DeAngelo Malone, DE
Malone is the proverbial anchor of Western Kentucky’s defense. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s agile, and he’s quick for his size.
Last season, the 6’4”, 230 lbs pass rusher tallied 100 tackles (second-most on the team). Adding to that, he compiled 11.5 sacks, more than the rest of the team combined. His sack total ranked him second in C-USA, on his way to being named the 2019 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
He was also the only player on WKU to have a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Also worth noting he was the only player on the team to have a scoop-and-score, assisting WKU in being C-USA’s number one scoring defense.
He ranks third in the nation in tackles for a loss in the previous season by returning players (21), fourth in sacks.
Malone will try to disrupt Louisville QB Micale Cunningham’s rhythm and timing, as well as looking for ways to collapse the pocket, leading to other opportunities for tackles in the backfield.
He is on the Bednarik and Nagurski Awards Watch Lists, given to the nation’s most outstanding defender.