For the all conference offense, click here.

Although defense is not exactly what the Big 12 is known for, there are a ton of stand-out players in the conference that play on this side of the ball.

Since the conference’s offenses are going to take a step back this year, the overall statistics for Big 12 defenses are going to improve dramatically, which will make the conference look better by comparison to the old numbers.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

James Lynch, junior, Baylor

James Lynch is an absolute force at defensive tackle. One of the best players in the conference regardless of the side of the ball, Lynch is a playmaker in every possible way.

Voted all-conference at the end of last season as a true sophomore, Lynch is the key to making Baylor’s defense better than it was last year, as it finished 85th in the country in yards given up per game at 425.

It’s likely that he will see a lot of double teams this season since he one of two great players on this Baylor defense.

He’s fast for a defensive tackle, partially because he is a bit smaller in stature than some of his counterparts (weighs in at 295 at a height of 6’4″).

His pursuit of WVU’s quarterback Will Grier in the video above shows that he’s good with angles and doesn’t overshoot and miss easy tackles in the backfield. He’s a very strong athlete with good footwork and is good at leveraging offensive linemen and getting past them.

Ray Lima, redshirt junior, Iowa State

Lima was either first or second-team all-Big-12 according to every sports media outlet after last season, and it’s obvious why. He’s the second-best defensive tackle in the conference behind James Lynch, and had a great 2018 campaign in which he recorded 34 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss.

He might be the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the conference, as he’s very athletic and as The Draft Network said, “can bend and play underneath the offensive lineman’s pads.” His game is based on his ability to stop the run by creating collapses on the line and clogging up holes so opponents can’t get needed inside yards.

Lima is just one of several star players on an Iowa State defense that returns eight starters, many of which are on this list. It’s going to be tough to score against Iowa State this season; it will be especially hard to do so on the ground thanks to Lima’s abilities.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Reggie Walker, senior, Kansas State

Not to be confused with the other Kansas State Reggie Walker who also played football, this Reggie Walker is a great pass rusher, recording seven and a half sacks and four forced fumbles from his position as a weakside defensive end.

Most likely the best player on Kansas State’s roster this season, Walker is going to really have to get after it if he wants he and his Wildcats to have a successful 2019. The ‘Cats defense last year was pretty poor, finishing at 71st in FBS in yards given up per game with just over 400. But with his pass-rushing abilities, and the fact that many Big 12 offenses are going to regress, I predict that Walker will take over for Kansas State this season.

Ja’Quan Bailey, senior, Iowa State

Bailey is a great player on his own, but when you add in the fact that he’s going to be lining up next to Ray Lima, the front four of the Iowa State Cyclones starts to look all the more terrifying.

The 6’2″, 250-lbs. defensive end recorded 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks, both of which lead the team. And it’s impressive to lead this Iowa State defense in any statistical category because there is so much talent on the defensive side of the ball in Ames.

Bailey is the type of player to get some NFL hype, as he has the perfect frame for it, especially for his position. Though he’s on the lighter side, he’s a very powerful athlete and is able to get by defenders brandishing physicality as opposed to relying on finesse.

LINEBACKERS

Clay Johnston, senior, Baylor

Johnston is the second best player on the Baylor defense behind James Lynch, but Johnston’s role at linebacker may actually be more important considering how often it is that linebackers in the Big 12 drop back and play coverage. Johnston is fast, and has instincts when he ball is in the air.

Finishing all-Big-12 second team last season, Johnston is a productive player with a reputation for his hard-hitting style. His 99 tackles ranked fifth in the Big 12 last season, yet his average tackles per game placed him third in the conference.

Marcel Spears Jr., senior, Iowa State

Add another Cyclone to this mix, and realize how apparent it is becoming that Iowa State is going to have a dominant defense this season. Spears Jr., though he took a bit of a step back in 2018 from a dominant 2017, has 176 tackles over his last two seasons, as well as four interceptions, which is always a nice bonus from a non-defensive back.

Last season he had eight tackles for loss, 2.5 of which were sacks. If he can get those numbers up, and have near 100 tackles again as he did in 2017, Spears will be first-team all-conference. Put him next to freshman standout Mike Rose, and you have one of the best linebacker duos in the Big 12.

Kenneth Murray, senior, Oklahoma

Murray had an astonishing 155 tackles in 2018, leading the Big 12 in that category and being 13 tackles above the next-best player. He was named all-Big-12 second team last year and is looking to finish on the first team this year.

Above is a video of Murray’s 28-tackle game against Army. He’s an absolute hawk to the ball at his inside position and is maybe the best run-stopping linebacker in the Big 12 this season. He will likely be a finalist for the All-American team at the end of 2019.

CORNERS

AJ Green, senior, Oklahoma State

Not to be confused with former Georgia wideout AJ Green, who plays for the Bengals, this AJ Green is a defensive back for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and is all-conference second-team based off of last year’s performance.

He’s a smart kid for what it’s worth, being all-academic Big 12 as well. As your middle-school football coach would say, “the brain is the most important muscle in sports.” I remember having to run laps because I yelled out that “the tongue” is the most important muscle in sports. God I hated youth football.

Green has started every single game since his sophomore season, and has been put to the test every week with the amount of pro-talent at wide receiver that teams in the Big 12 have. Last year alone he went up against Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Marquise Brown, David Sills, Hakeem Butler, Antoine Wesley and Jalen Reagor. He held his own against all of these players.

Adrian Frye, sophomore, Texas Tech

Frye was impressive as a true freshman last year, and was named to the freshman all-America team in 2018. He led the league in total passes defended at 18, and had the most interceptions for a freshman, with five, since all-conference safety Tracy Saul in 1989.

His 1.5 passes defended per game was seventh in the NCAA last year, and he was pretty much the best defensive freshman behind Iowa State’s Mike Rose and Texas safety Caden Sterns in the Big 12. He was one of the few bright spots on a defense that finished 108th in the country in yards given up per game. Hopefully for the Red Raiders’ sake, his play elevates the rest of the defense to be better.

SAFETIES

Caden Sterns, sophomore, Texas

Caden Sterns was an unbelievable talent last season, recording 62 total tackles with four interceptions and a blocked field goal.

He played big in big games last year for the ‘Horns, specifically against USC, with the momentum-turning blocked kick which he returned for a touchdown. He also had big play after big play against Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (that’s what the game is called anyway, plus I can’t say “Red River Rivalry” properly without sounding like I’ve done nine shots).

The 21 Savage song on there goes hard too

Sterns dominated in his first year in Austin, and was named a freshman-all-American. He was a unanimous first-team-All-Big 12, which is quite an achievement as the safety class in the Big 12 is pretty strong with players like Greg Eisworth and teammate Brandon Jones.

Sterns might legitimately be the best safety in the country this year–hell, he was probably top 10 last year. Look for him to win some awards, and after next year, expect him to go pro, because he will be a top-10 pick.

Greg Eisworth, senior, Iowa State

Another Cyclone on this list, Greg Eisworth is a hard-hitting safety that had 87 tackles in 2018, four of which were for loss. He’s the best run-stopping safety in the conference this year save Caden Sterns.

The 2018 defensive newcomer of the year in the Big 12, Eisworth was a leader on a defense full of talented players. He returns this year as a senior to a defense that will almost definitely be the best in conference. If he can play up to speed with the rest of the Cyclone defense, they will have legitimate shot to take the conference from powers Oklahoma and Texas.

email me keenanwomack@utexas.edu