Anyone who has not been paying close attention to the Big 12 needs to be told bluntly that this conference does play defense now. Solid defense units start with the defensive line. Even the best linebackers in the Big 12 need great defensive linemen up front eating up blocks. So which player reigns as the best Big 12 defensive linemen coming back in 2025?
The Best Big 12 Defensive Linemen Returning for 2025
Noteworthy Transfer
Last Words “best of” series does not account for transfer out of conference. One team in particular, Texas Tech, has beefed up their defensive line unit through the transfer portal. One of those transfers that stands out is David Bailey. He was ranked as a Top 40 player nationally by CBS. Bailey was a bright spot on a struggling Stanford team in 2024. He decided to transfer after the Cardinal fired Troy Taylor in March. He finished last season with 7 sacks and 31 hurries. Bailey’s tape is already popping for NFL draft scouts. A big season in Lubbock could vault him into top-20 draft territory.
4. C.J. Fite – Arizona State
The countdown for best big 12 defensive linemen starts with the defending champs. Kenny Dillingham has essentially his entire defense returning in 2025. One of those anchors upfront is C.J. Fite. The second team All-Big 12 member had 30 total tackles, 18 solo, four TFLs, and two sacks in 2024. Fite finished 2024 as the Sun Devils’ best interior run defender. He posted an impressive 1.2 yards average depth of tackle. Fite is a member of Dillingham’s first-ever recruiting class as head coach at Arizona State and has paid off big time. Expect Fite to be a disruptive force for Arizona State in their bid to defend their title.
3. Dean Miller – Kansas
Lance Leipold’s defense lost a lot of senior production from 2024. One player returning that will be critical to the success of the Jayhawk defense is Dean Miller. The defensive end also earned a second-team All-Big 12 selection. He started in all 12 games in 2024 and compiled 32 total tackles to go along with 10.0 tackles-for-loss and three pass deflections. His career-high six sacks were the sixth most in the Big 12. Miller showed up on campus just under 200 pounds in 2023. Since then, he has got his weight to climb up to (currently listed) 240 and has still maintained explosiveness and agility. Miller finds himself as the only defensive end on the best Big 12 defense linemen countdown.
2. Lee Hunter – Texas Tech
Lee Hunter lands on this list as he is an intra-conference transfer. In his career at UCF, he played in 38 career games (23 starts) for the Knights, accumulating 131 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks.
Joey McGuire was able to add a defensive lineman who had 44 total tackles, 19 solo, and one sack. Hunter’s biggest disruption came in the running game. The second team All-Big 12 member leads all returning FBS interior defenders in run-defense stops and tackles for loss or no gain. With the amount of high-level talent along the Red Raiders’ defensive front, Hunter could see even more production in 2025.
The Best Big 12 Defensive Linemen Returning for 2025 Is Dontay Corleone – Cincinnati
The best Big 12 defensive linemen might have the best nickname in all of college football right now. Dontay “The Godfather,” Corleone has been a force on the defensive line for the Bearcats for years. His first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 was his third career all-conference selection. He has established himself as one of the most accomplished Cincinnati defensive players in school history.
He has 109 career tackles, 17 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks in his 34-game (23 starts) career. Despite having to battle blood clots leading into the 2024 season, he still totaled 26 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. It’s also worth noting that he has stayed with Cincinnati despite some pretty low years in the win column when he could have transferred to almost anywhere. Even without an NIL offer he couldn’t refuse, Corleone has remained a Bearcat and has continued to play as one of the best trench players in all of college football.
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