July 15, 2013 3:00 pm • By Greg Rachac
NOTE: This is the third installment of our weekly series projecting the Top 10 players at each position for the 2013 Big Sky Conference football season.
Who is the best linebacker the Big Sky Conference has ever produced? There's plenty to choose from. Going way back in time, the first Big Sky linebacker drafted in the NFL was Idaho's LaVerle Pratt in 1966. Pratt never played in the NFL though, and since then the linebacker position has been redefined. In recent seasons, guys like Jody Owens, Caleb McSurdy, J.C. Sherrit, A.J. Storms, Cristian Sarmento and Cyrus Mulitalo stood out.
This year, there is again a big list of star linebackers in the Big Sky. It seems each season that list grows bigger and bigger. In 2013, a whopping 15 all-conference performers return at this position. Don't forget to check out the stats. And again, I've combined pass breakups and passes defensed into one number for the "pass def" statistic you'll see below. And as a quick aside, Montana State's Na'a Moeakiola would have been on this list, but offseason shoulder surgery has sidelined him indefinitely.
TOP 10 LINEBACKERS FOR 2013
1. JORDAN TRIPP, OLB, SR., MONTANA 2012: 95 tkl, 13½ tfl, 5½ sacks, 4 ff, 1 fum rec, 1 int, 5 pass def, 1 TD. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: There aren't many players as intense as Tripp -- on defense or otherwise. He's incredibly focused on his job, and that makes him the most complete linebacker in the Big Sky. Speed, strength, power, and especially smarts ... they're all adjectives to describe Tripp. He's great against the run, he rushes the quarterback and he can drop back in coverage. Tripp's name appears on a few preseason FCS All-America lists, and he's obviously the favorite to win the Big Sky defensive MVP award. He should have Buck Buchanan-type year.
2. ZAK BROWNING, ILB, SO., SOUTHERN UTAH 2012: 115 tkl, 5½ tfl, 1½ sacks, 4 ff, 1 fum rec, 1 int, 7 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Who said true freshmen can't make a huge impact? Not anyone who watched Southern Utah on defense last year. Browning, in his first year of college football, emerged as one of the Big Sky's top linebackers, and was named the league's newcomer of the year. He was also a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS. Perhaps his best performance came in an upset victory over the Griz, when he had 18 tackles, the most by an SUU freshman since '02. This season gives Browning a chance to be even better.
3. CLARENCE BUMPAS, ILB, SR., NORTHERN COLORADO 2012: 49 tkl, 3 tfl, 1 sack, 1 int, 1 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Bumpas, who dropped down to UNC from FBS Kansas State a couple years back, was on his way to another monster year in 2012 ... until he suffered a season-ending arm injury in a homecoming loss to Montana. So his numbers weren't as good a year ago. On another note, he's grieving the recent death of his young son right now. If healthy and able to play, Bumpas should return to his typical form this year, which means well over 100 tackles -- and trouble for ball-carriers. Bumpas might be the most physical linebacker in the Big Sky.
4. RONNIE HAMLIN, ILB, SR., EASTERN WASHINGTON 2012: 136 tkl, 11½ tfl, ½ sack, 2 ff, 1 fum rec, 2 int, 10 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Hamlin's 136 total tackles were by far the most in the Big Sky last year for a team that won two playoff games and probably should have beaten Sam Houston State in the semis for another berth in the title game. Hamlin's numbers were higher because he played in 14 games, but he still averaged about 10 tackles per game. He was an All-America selection last season. Hamlin is a bit undersized (he was listed at 210 pounds in 2012) but that doesn't stop him from making plays. He should be all over the field again.
5. BROCK COYLE, ILB, SR. MONTANA 2012: 107 tkl, 6½ tfl, 2 sacks, 2 ff, 2 fum rec, 8 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Coyle reminds me a lot of former Grizzlies linebacker Caleb McSurdy, both in build and style. McSurdy had a really good year as a junior, then established himself as the best defensive player in the league as a senior. After a solid 2012 season, can Coyle replicate McSurdy's progression? Coyle at least comes into his senior year off a solid performance against Montana State in the season finale, when he was in on 19 tackles. He led the Grizzlies in total stops last season and is a good bet to do the same this year.
6. ANTHONY MORALES, ILB, SR. WEBER STATE 2012: 108 tkl, 9½ tfl, ½ sack, 1 ff. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Perhaps Morales doesn't get enough credit for the way he's played the last couple years. After all, he did lead the Big Sky in per-game tackles as a junior last season (12.0) because he constantly swallows up ball carriers. Morales, a second-team all-league pick, had a 23-tackle game in a loss to Montana a year ago, the sixth-most in a game in school history. He'll make plenty of plays again this year, but Weber State's defense needs to improve from finishing 11th overall in the league in 2012 if it is going to win more games under coach Jody Sears.
7. ALEX SINGLETON, OLB, JR., MONTANA STATE 2012: 23 tkl, 6 tfl, 1 sack, 1 int. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Buzz? There's plenty surrounding Singleton, who the Bobcats believe will fill the shoes of departed league defensive MVP (Owens) on the outside. Singleton made a few impressive plays after Owens got hurt in MSU's quarterfinal playoff loss to Sam Houston State last year, and now the expectations are sky high. Better than 25 percent of Singleton's tackles last season were made behind the line of scrimmage, and if that trend holds true with more playing time, he'll be a beast. The Thousand Oaks, Calif., product has waited for his time, and now it's here.
8. NICK DZUBNAR, ILB, JR., CAL POLY 2012: 107 tkl, 6 tfl, 1 sack, 2 ff, 2 fum rec, 1 int, 11 pass def, 1 TD. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: Dzubnar came of age last year, and led the team in tackles. This year he is moving from his usual spot on the outside to fill the inside linebacker role vacated by departed star Kennith Jackson. How much of an effect will this have on Dzubnar's game? Probably not a whole lot; he'll still have a major impact. Dzubnar was a big reason Cal Poly had such a strong first season as a member of the Big Sky, earning a share of the league title while nearly pulling off an upset over Sam Houston State in the second round of the playoffs.
9. TODD DAVIS, ILB, SR. SACRAMENTO STATE 2012: 103 tkl, 13½ tfl, 3½ sacks, 1 fum rec, 4 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: After making 21 tackles as a freshman defensive end in 2010, Davis came back with two straight all-conference seasons as an outside 'backer. Last year he led the team in tackles and earned Sac State's defensive MVP award. His penchant for making stops behind the line of scrimmage especially stands out. Davis lives by a "the next play is your best play” mantra, which clearly serves him well. In the No. 10 spot on this list, perhaps I'm underrating Davis. He's surely capable of being a first-team All-Big Sky player.
10. TREVOR SPENCE, OLB, SR., IDAHO STATE 2012: 90 tkl, 6 tfl, 3 sacks, 1 int, 9 pass def. THE BUZZ FOR 2013: OK, so Idaho State hasn't had much to cheer about in awhile. A long while, actually. But it doesn't mean the Bengals have no talent. Spence is a guy who increased his production exponentially last season, and had one of the best games of any linebacker (20 tackles) against Cal Poly a season ago. A lot of times tackle totals can be inflated because the defense is on the field a lot, and in ISU's case it was, but Spence should be one to watch on a unit that aims to make vast improvements this year after ranked last in the 13-team Big Sky.
*** NATIONAL NO. 1: TYLER STARR, OLB, SR., SOUTH DAKOTA. Starr might be the best pure pro prospect Joe Glenn has ever coached. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Starr broke out with 14 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 19 tackles for loss. His numbers weren't quite as ridiculous last year, but he remains the most menacing force at the position in the FCS.
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