No. 2 is the reigning two-time Big East defensive player of the year.
No. 2, Khaseem Greene, LB
Making the case: Greene became the first player to repeat as Big East defensive player of the year since 1998-99, when Virginia Tech's Corey Moore accomplished the feat. There's a reason for that, as Greene finished second in the conference in tackles (136), fourth in sacks (six), eighth in tackles for loss (12), first in forced fumbles (six) and tied for first in fumble recoveries (three). Simply put, he was dominant across the board, as his tackle numbers and forced fumble totals were good for 15th and second nationally, respectively. Greene added two picks, five pass break-ups and 10 quarterback hurries. He was the catalyst for a defense that finished No. 4 nationally in scoring and No. 6 nationally against the run. (The Scarlet Knights were 10th in total defense as well.) Greene was an AT&T ESPN All-American, a Walter Camp second-team All-American, a Phil Steele second-team All-American, an AP third-team All-American and a CBSSports.com third-team All-American. The fifth-year senior recorded double-digit tackle performances in eight games, including 22 against Army. Scouts Inc. rates him as the No. 2 outside linebacker in April's NFL draft. And, to top it off, he was one of the best interviews and classiest players in the conference, as evidenced by his farewell letter last month in the (Newark) Star-Ledger.
Preseason ranking: No. 1
The countdown
No. 3 Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
No. 4 Trevardo Williams, DE, UConn
No. 5 Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse
No. 6 Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers
No. 7 Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse
No. 8 George Winn, RB, Cincinnati
No. 9 Montel Harris, RB, Temple
No. 10 Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
No. 11 Yawin Smallwood, LB, UConn
No. 12 Greg Blair, LB, Cincinnati
No. 13 Ray Graham/Jawan Jamison, RBs, Pitt/Rutgers
No. 14 Mario Benavides, C, Louisville
No. 15 Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville
No. 16 Sio Moore, LB, UConn
No. 17 Shamarko Thomas, S, Syracuse
No. 18 Scott Vallone, DT, Rutgers
No. 19 Jerome Smith, RB, Syracuse
No. 20 Devin Street, WR, Pitt
No. 21 DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
No. 22 Matt Brown, RB, Temple
No. 23 Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
No. 24 Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
No. 25 Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt