Top 70 MAC Football Players: #46 Joe Ostman (DE-Central Michigan)

St. Ignace's very own Joe Ostman was a relatively unknown commodity when he was announced as a starter at defensive end before the game vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga. By the end of the season, teams were game-planning around him and Ostman was rewarded with a spot on the All-MAC third team.

Ostman's aggression and confrontational style gave some toughness to a CMU rush defense that was one of the best in the nation last season, ranking 24th in rushing S&P. He is perhaps most famous for getting into Syracuse QB Terrel Hunt's facemask after a play where Ostman nearly brought Hunt down.

This season, Joe Ostman looks to be a force to be reckoned with.  Under Coach Tumpkin's "damn the torpedoes" defense last season, Ostman was credited with 60 tackles (third on the team,) 33 solos, and three sacks. Ostman was also one of the most consistent defensive linemen in the conference, ranking third in the MAC with tackles per game at 4.3 TPG, and ranking 11th in tackles for loss with 10. Ostman forced three fumbles in the season, including a key fumble in the Bahamas Bowl that sparked CMU's literally-insane comeback, recovering one vs. rival Western Michigan. Overall, Ostman accounted for 7.3% of CMU's tackles, which is a pretty good number considering that Leterrius Walton, a 6th round pick for Pittsburgh, had 4.1% of the tackles last year (as well as 26 tackles and 2 sacks.)

There is an extremely small sample size with the true junior, but his growth from being the only true freshman to play in 2012 to now has been exponential, and under Coach Colby's 4-3 defense, Ostman should have the ability to help lead a young defensive seven, where the linebackers will be in flux. The best part about Ostman for Central Michigan fans is that he only has room to grow, and that prospect is definitely is going to be scary for opponents going forward.