Underclassmen Sack Leaders of the 2020 Season

There is always a premium for players who can rush the passer. The state of Mississippi historically produces players who are notoriously good at pressuring and sacking the quarterback - Houston’s Chris Jones and Yazoo City’s Fletcher Cox come to mind. Fortunately, the future is bright for Mississippi defensive line talent. Below are the top 5 underclassman sack leaders per Maxpreps.com’s stat collection. Look for these guys to dominate this 2021 season. [player_tooltip player_id="106310" first="Tabias" last="Hinton"] | 2023 | Hattiesburg With 18.5 sacks last season, [player_tooltip player_id="106310" first="Tabias" last="Hinton"] not only led underclassman in sacks, he led the ENTIRE state in sacks. This is a future national recruit that everybody in the country will be after. Hinton has great length at 6’3" and has a ton of room left to fill out over the next two seasons. Hinton is explosive off the ball and wins off the edge with his speed. He can bend well and has a variety of moves that allow him to get to the passer with ease. Hinton currently lists offers from Mississippi State, Michigan, and Southern Mississippi. [player_tooltip player_id="104438" first="DJ" last="Burgess"] | 2022 | Oxford With an 11.5 sack season, [player_tooltip player_id="104438" first="DJ" last="Burgess"] led all rising seniors with sacks last season. Burgess has been seeing some recruiting traction pick up recently as he has earned offers from Coahoma, Holmes, and Southwest. Burgess has good size for the edge at 6’3" and could add weight to become an athletic interior player. The young defensive lineman moves well in space and can chase down quarterbacks when they scramble away from him. Burgess uses his hands well to get offensive linemen off of him. He is an extremely explosive player whose best ball is ahead of him. Outside of football, Burgess earned a 32 on his first ACT attempt. Watch for this guy to rake in the scholarship dollars soon. [player_tooltip player_id="119235" first="Davin" last="Anderson"] | 2022 | St. Joseph With 10 sacks last year, [player_tooltip player_id="119235" first="Davin" last="Anderson"] was another big time playmaker in the delta. At 6’4" 235, Anderson has prototype size for the position and can continue adding weight over time. This offseason, he has added offers from Mississippi Gulf Coast, Coahoma, and Northwest. Anderson has good get off off the ball and runs well in space. He has good hips and can bend and change direction well, allowing him to make plays all over the backfield. Anderson is also stout against the run and strikes ball carriers with violence. Playing his first season at St. Joseph last year, look for him to be well acclimated this season and have another double digit type year. <strong>Max Walenta</strong> | 2022 | Jackson Academy As a first team all conference selection last season, linebacker Max Walenta totaled 9 sacks as a junior. Walenta is a really versatile player who puts his hand in the dirt some snaps, but can also drop back in coverage as well. He has good speed in the open field and a great motor for getting after the quarterback. Walenta plays physical and tough football and doesn’t seem bothered by contact ever. He gets off blocks by taking offensive lineman head on and wins the majority of the time. Love this guy’s fire he plays with. Look for him to put up another big season as a senior and cap off his high school career. &nbsp;