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CBS 26 most-feared defensive players ahead of the 2026 season.

AtlAtty said:
I take 2 things from these stats.

1. Bennie Blades was a killer

2. We had (2) different guys named Whitey; in the 40’s and 50’s. That was an actual name that parents named their son. Whitey. Is that at least short for something? .
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Lmaooo @ #2

Apparently Whitey was a common nickname given to kids with light blonde hair so light it looked white. Whitey Campbell’s real first name is Alexander; played basketball and baseball at the U too; was a coach at Miami Jackson HS, UMiami, and the Saints after college.


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One coach called Whitey R the best man for single-platoon football. A true “sixty-minute Miami Man.” His real name was Francis. If never leaving the football field wasn’t enough, he had 1 or more seasons participating in track and field, basketball, and baseball at The U.
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cookies said:
Lmaooo @ #2

Apparently Whitey was a common nickname given to kids with light blonde hair so light it looked white. Whitey Campbell’s real first name is Alexander; played basketball and baseball at the U too; was a coach at Miami Jackson HS, UMiami, and the Saints after college.


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One coach called Whitey R the best man for single-platoon football. A true “sixty-minute Miami Man.” His real name was Francis. If never leaving the football field wasn’t enough, he had 1 or more seasons participating in track and field, basketball, and baseball at The U.
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Nice job.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
It’s within the realm of possibility.

Reasons it can be better:

Four 5-stars on the DL, plus Wilson and Moten
A healthy OJ, Brown (don’t laugh) combined with another year leap for Lucas, Poyser, Fitzgerald, and EOC
Toure is 37 years old and another full year removed from the knee injuries
Heatherman in Year 2 and almost full staff continuity
The offense should put them in very advantageous situations all year

Reasons it can take a step back:

You just don’t replace 3 and 4, especially on the edges in run defense
Keionte Scott was arguably the 4th best/most impactful player on the roster last year. Will Thornton be close as a replacement?
Chase Smith, imo, isn’t a good/great player. Will someone be better than 31 at Will, who admitted was probably good, at best? Wiley maybe?

The offense is the key for me. What if we are a juggernaut on that side and make teams press against our defense? Wilson and Lightfoot might both get 8+ sacks. What if Lowe is a first-round talent? What if Blount rises to that level?

Mario is a sick ****. We have so much talent on this side. Yeah, there are questions. What team doesn’t have questions in May? But ****, we just need a couple things to go even somewhat well and we can really pick right up where we left off. But I really think replacing 3, 4, and 0 is so tough to replicate. Maybe we don’t have to, exactly, but the DTs and DBs are much better? So excited to see what this serial killer we have at coordinator can do with this group. He’s got a sick collection of football players to move around the board.
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I agree with you for the most part, but I just don’t see this massive step back everyone keeps talking about on the edge. I honestly think Wilson is going to have a better overall season than Mesidor and become a top 10 draft pick.

To me, Bain is really the only guy that’s going to be tough to fully replace. But if Blount can give you even 70% of what Bain brought, this defense is still going to terrorize teams. One thing I’m confident about with Blount is the power he brings against the run, and his nonstop motor is going to lead to plenty of hustle sacks throughout the season.

Also, when Scott went down last year, the defense never really missed a beat during that stretch run. And I think Thornton will be at least as good, if not better, than what a true freshman Fitz gave you at nickel.
 
cookies said:
Lmaooo @ #2

Apparently Whitey was a common nickname given to kids with light blonde hair so lig
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CanesFan93 said:
Say What Hold Up GIF by DaBaby


We can all agree that Bryce had a good year as a freshman...let's pump the brakes though. He has a knack for making plays on the ball but that does not equate a once in a decade player. Let him replicate, or exceed, those numbers first before jumping out the window.
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So you tell me which true freshman safety had a more impactful season at UM than Bryce?

It wasn’t ST or Reed. Or Kenny Phillips or even Kam. Maybe Bennie Blades but that is literally the entire list.

And don’t we always project forward when discussing freshmen?
 
The Power Four's turnover margin leader has played in the national title game three straight years. Indiana's plus-22 turnover margin last season was the best in FBS and bested the Power Four's top team in each of the previous two seasons (Notre Dame in 2024 at plus-18 and Michigan in 2023 at plus-19). Takeaways are not something you can coach, but Hoosiers defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and staffs with the Fighting Irish and Wolverines did stress going after the football and bringing the pain. Those three also keyed on not coughing it up, too
 
AtlAtty said:
So you tell me which true freshman safety had a more impactful season at UM than Bryce?

It wasn’t ST or Reed. Or Kenny Phillips or even Kam. Maybe Bennie Blades but that is literally the entire list.

And don’t we always project forward when discussing freshmen?
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You didn't specify UM initially so I have a followup question for you -- do you think Bryce's freshman season was better than Minkah Fitzpatrick, Eric Berry, or Derwin James'?

I believe that you have to do more than just pick the ball off before you can get such a high praise as a once in a decade player.
 
CanesFan93 said:
You didn't specify UM initially so I have a followup question for you -- do you think Bryce's freshman season was better than Minkah Fitzpatrick, Eric Berry, or Derwin James'?

I believe that you have to do more than just pick the ball off before you can get such a high praise as a once in a decade player.
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I was never a big fan of Derwin James at FSU. I thought he went for the kill shot too often. And didn’t play the ball well.

I loved Eric Berry but i knew him since he was in the 9th grade, and am still close friends with his aunt who I worked with. So Eric is always near the top for me. I don’t recall Minkah’s freshman year but i know he was really, really good as a player. My memory is also that they both started as freshman (as opposed to Bryce).

I would love for Bryce to be put in the same category as Eric and Minkah. I’m willing to put him there. His tackling was good, especially for a true freshman. And I beleive that will evolve as he gets stronger and older. And I believe he has really, really uncommon instincts to track the football and constantly be in the right place.
 
Had an agent tell me today that DJ Pickett is the best DB prospect since Sean Taylor and would be a sure-fire top 5 pick next year if he could declare. He’s been in the business for 25 years.
 
dycane said:
Had an agent tell me today that DJ Pickett is the best DB prospect since Sean Taylor and would be a sure-fire top 5 pick next year if he could declare. He’s been in the business for 25 years.
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Gonna be a Wemby like corner as far as a prospect..
 
Im not sleeping on Hayden.
Just remember the disrupting he was causing before his injury. Yeah and I feel he’s going to be playing with a chip on his shoulders having missed all last season.
 
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