Unlike the Pac-12’s offensive player of the year candidates, there are no potential Heisman Trophy winners in the league’s list of top defenders. But that’s to be expected, right?

There are a handful of potential 1st-round picks, though, including a trio of the top-rated defensive linemen in the country.

Last year, despite an all-world season by USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu, Utah’s Clark Phillips III took home DPOY honors. Will another DB earn the prestige hardware this season? Or will one of the Big 3 bigs take win it?

Here’s a look at my top 10 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year candidates…

10) Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter

Without a doubt the most impactful transfer of the season, Hunter adds a drastic infusion of talent to both sides of the Buffaloes’ ball, but particularly on the defensive side. He was the No. 1 cornerback in the Class of 2002 — and the top-rated prospect overall — and his commitment to Jackson State was shocking enough. Coming to Colorado along with Coach Prime? Also a stunner.

Hunter was SWAC Freshman of the Year after finishing his freshman season with 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Coming to a conference that features 4 Heisman-contending quarterbacks, Hunter is going to see tremendous usage, but some of that usage may come on the offensive side. As a wide receiver, he had 18 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns, including 11 receptions for 135 yards and all 4 scores in the final 4 games of the season.

9) USC LB Mason Cobb

USC’s second consecutive high-profile inside linebacker transfer and the 2nd straight newcomer on this list, Cobb comes to USC after leading Oklahoma State with 96 total tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss, the 2nd-highest total in the Big 12. He was named to the all-conference second team last year after piling up some huge individual games, including a career-high 16 tackles against TCU, the most by a Cowboy since 2014.

Cobb joins a crowded Trojans linebacker corps that includes former Alabama transfer Shane Lee and former ASU transfer Eric Gentry, who both had good-but-not great seasons with USC last year.

8) Washington State DL Ron Stone Jr.

From two of the newest Pac-12 members to one of its most senior, Stone has been a valuable part of the Cougar defense for almost a half-decade. He first stepped foot on the Wazzu campus in 2018, and he has since blossomed into one of the most reliable, impactful and affable players in the conference. Last year, coming off All-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2021, Stone had 34 tackles with four tackles-for-loss and two sacks, tying for second in Pac-12 with 11 quarterback hits.

He needs more monster games like he had against Oregon State last year in Week 7, when he had 8 tackles and a sack, albeit in a 24-10 loss.

7) UCLA LB Darius Muasau

A second-team All-Pac-12 selection and third-team all-league pick by PFF, Muasau was an instant star after transferring from Hawai’i, where he earned a pair of All-Mountain West honors. Muasau led the Bruins in tackles (91, 10th in the Pac-12) with 3 games with 10-plus tackles, but he’ll need to rebound his big play numbers to have a shot at this award.

Muasau’s sacks and forced fumbles numbers dropped precipitously last year from 7 and 5 in his final year with the Warriors to 1 and 1 with the Bruins last year. Should he get back to those previous numbers, he’s got a shot.

6) Oregon State S Kitan Oladipo

After an impressive 2021 campaign as a redshirt sophomore — 12 starts, 69 tackles, 9 pass breakups, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack — Oladipo was a surprising slight by Pac-12 coaches in 2022 after a terrific junior season. Oladipo earned an honorable mention selection from the Pac-12 yet also earned Associated Press and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 First Team honors after 80 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries and 6 pass breakups. A 2-time conference player of the week, Oladipo had 15 tackles against Fresno State and set a career-high with 17 tackles in the win over Oregon.

5) Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus

Dorlus has put together two very productive seasons in a row, following up an all-conference 1st-team selection with a 2nd-team nod. He was actually more productive last year, but the leap taken by others like USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu relegated him to the 2nd team. He had a career-high 39 tackles, led Oregon with a career-high 9.5 tackles for loss and matched his career-high with 2.5 sacks and was one of three players in the conference to be named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week multiple times in 2022.

He was also a PFF darling in 2021, ranking 23rd nationally with an 82.3 pass-rushing grade after 42 total pressures, 33 quarterback hurries and six QB hits.

4) Utah LB Karene Reid

Reid is ready to assume the mantle as Utah’s next great linebacker. A returning 1st-team all-conference pick by the Associated Press and 2nd team by coaches, Reid had 72 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. And it feels like he’s just scratching the surface.

He was a 3-star out of high school in nearby Timpview, originally committed to Utah State after high school. But he returned from a 2-year LDS mission and decided to switch to Utah, arriving in Salt Lake City with a bit more life experience and maturity under his belt. He started with Utah in 2021, totaling 44 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and an interception.

3) UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu

Latu thought his career as over after suffering a neck injury in the fall before his sophomore year in 2020, but he never stopped believing he’d get another chance. After former Washington coach Jimmy Lake announced Latu’s retirement from football in 2021, Latu transferred to UCLA and was cleared to continue his college career. Latu returned the Bruins’ faith last year in an all-conference season.

With 12.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, Latu was one of the most dominant defensive forces in the conference. He was never better than against Colorado, when he had a season-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks at Colorado, an effort for which he was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.

2) USC safety Calen Bullock

On a Trojans defense that was as flaky as it was flighty, Bullock soared the highest. He ranked 5th nationally with 5 interceptions, totaled 48 tackles and had 5 more pass breakups. Like Dorlus, Bullock was PFF hero, named to their First Team All-America team, a year after earning PFF True Freshman All-American first team honors.

In 2023, Bullock will be tasked with codifying a unit that allowed far too many big plays last season. The only reason Bullock is not in my in the top spot is USC’s work-in-progress team defense. If the Trojans take a big step forward under Alex Grinch this year, Bullock could benefit greatly.

1) Washington D Bralen Trice

In just 2 seasons, Trice has made a massive impact on the Huskies’ defense. But after big sophomore season, the sky is the limit.

Trice had a pair of sacks as a freshman in 2021 but finished with 9 — 3rd in the conference — after a memorable Alamo Bowl performance against Texas. Trice had 6 tackles, including 2 sacks, in the 27-20 in, ending his season on a high note. For the year, he was a consistent force, registering sacks in 7 different games.

He opens this season as a member of Athlon and Walter Camp Foundation’s Preseason All-America first team and as a likely 1st-round pick.