The term GOAT is thrown around far too easily and glibly these days. There is no denying this term for Chattanooga Mocs senior defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell. He’s the best to do it and was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for November.
Maxwell is the school and league all-time sack leader with 37.5. He also did it from an interior line position instead of the traditional route of sack masters coming around the edge. Maxwell also accomplished the record in two fewer games played than Tull played over the course of his career.
"The biggest thing is he continued to grow from the time we got here until his last snap," Coach Rusty Wright explained.
“I think he became a much better practice player which allowed him to be a much better player during the course of games. When you have a guy who is as talented as he is and had the opportunity to play the number of snaps he did, and to, you know, see how fast he did it compared to everybody else.
"He did it playing an inside interior defensive line position, compared to defensive end just makes what he accomplished that much more special."
He completed the etching of his name atop the record book with a crushing blow that forced a fumble at Western Carolina. Maxwell registered 17 tackles for the month with 4.5 tackles for loss including the 3.5 sacks.
Those final sacks not only set a new SoCon standard, but it elevated him to a tie for first place in the league with 8.0 matching teammate and Buck Buchanan finalist Jay Person. It’s the third time in his career leading the league in sacks – 2019 (7.0), 2021 (12.0) & 2022 (8.0).
Maxwell’s 37.5 career QB downings beat the record by 0.5. The former record holder is also a Mocs standout, Davis Tull. Tull terrorized the league from 2011-14 with 60.0 TFLs including 37.0 sacks. He finished 4.5 TFLs ahead of Maxwell’s 55.5.