August 31, 2015

Carson-Newman Football Position Previews: The Defensive Line

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – – This is the final part in an eight-part series that will break down what Carson-Newman football brings to the table for the 2015 season position by position. Today's preview features the Eagles' defensive front four with NFL alum Anthony Toribio.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – – This is the final part in an eight-part series that will break down what Carson-Newman football brings to the table for the 2015 season position by position. Today's preview features the Eagles' defensive front four with NFL alum Anthony Toribio.

"Camp's been really good," Toribio said. "We're young and raw, especially at defensive tackle, but the guys we brought in, we're pretty confident that with what they displayed in camp, we'll be pretty good."

This position was and is genuinely one giant question mark. Javaris Neal, William Alderman, David Way, Frank Mutter, Eric Hilton, Johnson Jamison, Austin Parmer and Joey Maxberry all leave the program for one reason or another. The only returnees who have any playing time are Evan Brown, who saw action in six games and made eight tackles, Charles "CT" Leavell, who appeared in five games and made three tackles with a stop for a loss, and Lakin Smith, who appeared in three games and had a pair of takedowns.

That leaves the door open for a boatload of newcomers. Jordan Pryce was on campus last year but did not see any action. The 6-4, 200 pound redshirt freshman has the capability to play both end and tackle.

The Eagles will turn to some combination of Phalen Booker, Brian Bembry, Hayden Hester and Brandon Ballard to provide depth and reps. Booker is the most experienced of the lot, transferring to Mossy Creek from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Booker is a NJCAA Academic All-American and led the MFCCC with seven sacks in his sophomore season. He also led Bay High School with 150 tackles his senior season.

Bembrey, Hester and Ballard all have a plurality of plaudits at the high school level. Bembry clocks in at 6-3, 255 pounds after starting on the defensive line for Dave Marino at Palmetto High School. His senior year he collected 61 tackles. More impressively, he forced 10 fumbles, made six sacks, 31 tackles for loss and scored a defensive touchdown. He was named his team's defensive MVP and most dominant player. A member of the all-state second team in Florida's class 7A, Bembry was invited to the Florida North/South All-Star Game. He also earned all-area honors and Elite 11 honors in his state at DT.

Ballard is a 5-11, 250-pound defensive lineman from Paulding Country High School. Ballard starred for coach Scott Hamilton racking up 105 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, six sacks, four pass break ups and three fumble recoveries in his senior year. Ballard holds the Paulding County career sack record with 16. Hester comes to Carson-Newman after playing two ways on the line at Midway for coach Joe Campbell.

Hester tallied 79.5 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss as a senior for the Green Wave. Hester was a two-time all-state selection, a two-time all-district selection and the District 3A defensive and offensive lineman of the year in 2013 and 2014. He earned first team all-PrepXtra accolades as a senior and was a team captain and the defensive MVP of the East-West All-Star game. He also played in the Tennessee v. Kentucky Border Bowl and was a team captain for the game.

"In every athlete, the number one enemy is complacency," Toribio said. "These guys can't be complacent because there's so many of them competing for a starting spot. It starts with the leaders too, and they've done a good job of making sure that every day we're working to get better."

Carson-Newman football opens the year Sept. 3 under the lights of Burke-Tarr Stadium with the University of the Cumberlands. Coverage of the game will be available on the Eagle Sports Network on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.