College football's 10 best defenses, projected for 2023 season: SEC powers reign (2024)

Could it really be anyone else here? Georgia has been absolutely dominant on this side of the ball over the last few years and recruits better than just about anyone else save for perhaps Alabama.

Stud defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse returns after earning Second Team All-SEC honors last season. Four more five-star freshmen come in, as does four-star cornerback transfer Smoke Buie from Texas A&M. A soft nonconference schedule should help UGA run up nice numbers, too.

Alabama led the SEC in yards per play allowed last season, and the Crimson Tide does have at least a decent argument for the No. 1 spot here. But it feels like a stud edge rusher like Anderson is a harder piece to replace than a stud interior lineman like Georgia's Carter.

Kool-Aid McKinstry returns after earning First Team All-SEC honors at cornerback last season. Dallas Turner will try to fill Anderson's shoes on the edge. New defensive coordinator Kevin Steele should help, as he brings loads of experience in the SEC.

Once again, Michigan should be at or near the top of the Big Ten defensively. Rising star linebacker Junior Colson gets sideline-to-sideline as well as almost any player in the country and led the team with 101 tackles last season.

Michael Barrett is another All-Big Ten selection, giving Michigan one of the best linebacker corps in the country. The Wolverines lost leading sack artist Mike Morris but brought in four-star transfer edge defender Josaiah Stewart from Coastal Carolina. Getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks might be something of a concern.

Penn State could be right there with Michigan despite losing star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the NFL. Coach James Franklin has All-Big Ten returners at all three levels of the defense between defensive end Adisa Isaac, linebacker Abdul Carter and cornerback Kalen King.

Four-star transfer cornerback Storm Duck from North Carolina could help replace Porter. By all accounts, this is really tight between the Nittany Lions and Wolverines. ESPN's SP+ computer system ranks Michigan's defense fourth and Penn State's fifth. These are fine margins.

The return of quarterback Jordan Travis for 2023 might have grabbed headlines, but Florida State's defense is a big reason why experts view the Seminoles as contenders in the ACC. Star edge defender Jared Verse, a projected early-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, opted to return for another campaign after the Albany transfer impressed in his first season.

Four-star transfer edge defender Gilber Edmond will help complement Verse, as the former South Carolina Gameco*ck had a productive 2022 season in the SEC.FSU ranked 14th nationally last fall in yards per play allowed.

If there's a trend on this list, it's that three of the Power Five conferences will feature intriguing competitions regarding which defense emerges as the league's best. Clemson is not far behind Florida State by any means.

First Team All-ACC defensive lineman Tyler Davis returns, and five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods could make an impact as a true freshman. Clemson should be stout up the middle, but it could use some improvement on the back end after ranking 33rd nationally in yards per passing attempt allowed. Considering the Tigers' recruiting history under coach Dabo Swinney, the bet here is that they'll take a step forward in that area.

Yes, the Aggies were a laughingstock last season as pressure started ramping up on coach Jimbo Fisher. But that largely came as a result of a miserable offense. Texas A&M ranked a respectable 36th in yards per play allowed despite playing a tough schedule.

Pieces like Walter Nolen and Shemar Stewart are back from A&M's No. 1 ranked 2022 class. Five-star defensive lineman David Hicks could help immediately. Four-star ACC transfer cornerbacks Tony Grimes and Sam McCall can play, too. The Aggies have as much talent as anyone on the defensive line, so if nothing else they should be hard to run on. The computers love A&M, as SP+ ranks the Aggies No. 3 in projected defense.

Defense isn't the reason that Wisconsin made a coaching change. The Badgers ranked 13th nationally in yards per play allowed last season and return three players who earned some form of All-Big Ten recognition in linebackers Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner as well as defensive lineman C.J. Goetz.

It's hard to see the defense dropping off all that much under a defensive-minded coach in Luke Fickell. On top of that, Temple transfer edge defender Darian Varner and Boston College transfer safety Jason Maitre could be solid starters. Wisconsin won't go significantly higher than this, but it's a safe bet not to fall all that much lower than this ranking.

Everyone clowns Iowa's offense, and rightfully so. Iowa's defense, however, consistently ranks among the nation's best every season. This is a bet on historic trends with Iowa having lost a good bit of key producers this offseason.

All-Big Ten defensive back Cooper DeJean returns flanked by defensive linemen Joe Evans, Logan Lee and Noah Shannon. Four-star Virginia transfer linebacker Nick Jackson should help a ton after making 100-plus tackles in each of his past three seasons with the Cavaliers. The Hawkeyes have a decent bit to prove in the secondary, but the Big Ten West Division isn't known as an air-it-out league.

This last selection could have gone any number of ways, and this is an admittedly speculative pick. LSU ranked 51st nationally in yards per play allowed last season but had some strong performances late in the campaign against Purdue, UAB, Arkansas, Ole Miss and even Alabama.

The headliner, of course, will be sophom*ore linebacker Harold Perkins — potentially the best defender in the SEC. Don't forget, either, that starting defensive lineman Maason Smith will return after he tore his ACL in last year's opener against Florida State. LSU thus played almost the whole season without a key player that it had partially planned its defensive line around. The talent is there for LSU to take a jump, and the Tigers get an easier schedule with Missouri replacing Tennessee as the rotating SEC East opponent.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Coach Bret Bielema returns the bulk of last year's No. 2 defense, but stud defensive coordinator Ryan Walters took the head coaching job at Purdue. New DC Aaron Henry is a first-time coordinator. That uncertainty represented too much to put Illinois in the top 10.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota ranked 21st last year in yards per play allowed and projects as the No. 7 defense this year according to SP+. All-Big Ten defensive back Tyler Nubin leads the charge here.

Missouri Tigers

Don't sleep on Mizzou's defense in the SEC. The Tigers should have a good combination of depth and few holes across the board. Former Florida transfer linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper should be a preseason All-SEC selection.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Talent shouldn't be an issue here, theoretically. Second-year coordinator Jim Knowles seemed to do some good things last season until the unit melted down against Michigan. Four-star transfers Davison Igbinosun (CB) and Ja'Had Carter (safety) should help.