BYU Football: Kyle Van Noy Ranked One of the Best College Football Defenders Since 2000

ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked the 80 best college football defenders since 2008 - BYU's Kyle Van Noy narrowly made the cut.

Courtesy Jaren Wilkey/BYU

ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked the 80 best college football defenders since 2008 - BYU's Kyle Van Noy narrowly made the cut. Van Noy came in at #80 on Connelly's list:

"Few players are as disruptive, for as long a period of time, as Van Noy. After a solid redshirt freshman season, he averaged 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and seven passes defensed for some increasingly dominant Cougar defenses." - Bill Connelly

Van Noy was the only former Cougar that made the cut. Van Noy and Eric Weddle were the only two players that played their college ball in Utah. Weddle, the former great Utah safety, came in at #75. 

Van Noy was spectacular at BYU. Connelly is right, few players are as disruptive over a career as Van Noy. There were times were Van Noy took over the game on defense - a feat very few players have accomplished at the college level. In the Poinsettia Bowl against San Diego State, for example, Van Noy singlehandedly outscored the Aztecs in a 23-6 victory. Van Noy recorded a strip sack in the endzone, a blocked punt, and a pick-six.

Van Noy had 25 sacks, 61.5 tackles for loss, 7 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 11 pass break-ups during his career at BYU.

Kyle Van Noy was eventually drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Van Noy was traded to the New England Patriots in 2016 where he won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. After one season with the Miami Dolphins in 2020, Van Noy returned to the New England Patriots where he will continue his NFL career.

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