SportsLine/Lindy's All-America Team: Defense

First-Team Defense
Pos.	Player	Ht.	Wt.	Class	School
DL	Wendell Bryant	6-4	293	Sr.	Wisconsin
While defensive back Jamar Fletcher was doing all the yappin' in the secondary the past couple of years, Wendell Bryant was quietly, tirelessly, doing all the important work up front. He's more than just his numbers -- six sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season -- but if you're into that kind of thing, look for his stats to jump this year because he figures to get some pass-rushing time off the edge.
DL	John Henderson	6-7	304	Sr.	Tennessee
Much like ex-Vol Peyton Manning did a few years ago, Henderson left a lot of NFL cash on the table after his junior season, bypassing a chance to be a top 10 (top five?) pick in the draft. Much like Manning, Henderson said he's coming back to pursue championship rings -- of the SEC and national championship variety. In the process, he could become the first back-to-back winner of the Outland Trophy since Nebraska center Dave Rimington in 1981 and '82.
DL	Julius Peppers	6-6	270	Jr.	North Carolina
He's already said he's entering the NFL Draft next spring (sorry Heels' hoopheads, no more basketball for him), and there's little doubt he'll be ready. He had 15 sacks last season as the most fearsome defensive end in the land, and he figures to have an excellent chance of breaking the school record of 16, held by another guy who was a pretty good pro prospect once upon a time -- Lawrence Taylor.
DL	Larry Tripplett	6-1	300	Sr.	Washington
No league has as many good running backs as the Pac-10, but few are able to dart, spin or bull their way past the Huskies' man in the middle. He also gets after the quarterback at full speed, as evidenced by his game last season against Miami. He sacked Ken Dorsey twice, accounting for 25 percent of the total the Hurricanes allowed all season.
LB	Rocky Calmus	6-3	235	Sr.	Oklahoma
Only his production will remind you of former Sooner legend Brian Bosworth, who was flamboyant, conceited and all-around mouthy ... as well as a stud football player who won two Butkus Awards in the mid-'80s. Calmus -- notice you can't spell his name without beginning with "calm" -- describes himself as a "plain-Jane guy," whose consistent excellence puts him at the forefront of this season's Butkus chase.
LB	Levar Fisher	6-4	229	Sr.	North Carolina St.
He amuses his teammates with his supposedly dead-on impressions of coach Chuck Amato, who will keep laughing as long as Fisher continues to put on show on Saturdays. Fisher is plenty serious at his day job, leading the nation in tackles last season (14.9 per game) and earning ACC defensive player of the year honors.
LB	Mario Haggan	6-3	253	Jr.	Mississippi St.
He's just a monster of a middle linebacker who -- scary thought -- still has plenty of room to move up on the football learning curve. In his first season as a starter last year, Haggan made 132 tackles, including five sacks, also forcing two fumbles and recovering two. When his experience catches up to his unquestioned physical skills, the rest of the SEC will be begging for him to turn pro early.
CB	Quentin Jammer	6-1	198	Sr.	Texas
The key to Texas' season could very well come down to how well the Longhorns defend Oklahoma's passing attack, which has had UT gnawing on revenge since last season's 63-14 butt-whipping. Jammer can't do it all against OU's spread offense, but as a physical corner who broke up 20 passes and intercepted three last season, he's a huge reason why Texas figures it can turn the tables on the Sooners in 2001.
CB	Lito Sheppard	5-10	194	Jr.	Florida
Florida fans don't appreciate any comparisons to that ACC school in Tallahassee, but here's one that is hard to resist: Sheppard is the Gators' version of Deion Sanders. No defensive back in the nation can match Sheppard's skill as a big-play difference-maker, whether it's on interception returns or as a return man -- he took two punts into the end zone last season.
S	Pig Prather	6-3	195	Sr.	Mississippi St.
The converted running back is a perfect fit in Joe Lee Dunn's hybrid defense, where Pig plays DOG safety, requiring him to be athletic enough to (pass) cover, (run) stuff and (quarterback) sack. The scheme often bewilders blockers long enough for Prather to zip around them, helping explain his five sacks and three forced fumbles last season. His speed makes him a potential terror on returns, too.
S	Edward Reed	6-0	190	Sr.	Miami
Described as a "coach-on-the-field" type of player, Reed is often in the right place at the right time, intercepting eight passes last season (returning two for scores) and breaking up 23 others, the highest total in the Big East. New coach Larry Coker is counting on a repeat performance this season as Reed, a fifth-year senior, is asked to take over a leadership role that Al Blades filled last year.
P	Preston Gruening	5-10	204	Jr.	Minnesota
He had the nation's leading average last season (45.22), which doesn't mean as much unless he and his punt team backed it up with one of the best net punting averages in the nation. They did (40.87 per attempt), which indicates superb hang time to go with his distance. Plus, he has the touch -- 17 punts inside the 20-yard line.

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