The Final Four in college hoops tips off tonight. Another “four” is listed off below: the top four defensive players from the American Athletic Conference’s first two years. Last Saturday I presented my top four offensive players in the AAC the last two years. That list had a heavy UCF-ECU feel to it. Not this week.
The four players listed below each played for a different AAC program, and each program was in the league from its inception in the summer of 2013. I hope you enjoy my last “Final 4” installment, and remember to disagree with me in the comments section or on twitter. I know you want to.
1. Efrem Oliphant, LB, Houston
Efrem Oliphant was Houston’s defensive “quarterback” for the “Third Ward Defense’s” first two seasons of AAC play. He led a group who finished in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense in 2013 and 2014. Oliphant averaged 11 tackles per game during his two seasons in the AAC, finishing second in the conference each season with over 130 total tackles. He also had a staggering 13 tackles for loss in 2013 (fifth in the AAC). Some fans may vouch for Memphis linebacker Tank Jakes (2014 co-AAC Defensive Player of the Year) earning the top spot on this list, but Jakes’ two-year productivity doesn’t match Oliphants. Oliphant was certainly undervalued as a Second Team All-AAC in 2014.
2. Bobby McCain, DB, Memphis
Memphis’ defense often gets overlooked when one reflects on the school’s 2014 AAC co-championship, but the Tigers rise from 3-9 to 10-3 conference champs was a two-sided affair. The Tigers finished third in the conference in scoring defense (19.5 points per game), allowing nearly five points less than in the previous season. Senior cornerback Bobby McCain was a key cog in Memphis’ improving defense. McCain was a wide receiver playing DB as he finished third in the conference with five interceptions in 2014, increasing his total number of interceptions during his two seasons of AAC play to 11. McCain also took three INT’s back for touchdowns during in the last two seasons. The Memphis corner was certainly one of the most feared defensive players in the AAC during the conference’s first two seasons.
3. Jeff Luc, LB, Cincinnati
Jeff Luc took precarious road to the AAC, starting at Florida State before transferring to Cincinnati in time to play for the Bearcats during the school’s transition to the AAC. Luc’s name could easily be replaced with Memphis linebacker Tank Jakes, or ECU LB Zeek Bigger; the stats are so close on paper. But I chose to include Luc on this short list of best AAC defensive players in the league’s first two years because of Luc’s overall performance at linebacker in 2014. Luc recorded 133 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles (tied for first in the conference) in 2014. Even playing a lesser role in the Bearcats defense in 2013, Luc still tied for third in the conference with three forced fumbles. Luc’s versatility as a linebacker made him of the more well-rounded defensive players in the AAC the last two seasons.
4. Jacoby Glenn, DB, UCF
UCF’s top five total defense and top 10 scoring defense in 2014 compensated for its average offense on the way to a second-straight AAC championship (outright in ’13, shared in ’14). AAC co-Defensive Player of the Year Jacoby Glenn was the ball hungry corner who led the charge for the Knight’s stingy defense that improved by 24 spots nationally in total defense from the previous year. Glenn completed a magical season for a corner last season, recording 48 tackles and seven interceptions (No. 1 in the AAC), which earned him the previously mentioned high conference honors, as well as being named as a Second-Team All-American. Glenn’s superb stat collection bolsters his inclusion on this list, but his impact on the Knights AAC title run in 2014 is what separates him from other great defensive players during the AAC’s first two years of play. Glenn enters the 2015 NFL Draft as arguablly the AAC’s top prospect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoII-PwSH9M
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