Our countdown of the Pac-12’s Top 25 players from the 2013 season continues.
You can review our 2013 preseason Top 25 here.
No. 6: Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford
2013 numbers: Murphy led the nation with 15 sacks, was second nationally with 23.5 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, returned an interception for a touchdown and blocked a kick.
Preseason ranking: No. 7
Making the case for Murphy: Teammate Shayne Skov drew a lot of the attention, but for the last two seasons Murphy has been the ultimate difference-maker on a Stanford defense that was among the nation's elite. Not only did his 23.5 tackles for a loss rank second in the country, they went for a national-best 147 yards. Known mostly as a pass rusher -- he worked primarily at defensive end in Senior Bowl practices -- Murphy was also good against the run, where defensive coordinator Derek Mason used him to set the edge and funnel ball carriers back inside. He was one of three linebackers named to the ESPN.com All-America team. Surprisingly, he wasn't a finalist for any national awards, but he was a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi awards.
No. 7: Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State
No. 8: Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
No. 9: David Yankey, OL, Stanford
No. 10: Leonard Williams, DE, USC
No. 11: Marion Grice, RB, Arizona State
No. 12: Xavier Su'a-Filo, OL, UCLA
No. 13: Tyler Gaffney, RB, Stanford
No. 14: Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State
No. 15: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
No. 16: Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
No. 17: Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
No. 18: Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford
No. 19: Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State
No. 20: Trevor Reilly, DE/OLB, Utah
No. 21: Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State
No. 22: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
No. 23: Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
No. 25: Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA