Class of 2022: DL to Watch in Central Texas

The defensive linemen are arguably one of the most important positions on a team as they can cause the most disruption and create issues for an entire offense for an entire game. These five defensive linemen are but a few to watch out for with some already appearing in articles in the past. These players have the potential to up their game even more next season as they become seniors. 1. <strong>Tucker Harrison - Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX)</strong> The Vandegrift defense is among the best in Central Texas, and Harrison stands out as a junior amongst the crowd of the Class of 2021 that led the team. Harrison had 79 total tackles and 55 solo tackles with 14 tackles for a loss on the season. He also tied leading the team with five sacks on the season and led with 12 quarterback hurries. Simply put, Harrison was in the backfield often and created disruption often. Considering he will just continue to grow with experience and age, Harrison is definitely one to watch for as Vandegrift looks to be an opposing force to the high-octane offenses in Central Texas. 2. <strong>Travien Brown - Round Rock High School (Round Rock, TX)</strong> The Round Rock defense is very diverse in classes but Brown leads the way on the defensive line for the future seniors. He had 43 total tackles with 33 being solo and 5.5 tackles for a loss. Although senior defensive lineman <strong>Luke Dodds</strong> led the team with 12.5 sacks, Brown followed closely behind with 8.5 sacks. Brown has the potential to be especially disruptive for offenses, and he showcased that in the game against Stony Point when he had eight total tackles and 2.5 sacks in the game. Round Rock is one of the best overall teams in the area, but with players like Brown continuing to progress, the Dragon defense is one to watch out for. 3. <strong>Ian Box - Seguin High School (Seguin, TX)</strong> Box has appeared multiple times on Prep Redzone, and for good reason. He led Seguin with 9.5 sacks and averaged 1.1 sack per game. On top of this, he had 59 total tackles with 45 being solo and 16 tackles for a loss. He also had two fumble recoveries to boot. Box was electric throughout the season, but one game stands out among the rest and that was the Veterans Memorial game. Against what became a playoff team, Box had four sacks in that game and eight total tackles, five being for a loss. Box definitely has the potential and will soon begin his final season with Seguin, where he looks to make an even bigger name for himself. 4. <strong>Ian Ferguson - Cedar Park High School (Cedar Park, TX)</strong> Cedar Park had one of the most successful seasons the Timberwolves have had and while a lot of fingers point to senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"] for that, football fans know that the defense is just as important. A Class of 2022 standout is Ferguson, he had 34 total tackles including 19 tackles for a loss. He also had nine sacks on the season and a forced fumble. Ferguson even missed a few games, according to MaxPreps, and considering he will be a senior next season, it is safe to say that he will play in every game and nearly every down. Cedar Park was dominant this past season, but the trend looks to continue especially with players like Ferguson looking to have more reps. 5. <strong>Trey Snowberger - Pflugerville High School (Pflugerville, TX)</strong> The Pflugerville defense did not post quite the numbers as the other teams have on this list, but the Panthers have a lot of potential, especially with Snowberger. Totaling 59 tackles, he led the team with four sacks and two forced fumbles, according to Max Preps. Snowberger is a player that can cause problems for any offense with his ball-stripping abilities, and considering Pflugerville seems to have the talent for a dark horse push next season, Snowberger could be one of the defensive players to shine next season.