Defensive Playmakers From 2020 Season

The old saying goes that defense wins championships. A great offense certainly goes a long way, but eventually teams will need to make stops and make impact plays on the defensive end. Let’s take a look at some top defensive playmakers from the 2020 football season. <strong>George Rooks, St. Peter’s Prep: </strong>Rooks had a strong season for powerhouse St. Peter’s Prep. He has received collegiate offers from programs such as Boston College, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State and a number of other Power 5 programs. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound senior lineman finished with 41 tackles (15 for loss) and eight sacks in just six games of action. <strong>AJ Pena, Somerville: </strong>Pena knew how to get to the quarterback in his Somerville career. He recorded 12 sacks and 44 tackles in a dominating season where the Pioneers finished undefeated. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27977" first="Jihaad" last="Campbell"], Timber Creek: </strong>Campbell, a junior, has received college offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. He finished a strong junior year with 52 tackles and nine sacks for the Chargers, also recovering two fumbles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27899" first="Dominick" last="Giudice"], Mater Dei: </strong>Giudice finished a great season before heading off to Michigan. The Mater Dei senior finished with 46 tackles, six sacks and seven tackles for a loss. <strong>DJ Samuels, Bergen Catholic: </strong>Samuels made an impact for Bergen Catholic as a sophomore with 15 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He has 43 tackles and 13 sacks in two years with the Crusaders. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27867" first="Mikai" last="Gbayor"], Irvington: </strong>The Irvington linebacker and Nebraska commit finished with nine sacks and 56 tackles. He has been the anchor for Irvington’s defense the last few seasons. <strong> Emeril Mitchell, Winslow: </strong>Mitchell made steady contributions for a solid Winslow team. The junior finished with 78 tackles, with eight for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. <strong> </strong> <strong>Jahqir Haley, St. Joseph (Hamm.):</strong> Haley knew how to make plays on the defensive end. He finished with a state-best 10 interceptions, including a pick-six, and he also had six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Haley had three interceptions against Hammonton and two against Cedar Creek. <strong>Other Names: [player_tooltip player_id="27951" first="Luke" last="Cole"], Lenape; [player_tooltip player_id="28006" first="Charlie" last="Sasso"], Wall; [player_tooltip player_id="27870" first="Duce" last="Chestnut"], Camden; A’Khoury Lyde, DePaul; [player_tooltip player_id="27926" first="Frankie" last="Monte"], St. Joseph (Mont.); [player_tooltip player_id="27878" first="Desmond" last="Igbinosun"], Union</strong>