The Round Table MVP: Defense

BamaOnLine.com recently polled the members of its premium message board - the Round Table - in an effort to identify the Alabama Crimson Tide's most valuable players for the 2007 football season. The Round Table has spoken, and today we'll spotlight the player it tabbed as the Tide's top player on defense.

Senior defensive end Wallace Gilberry won top honors as the Round Table MVP of the Tide defense after an impressive senior season in which he led the SEC in tackles-for-loss with 22. Gilberry finished second on the team with 72 total tackles and posted a team-best nine sacks.

Gilberry earned votes from 352 of the 827 Round Table members who voted, giving him just over 42 percent of the total vote. Gilberry was named a First-Team All-SEC selection by the SEC coaches following the season and was a semi-finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation's best defensive end.

Junior safety Rashad Johnson, who led the team in tackles with 81 this season, finished second in the voting with 246 votes (29.75 percent). Johnson was named a permanent captain of the 2007 team as a junior this season after undergoing an impressive transformation from former walk-on to one of the SEC's best defensive backs.

Senior linebacker Darren Mustin finished third with 129 votes giving him just over 15 percent of the vote. Another former walk-on turned starter, Mustin was a vocal and emotional leader for the Tide defense this year recording 65 tackles, one sack, one interception and six tackles for loss. Named permanent captain of the defense and earned the Outstanding Defensive Player Award from the team.

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