By Chris Hughes
SouthernPigskin.com

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A defensive trio in North Carolina are turning heads of the college recruiters. Kris Frost, Stephone Anthony and Jeoffrey Page are big time prospects who have college coaches on the edge.

Defensive trio in NC to turn heads at college level

We’ve all heard that old football cliché that says defense wins championships. It’s a saying that we’ve all heard since our youth and that coaches and analyst like to throw around from time to time. However, since the turn of the century nearly every level of football across the country has been more about offense. The offensive skill players are faster, better trained, and the offenses themselves are more complex than ever.

Maybe that’s why some of the top college football coaches in the country have been going crazy about some of the defensive talent in North Carolina.

The class of 2011 in the Tar Heel state may the most athletic of any class in history. With speed being the name of the game in today’s college football game, it’s worth noting that three of the top four defensive recruits in North Carolina have faster 40-times than NFL great Emmitt Smith.

Today in college football you have offensive coordinators who will spread you out to create running lanes and look for mismatches by forcing linebackers to cover receivers. That is why Kris Frost from Butler High School outside of Charlotte is so highly recruited.

Frost, listed as 6’3, 210 pound linebacker is being recruited as an athlete. He’s a very versatile player that stars as a receiver and linebacker on the top-ranked team in the state. Frost sports a 4.6 time in the 40-yard dash and has the athleticism to play multiple positions.

He’s also already accepted an invitation to play in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and has about every BCS college in the South offering him a scholarship. At the moment it appears that Michigan and Auburn are the frontrunners in landing his services but Frost has made it clear that LSU and Clemson may still have a chance.

He’s making an official visit later this year to LSU when they host Alabama. Frost also has California on his radar and actually would prefer to play as a receiver at the next level.

While Frost may be the most athletically gifted defender, Anson County’s Stephone Anthony is being touted as one of the best true linebackers in the nation. His solid frame and strength will allow him to play as an inside linebacker, yet he’s still fast enough to drop into coverage and play the pass.

At 6’3” and 220 pounds, Anthony possesses all the tools necessary to compete on the biggest stages in college football. While he’s not really given away a lot of hints as to where he’ll play next year, he has stated that he will announce his intentions on January 5, 2011 at the Under Armor All-American Game in Orlando.

Florida, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina, and N.C. State are listed as his top choices but sources say he’s been leaning towards N.C. State in recent weeks. However Anthony has repeatedly said that he won’t know his choice until January and he wants the best fit for both him and his family.

We also can’t forget about Asheville High School’s Jeoffrey Pagan. The defensive end listed at 6’4”, 255 pounder reminds me of another great who came from North Carolina in Julius Peppers. Pagan’s 4.65 40-yard dash time and raw athleticism will one day make him a star. He has the best body control and quickness coming off the line that I’ve seen in over two decades of covering high school football in North Carolina.

Pagan has already committed to play at the University of Florida but did recently visit Clemson. He says he’s firmly committed to Urban Myer but has also stated that he enjoyed the environment at Clemson.

Either way, Pagan is likely to be a star on the college gridiron and probably has the most direct route to the NFL in my eyes.