Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players in 2012 continues.
You can see our preseason top 25 here.
No. 22: Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford
2012 numbers: Reynolds had 47 tackles and six interceptions this year, with 11 overall pass defenses. He returned three of his interceptions for touchdowns and totaled 301 yards on interception returns.
Preseason ranking: Unranked.
Making the case for Reynolds: Reynolds, the only safety named first-team All-Pac-12, was the best player in a secondary that yielded just 13 touchdowns passes, fewest in the Pac-12. (And, by the way, the Cardinal played 14 games). He had six of the Cardinal's 15 total interceptions, and the truth is he returned a fourth pick 81 yards for a touchdown in the Pac-12 title game against UCLA, but the officials ruled him down at the 1-yard line, as party-pooping Pac-12 officials are wont to do. If that call had been correctly made, he would have tied an NCAA record. In any event, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound rising junior bounced back from a 2011 season lost to injury to earn third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and second-team honors from Sports Illustrated. He likely will earn preseason All-America attention and will be a top candidate for the Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation's best defensive back.
No. 23: Michael Clay, LB, Oregon
No. 24: Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State
No. 25: Reggie Dunn, KR, Utah
