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5 For Friday: Group of Five Players to Know in 2016

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CALVIN MUNSON, LB, SAN DIEGO STATE

Rocky Long quietly built one of the best statistical defenses in college football at San Diego State, which paved the way for the first outright Mountain West Conference championship in program history.

Cornerback Damontae Kazee won MW Defensive Player of the Year for his eight-interception season, but linebacker Calvin Munson did his part to make such prolific turnover-creation possible.

Munson’s a jack-of-all-trades for the Aztec defense, last season racking up 98 tackles; 15 tackles for loss; 9.5 sacks; three quarterback hurries; and two forced fumbles.

He even opened the 2015 campaign with two pick-sixes.

Long’s an innovator of the 3-3-5 defense, the same formation Arizona ran when Scooby Wright swept the national defensive awards in 2014. Munson operates for the Aztecs in much the same way Wright did for the Wildcats.

A standout baseball player, Munson opted to focus on football this spring. That means 15 extra practices and a few more months in the weight room for one of the nation’s most versatile linebackers. Don’t blame MW quarterbacks if they lose some sleep this offseason as a result.

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