 stops, and forcing a fumble. McClellan also batted three passes. Simply put -- McClellan is a havoc creator.
And while he plays aggressive, McClellan only missed three tackles in 2024.
9. Cameron Ball, Arkansas
Ball has played 1,281 snaps in four years at Arkansas and is back for more in 2025.
Ball's 27 stops in 2024 ranked among the best in the SEC. Rushing the passer, he notched 14 pressures and two sacks. At 6-5, he's a lot to handle in the trenches.
With fellow defensive tackle Eric Gregory gone, Ball will be the leader on the defensive line for Arkansas this fall. The Razorbacks need a big year from their veteran defensive tackle.
8. Damonic Williams, Oklahoma
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Williams spent the first two years of his career at TCU and was one of the most coveted transfers on the market last year. LSU made a strong push, but Williams took his talents to Norman. Few defensive linemen in the SEC have the experience of Williams with his 1,504 career snaps.
At 6-foot-1, 319 pounds, Williams is hard to move. He was one of the top run pluggers in the SEC with OU in 2024, making 14 stops and only missing one tackle. Williams didn't add much in the pass rush department, but he notched eight pressures and a sack.
Per PFF's defensive grade, 2024 was the best season of Williams' career. Williams is an All-SEC candidate entering the 2025 season.
7. Albert Regis, Texas A&M
Regis posted a 74.5 PFF defensive grade in 2024, one of the best marks among returning defensive tackles. He finished the year strong with three pressures in the bowl game and eight tackles across his final two games.
Regis has over 1,000 career snaps, and this will be his fifth year of college football. He's as consistent as they come and only missed three tackles all year.
With 23 stops in 2024, Regis was one of the top run defenders in the conference. He isn't physically overwhelming, especially for a one-tech, but he has good burst, a high motor, and knows how to use his hands.
Regis doesn't give up on plays, which shows up on the stat sheet with his eight batted balls. Look for Regis to have a big season with it being his second year in Mike Elko's system.
6. Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
Halton makes a noticeable impact rushing the passer up the middle. He was a four-star recruit in 2022 and his 75.4 PFF defensive grade ranks top five among returning defensive tackles in the SEC.
Halton racked up 29 pressures, 16 stops, and forced two fumbles. He only has 567 career snaps, which means he might have another gear.
LSU fans should be familiar with Halton after the defensive tackle pressured Garrett Nussmeier four times. With Halton and Williams, OU's interior defensive line is one of the best in the country.
5. Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss
You could argue that Ole Miss' interior defensive line was the best in the country last fall. With Walter Nolen and JJ Pegues leading the way, the Rebels were hard to block.
Now, Nolen and Pegues are gone, but Ole Miss still looks strong up the middle thanks to Zxavian Harris.
Harris was a major part of the Rebels' defense last year. Now, the group is his. He can play the one-tech, three-tech, or even line up outside and set the edge. Harris' blend of strength and quickness allow him to split double-teams and disrupt run plays. He's not a dynamic pass rusher, but did sack the QB once in 2024.
Harris is a veteran entering his fourth year of college football. The standard is high in that Ole Miss defensive tackle room after the display in 2024. Harris will continue that level of play in 2025.
4. Tim Keenan, Alabama
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Keenan was one of the best defensive tackles in the country last year, and he has a case to be higher on this list. Per PFF, he posted a 90.1 grade against the run and an 85.6 grade overall.
Keenan sacked the quarterback three times while making 22 stops. He had a chance to enter the NFL Draft, but Keenan has unfinished business at Alabama. He has been one of the SEC's most consistent defensive linemen for two years, only missing two tackles in 2024.
Keenan was a three-star recruit in 2022, but has overperformed that rating. Expect the Alabama defensive tackle to be on NFL teams' radars in 2026.
3. Christen Miller, Georgia
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We talked about it in the intro, but few programs develop defensive tackles at the rate of Georgia. The UGA defense demands elite play at this position.
According to PFF, Miller's overall defensive grade of 82.2 ranked No. 6 among SEC defensive tackles in 2024. He ranked top 10 in pass rush win rate and run stop rate, making him an impact player in all areas of the game.
Miller played just 385 snaps in 2024, less than most guys on this list, but he's entering his fourth year of college football and is primed to be a top contributor on one of the best defenses in the country.
2. Caleb Banks, Florida
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Last year, I was high on Banks entering the fall. He lived up to the hype and emerged as one of the best interior pass rushers in the country. Banks has totaled 53 pressures over his last two seasons, providing the Gators with pressure up the middle.
He's 6-foot-5, 325-pounds. It's rare for a guy of that size to move at the speed of Banks. When guards have to block Banks one-on-one, they're overwhelmed.
Banks has room to grow as a run defender but made progress in 2024. Now back for his fifth-year of college football, there's a good chance we see a complete player.
Banks should benefit from a strong Florida defensive line and can be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
1. Keldric Faulk, Auburn
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Faulk is one of the players that blurs the line between defensive tackle and defensive end. At 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds, he has the size to play on the interior, but his athletic ability allows time on the edge, too.
Per PFF, Faulk lined up outside the tackle 307 times, over the tackle 215 times, and was in the B-gap for 49 snaps. For our criteria, that's enough to be a defensive linemen.
Faulk is already drawing hype as a potential top-five pick in next year's draft. Maybe even a top-three pick.
Faulk was one of the best at getting after the passer in 2024 with 45 pressures and nine sacks. Against the run, he made 23 stops, which leads all returning SEC defensive linemen. Only Walter Nolen and Landon Jackson had more, but they're both heading to the NFL.
Expect to see Faulk on the All-American team when the season is over.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Top SEC defensive linemen for 2025: Ole Miss and Oklahoma stand out
Continue reading...
