We continue our position previews today with a look at Liberty’s defensive line.
Previous:
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Tight Ends
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
There are a lot of new guys, a lot of new faces for the Flames on the defensive line. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as this is a room that could grow into being a strength especially from a depth standpoint. Liberty lost several contributors on the defensive line since the end of 2024, but have replaced them with four transfers and a couple of talented freshmen who are all competing for playing time. This group might not have the high end star talent that some of Liberty’s recent defensive line rooms have had, but there is arguably more depth up front than the Flames have ever seen. We could also see a couple of them develop into star, headlining talent.
Liberty Defensive Line Coach Skylor Magee – “There’s a lot of guys that are going to contribute this year that we haven’t seen on the Mountain. You won’t see defensive linemen playing 60 plays anymore. You will see them playing 25 max and they are max reps. That’s going to be good for fourth quarters.”
JOKER
Frontrunners
1 CJ Bazile, Jr. SR 6’1″ 260
CJ Bazile is one of the more veteran, experienced players on Liberty’s roster. He’s played in 33 games over the past three seasons and has been one of the team’s top tacklers each of the past two years. Coming off a year with 10.5 tackles for loss in 2023, Bazile was named the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year entering 2024. That number did dip to 4.5 this past season, something that he is hoping to see an increase in his final year on the Mountain. Bazile is a team leader and will help anchor the group up front.
Competition
8 Brenton Williams R-SO 6’3″ 260
Brenton Williams transferred to Liberty from Auburn a year ago, and he immediately made a difference. Backing up Bazile, Williams played in all 12 games last year, finishing with 15 tackles and four tackles for loss. With an extra year under his belt developing and learning the system, Williams is a player that could be poised for a breakout this fall. He should provide tremendous play off the bench and have little to no drop off when on the field giving Bazile a breather.
Depth
17 Bryson Jennings JR 6’4″ 245
A nephew of Liberty great Rashad Jennings, Bryson transferred to Liberty from North Carolina, and he has played in 20 games over the past two seasons. He could step onto the field if either Bazile or Williams have an injury or miss some time and the Flames wouldn’t miss much.
95 Jeffrey Hairston, Jr. 6’3″ 225
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Frontrunners
99 Bryce Dixon SR 6’1″ 280
Like Bazile, Dixon is an anchor and leader for the Flames up front. He has seen his role and snaps increase each of the past three seasons playing on the interior of the defensive line. Last year, he played in all 12 games, making four starts, while finishing the year with 33 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. This season, the team will need him to continue his consistent and steady climb and be an all-conference level performer. Dixon has missed some time throughout the off-season as he was fighting back from an injury, but he is back at practice and should be full speed by the start of the season pending any setbacks.
Competition
91 Markus Clark R-JR 6’1″ 295
Clark played in 22 games over the prior three seasons at Appalachian State including eight starts during the 2023 campaign. He’s recorded 28 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack during his college career. Clark has more playing experience at the FBS level than most of the others vying for playing time at defensive tackle. He is a veteran and should find a way on to the field, perhaps even pushing for a starting spot.
Liberty Defensive Line coach Skylor Magee – “Markus Clark transferred in from App State. He’s got starting experience in the Sun Belt, so, he’s played and played at decent levels.”
97 Mike Jarvis SR 6’4″ 295
Transferring in from Wisconsin, Mike Jarvis played in 11 games last year as a reserve defensive tackle. Now, there’s opportunities for him to step into a starting role and to see his production greatly increase. He has done nothing to detract from that and is firmly in the mix of getting some extensive playing time up front.
Liberty Defensive Line coach Skylor Magee – “Mike Jarvis has had a really, really good camp. He’s took steps to be a leader. He’s taken steps to make his body better for the season.”
90 DJ Jackson SO 6’2″ 280
Jackson played in eight games for NC State last year before entering the transfer portal. He had nine tackles and a tackle for loss and has been named to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Third-Team by Athlon entering this season. Jackson has some playing time at the ACC level and should also be able to help the Flames shore up the depth on the interior of the line.
44 Joe Strickland R-SO 6’4″ 290
Strickland comes to Liberty from Purdue where he spent the past three seasons, playing in two games. A former four-star prospect coming out of high school, Strickland was part of the ESPN 300 as one of the top prospects in the nation in his class. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
94 Nathan Pirolli R-SO 6’3″ 285
Pirolli has yet to see any significant playing time for the Flames on the defensive line. He has been in the program for a couple of years now, and Coach Magee has spoken highly of him.
Liberty Defensive Line coach Skylor Magee – “Nate Pirolli is a guy, who is a walk-on, who’s had the best camp out of everybody.”
88 Kam Cullins FR 6’4″ 270
Cullins is a true freshman who Magee has raved about since he arrived on campus. He had a lot of first team reps in the spring due to injuries and guys who had entered the portal. Cullins has the size and frame to play as a true freshman, and should see the field in at least his four games that he can play while maintaining his redshirt. Depending on his performance throughout the rest of camp and into the early part of the season, he could even force his way on to the field throughout the year.
Liberty Defensive Line coach Skylor Magee – “He’s probably one of the top 10 strongest guys on the team. Mentally. he’s learned everything. I think the spring was great for him because he took a lot of reps with the 1s in the spring because we had a bunch of guys with injuries.”
Depth
98 Weston Woodard R-FR 6’5″ 260
52 Jacob Taylor R-SO 6’8″ 275
DEFENSIVE END
Competition
57 Aaron Hester R-JR 6’2″ 245
Hester is a former four-star recruit who began his career at Florida State. He played in eight games last season for the Seminoles, finishing the year with 10 tackles and was the highest graded returning defensive end for Florida State, per PFF, before deciding to enter the portal. The expectation on him is to come in and take over the starting spot at defensive end. He has great potential, but he didn’t join the Flames until the spring portal period so he didn’t have the spring semester and spring practice to get caught up to speed on the system.
12 Eli Hall R-JR 6’3″ 265
Hall spent last season with the Flames after transferring from Wake Forest. He played in two games over two years with the Demon Deacons. A former four-star recruit, Hall was a reserve defensive lineman for Liberty last year, recording nine tackles while playing in all 12 games. Like Jarvis, Hall also has a big opportunity to step into a larger role this season and is also part of the mix for significant playing time at defensive tackle.
55 Donovan Dozier R-SO 6’2″ 255
Dozier has spent his entire career to this point at Liberty. He played in 10 games last season as a reserve defensive end and also on special teams. He has a chance to push for playing time during camp.
56 Samuel Cohen FR 6’3″ 245
Cohen is a three-star recruit from Richmond, Virginia where he was ranked as a top 40 prospect in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He had 21 tackles for loss and 12 sacks during his senior season. Cohen has turned heads during camp and is expected to play some this season.
Depth
96 Gavin Askew FR 6’3″ 240
