Jowon

Briggs

Briggs (6’1/313) began his college career at Virginia but transferred to Cincinnati in 2021. A solid athlete who earned a 7.26 RAS and put up 39 reps on the bench press at his pro day, Briggs was also ranked 78th on Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freaks List for the 2023 season. With 21.5 career TFLs and 12 career sacks to his name, Briggs makes for an interesting player along the interior. He totaled 60 tackles in 2022 on his way to First-Team All-AAC honors. He won’t be competing for a starting spot anytime soon, but could serve as added depth on a 53-man roster out of camp.

This is big news for the Cavaliers, as Briggs (6'1/310) started each of Virginia’s seven games. The sophomore defensive tackle accounted for 20 total tackles (4.0 for loss) and 3.0 quarterback sacks. With Briggs no longer in the Cavaliers’ plans, freshman Jahmeer Carter will likely ascend into the vacant starting spot.

“He’s also a walking contradiction, throwing around 300-pound-plus offensive linemen one day, singing in his school choir the next,” Helmholdt writes of Briggs, whom he refers to as a “true renaissance man.” The 6-foot-2, 275-pounder showed off the terrifying physical side of the equation at the Rivals 3 Stripe camp in Columbus over the weekend, winning the position group MVP for his fine work. Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan State and Alabama are among those pining for Briggs’ pledge. Rivals ranks him as the No. 107 overall prospect in the 2019 class.

Briggs (6'2/275) is fresh off busting up the Rivals 3 Stripe regional in Columbus, earning position MVP honors along the way. Helmholdt earlier referred to the defensive tackle as a “real-life Incredible Hulk.” Beyond his pure physical abilities, he’s a different cat. Briggs did not follow or watch college football growing up -- it just didn’t interest him -- and he’s not even planning on truly focusing on his recruitment until the fall. This path-less-traveled approach might sour some programs, something that may well end up boosting a smaller school (such as Cincinnati) in the process.

It’s a bit of an upset, as many projected Briggs (6'2/290) to end up at his hometown school of Cincinnati, or perhaps to end up at Notre Dame at Ohio State. Instead, he makes his early pledge to the Cavaliers, and it’s a big get for the Hoos. He ranks fifth among defensive tackles on 247 Sports composite rankings, and 59th overall among all positions in the class. He could be a candidate to play early for Virginia when he enrolls in 2019.