PFF Ranks ASU's Jermayne Lole 24th in Top 50 Best Player Rankings
Pro Football Focus recently revealed a list detailing college football's top 50 players heading into the 2021 season. Of course, with any list comes discussion, as opinions are sure to clash. Take into account a site with the reputation of Pro Football Focus, and discussion will almost always transition to debate.
One topic that can be agreed upon between Pro Football Focus and Arizona State fans? Defensive lineman Jermayne Lole and his ability to impact a game. PFF ranks Lole as No. 24 in its list of the 50 best players ready to take the field this year, the only Sun Devil to make the list.
PFF had this to say about Lole ahead of the 2021 season:
"Arizona State’s defense underwent a scheme tweak in 2020, which moved Lole from a versatile role that predominantly saw him on the edge to an every-down interior defender. And that paid big dividends, as expected. He was one of the 10 highest-graded Power Five defensive linemen against the run when playing defensive tackle in 2019.
"That remained the case in 2020, but he was even better against the run and looked far more polished as a pass-rusher. In fact, Lole was the third-highest-graded Power Five defensive lineman when playing 3-technique this past season. The fact that he played only four games in 2020 and still came away with 18 pressures and 17 defensive stops is quite impressive."
Lole enters his junior season at Arizona State with an impressive list of on-field accolades, doing the following and more all in his second year in Tempe (per ASU's athletic page):
- Recorded 72 tackles this season, the third most for a Sun Devil defensive lineman since 1990 behind only Shante Carver (79 in 1993) and Terrell Suggs (73 in 2002).
- His 37 defensive stops in the regular season led the nation's defensive interior linemen – two more than any other lineman in the nation.
- Credited with just a single missed tackle this season, tied for fourth among FBS defensive linemen.
- Checks in as the 16th-highest graded player in the Pac-12 with a score of 75.4 – the second-highest score among edge defenders in the league.
Lole was the second-highest ranked interior defensive lineman, landing just under Ohio State's Haskell Garrett who earned spot No. 21. Lole was also the third-highest ranked Pac-12 player, as Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (6) and Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie (19) were above Lole.
Donnie Druin is a Deputy Editor with AllSunDevils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSunDevils @AllSunDevils.