Top 10 defensive ends in college football entering 2022 season
Spring football has begun and will be in full swing across the country soon. This leads to a look at the top 10 players returning at each position, continuing today with the defensive ends.
*****
MORE: Top 10 QBs in college football entering the 2022 season | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series
*****
1. Will Anderson, Alabama
The easiest pick out of every position, Anderson was snubbed from being a Heisman Trophy finalist last year as clearly the top defensive player in the country. His statistics and impact were unassailable. He finished the season with 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss, both of which led the nation. He's simply unblockable.
*****
2. Nolan Smith, Georgia
The former five-star made a big jump as a junior, so while his stats don't necessarily pop off the page, that was due to the dominance of everyone around him on the Dawgs' historic defense. He has a great burst off the edge and will be the unquestioned leader of Georgia's defense this season.
*****
3. Myles Murphy, Clemson
Murphy had a big sophomore season, leading Clemson in both sacks and tackles for loss. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, he possesses ideal size for an end in the Tigers' 4-3 system. With another big season, he's a lock to be a top-15 pick in the 2023 draft.
*****
4. Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
As a sophomore, the former four-star from Hawaii finished with PFF's fifth-best pass-rushing grade among all Power Five edge players per PFF. While he's a bit undersized at only 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he's got great speed off the edge and underrated strength. He's got all the pass rush moves you could ask for.
*****
5. Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
The nation's co-leader in forced fumbles (six) in 2021, Foskey is the definition of a disruptor. He finished his junior season with 10 sacks, leading the Fighting Irish, and will start 2022 as their top returning player on that side of the ball
*****
6. Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
Putting Tupuola-Fetui this high is a bet on his upside after he missed most of last season with an injury. But back in 2020, he led the Pac-12 in sacks and forced fumbles, and possesses a rare combination of length and strength. He could really pop in 2022.
*****
7. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
Anudike-Uzomah came out of nowhere as a redshirt freshman in 2021 to have 11 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, buoyed by a four-sack, two-forced fumble performance against TCU. He finished the season as the co-leader in forced fumbles with Foskey, He enters this year as the unquestioned best edge rusher in the Big 12.
*****
8. B.J. Ojulari, LSU
After showing flashes as a freshman in 2020, Ojulari showed a lot more consistency as a sophomore last season, finishing the year as the Tigers' best edge rusher. He ended up with seven sacks and will be the beneficiary of playing alongside one of the top defensive tackle groups in the country in 2022.
*****
9. Zach Harrison, Ohio State
The top edge rusher for the Buckeyes, the former five-star started to put it all together in 2021 despite being nagged by injuries. He's poised for a big senior season and has the frame and burst that pro scouts drool over.
*****
10. Habakkuk Baldonado, Pittsburgh
Another freak athlete, Baldonado pairs with Calijah Kancey to form one of the best defensive line tandems in the country, The Panthers' leading sack artist from 2021, he and Myles Murphy are the clear-cut top-two edge rushers in the ACC.