The official list of the Big 12's top 25 players is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing the list day by day here on the blog. Here's a refresher on my exact criteria.
No. 15: Coryell Judie, CB/KR, Texas A&M
2010 numbers: Made 57 tackles (29 solo), intercepted four passes, broke up four passes and made two tackles for loss. He also averaged 30.25 yards on his 20 kick returns, returning a pair for touchdowns.
Most recent ranking: Judie was unranked in our postseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.
Making the case for Judie: Judie was already among the league's top corners last season, but gets a bump on our 2011 preseason list for his skills in the kick return game. Christine Michael's broken leg moved Cyrus Gray to a featured running role, allowing Judie to emerge from nowhere as the Big 12's best kick returner, earning All-Big 12 honors at the spot in the postseason, thanks to returning a kick for a touchdown in his first game at the spot, an upset win over Oklahoma, and following it up with another score the following week against Baylor.
That speed in the return game is most often used in coverage, where Judie helped the Aggies defense rank second in the Big 12 with just six yards allowed per pass attempt.
His four interceptions (T-2 in the Big 12) were among 16 for the Aggies, who made big strides as a defense in 2010, ushering in the return of the Wrecking Crew. Lots of pieces went into that transformation, but Judie was one of the biggest.
The rest of the list:
No. 17: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
No. 18: Elvis Fisher, LT, Missouri
No. 19: Keenan Robinson, LB, Texas
No. 20: Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
No. 21: Shaun Lewis, LB, Oklahoma State
No. 22: Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
No. 23: Brad Madison, DE, Missouri
No. 24: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
No. 25: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
