The end of the season means it’s time for our countdown of the top 25 players in the Pac-12 for 2015. We’ll roll out five a day each day this week, capping it with the top five players on Friday.
You can see our preseason rankings here:
No. 21: Budda Baker, S, Washington
He wasn’t the dual-threat that many thought he would be in the preseason, when rumors of him getting some carries on offense began to surface. But he helped command a defense that was the best in the Pac-12. He earned first-team All-Conference honors, finishing with 49 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and two interceptions.
22. Salamo Fiso, LB, Arizona State
One of the most disruptive linebackers in the Pac-12, Fiso led the conference with 78 solo tackles and posted 20 tackles for a loss. He also added an interception to go with 4.5 sacks. He was an honorable mention on the all-league team in what was a very deep year for linebackers in the conference. He should be considered one of the league’s top returning defensive players.
23. Jared Norris, LB, Utah
His athleticism proved he was worth the preseason hype. The Utes were one of the league’s top defenses, and Norris played a huge role in that, finishing second on the team with 87 tackles behind Gionni Paul. He posted 6.5 for a loss and a sack to go with a pair of forced fumbles for the league’s most opportunistic defense. For his efforts, he was named second-team all-conference.
24. Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington
A freshman All-American(FWAA), Gaskin set UW freshman marks for rushing yards (1,302) and touchdowns (14). He capped a fantastic season with a four-touchdown performance against Southern Miss in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. He was one of just five Pac-12 players to average more than 100 yards per game, and his 14 scores tied for second most in the league.
25. Tom Hackett, P, Utah
Hackett’s selection to this list rekindles a long standing argument between myself and colleague Ted Miller (who has a deep-seeded disdain for special teams players ever since a kicker in Pop Warner stole his ice cream) about whether special teams players belong in the top 25. Tough to argue against Hackett, who won the Ray Guy Award for the second straight season as the nation’s top punter. He averaged 48 yards per punt with 28 inside the 20 and 23 of 50-plus yards. It’s impossible to quantify how many games he swayed in Utah’s favor, but no one in the country can do what he does as consistently as he does it.