50 Best of the Non-BCS: Number 30
The Verdict: A very wise and well respected defensive football coach once told me (ok, who are we kidding, it was Rich Ellerson) that analysts and fans alike often read too much into the stats of linebackers and should instead be focusing in on the players up front who make those kinds of stats possible for their teammates. At 6-foot-2, 300-pounds, first team All-WAC defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith and his five sacks from a season ago may not scream "disruptive," but saying that the interior lineman is anything but would be an egregious oversight. Smith is one of the more multi-faceted tackles in the game today, and is not just a traditional gap container who excels at stuffing the run, but also an effective pass rusher who plays with outstanding leverage and technique. A physically imposing player who possesses ideal quickness and athleticism, Smith comes into the year rated as the second highest non-BCS conference senior (regardless of position) on Blesto and National’s preseason draft grades.
Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas] [#43: CSU Gaurd Shelly Smith] [#42: Wyoming FS Chris Prosinski] [#41: SMU receiver Emmanual Sanders] [#40: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe] [#39: CMU DE/DT Frank Zombo] [#38: Nevada RB Vai Tuau] [#37: Marshall DE Albert McClellan] [#36: Boise State DE Ryan Winterswyk] [#35: ULM LB Cardia Jackson] [#34: CMU WR Bryan Anderson] [#33: SJSU DE Carl Ihenacho] [#32: ASU DE Alex Carrington] [#31: Kent State RB Eugene Jarvis]
