Time to move on in our preseason countdown of the top 25 players in the Big East.
If you need a quick refresher, I am projecting the best of the best in the league for this upcoming season, and I am including freshmen and transfers as well.
No. 14 Sio Moore, LB, UConn
Twitter handle: @MrUConn3
Making the case:I thought Moore was extremely underrated last season, given his production at linebacker for the Huskies. Come to think of it, the entire UConn linebacking group had a decent season, given the inexperience at the position and the scheme change with new coordinator Don Brown. Moore finished behind teammates Jory Johnson and Yawin Smallwood in total tackles with 86 -- but that was still good enough to rank him No. 9 among all players in the Big East.
Of those tackles, 16 went for a loss, ranking him tied for second in the league. He also was second on the team behind Trevardo Williams with 6.5 sacks, and took an active role in pass defense to help with shortcomings in the secondary, with nine passes defensed. Moore is one of the more outspoken players in the Big East, and already has proclaimed why the Huskies will be better on defense this season. I love his candor, and I love the enthusiasm with which he plays the game. He is a sure-handed tackler, and has a good knowledge of the defense. I think he is in for the best season of his career.
The countdown
No. 15 Walter Stewart, DE, Cincinnati
No. 16 Duron Harmon, S, Rutgers
No. 17 Mario Benavides, C, Louisville
No. 18 Jarred Holley, S, Pitt
No. 19 Scott Vallone, NT, Rutgers
No. 20 Ryan Griffin, TE, UConn
No. 21 Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville
No. 22 Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse
No. 23 Steve Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers
No. 24 Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, UConn
No. 25 Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
