Watching for Jermaine Johnson (Florida State EDGE 11) but this rep from Amari Gainer (LB 33) caught my eye to start the game vs Clemson. Ford was an honorable mention All-American for PFF this season and a turnover machine for the Longhorns. Texas is ranked behind Alabama and Georgia for the best recruiting class in the 247Sports rankings. 214. among ACC linebackers. after a disappointing first season in Baton Rouge. Justin Flowe has as much talent as any linebacker in college football, but he hasnt had any semblance of a break with injuries. Wilson piled up a league-best 133 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. With two linebackers cracking the top five of this list, Clemson easily has the best linebacking corps in the country heading into next season. WebForty Time Secs 4.52 Player Summary Being the leader of the best defense in college football is enabling Nakobe Dean, to build a case for himself to be the first linebacker off #2 RANKED - SCOUTING REPORT 0 Devin Lloyd POSITION RANK #2 OUR RATING 89.9 OLB All Scouts Average Overall Rank 18.2 All Scouts Average Position Rank 1 Height Feet 6-3 * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports. Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane linebacker Justin Wright (30) runs back an interception for a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Note: This ranking only includes off-ball linebackers. Hell wear No. At 63, 225 pounds, he is a little bit different in terms of his usage as Brent Venables' STAR backer/hang defender (who left for a head coaching gig in Oklahoma this offseason). Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. But Texas Demarvion Overshown is incredible as a run-and-chase player. 3, and ahead of Penn States Curtis Jacobs at No. MAC: Bowling Green (D.J. Needs to continue to develop upper body strength to handle physical nature of college game in the box. Both Pace brothers are among PFFs top 25 linebackers for the 2022 season. Tone-setter for an FBS-loaded Texas 5A D-I state championship defense as a sophomore and perennially highly-ranked program over final two high school seasons. Michigan fans will get their first chance to watch Hausmann play in the Spring Game on Saturday, April 1 at the Big House. #COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/C6k1UTiS0y, Justin Wright (@JustinWright_30) December 7, 2022. This drill requires two players (linebacker and ball carrier) and four bags or obstacles to step over. Uses length well when breaking down. Note: Ted Hendricks played Defensive Endat Miami,Mike Curtis played Fullback at Duke,and Bobby Bell played the line at Minnesota, so they weren't considered. PFFs lead college analyst Anthony Treash. After going over our top 25 players in the transfer portal as well as our All-Transfer Portal team, here are the five best linebackers searching for new homes. The redshirt senior was especially stingy in coverage, picking off two passes and breaking up a couple more. Lorenzo Carter could be a high-upside add on a one-year, prove-it deal at 27 years old. Finished junior campaign with 150 tackles, five INTs, four sacks, and three defensive TDs. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Durable and reliable. Also posted a 45-6 shot put PR during junior track and field season and played heavy minutes for his basketball team in Winter 2021-22. All hes done since then is earn a 94.9 career grade, best among FBS linebackers over the past five years. Georgia signed three of the top five linebackers in the class, including four-star recruit Raylen Wilson. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. , but what about the best position groups? Headlining Oregons unit is Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell, the top two linebacker recruits in the 2020 class. If Ulofoshio was fully healthy, Washington would be higher on this list. One of my Top-???? On the spring roster, Hausmann is listed at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds. A downhill inside runner that plays in a triple option offense, Perkins has the ability to project to both a power or zone scheme at the next level. For clarification, these lists are based on where these young men are today as college football players. 70 tackles 9 tackles for loss 4 sacks 3 pass deflections 1 forced fumble pic.twitter.com/loJc8IMAVJ, GaBulldogsFB (@GABulldogsFB) January 19, 2023. Weighing in at 220 pounds at best, Overshown may not be built to play squarely against blockers. Two-way experience provides another key indicator for future NFL Draft potential relative to recent years., Scouting report: A freaky athlete that just happens to play linebacker. Productive two-way play who plays on edge of 3-4 defense. Around the 6-foot-1, 210- to 215-pound range entering senior season with build that should support 230-pound neighborhood if desired. Has athleticism and speed to drop into coverage in flat or take running back one-on-one. At 64 and 265 pounds, Williams is an absolute unit. Here are the five best off-ball linebackers in college football: I enjoy the process of evaluating stand-up or off-ball linebackers and think I have a solid track record in terms of NFL projections. The senior got home with five sacks on only 43 pass-rushing snaps. If he can stay healthy and live up to it, Oregon could easily top this list. Has some stack-and-shed ability but needs to continue to develop it. Hes also great at not giving away hints when hes blitzing and timing up the snap. Jaiden Ausberry University Lab (Baton Rouge, LA) , whose 85.7 coverage grade since 2020 is the highest among returning Power Five linebackers. He is really sudden in his movements when the ball gets to the edge and he quickly flashes against screen passes. Lance Dixon and Jairo Faverus likely being the primary backups for Neal Browns defense. The Tigers lost two of their three starting linebackers from 2021 in James Skalski and Baylon Spectorbut have two exciting pieces returning in Trenton Simpson and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Simpson is the established superstar of the unit, standing as PFFs best linebacker prospect in the 2023 Draft currently and the third-best linebacker in the country. Multi-sport athlete who excels on the baseball diamond also. You want height (61-63) and weight for an Inside Linebacker (ILB) to be around 220-245; to take on guards and h-backs. He may not be super rangy in coverage. The junior made first contact on a ball carrier 122 times this season, which was 15 more than the next-closest defender in college football. Senior season displayed improved in-space competency as a big-bodied traditional off-ball 'backer who could likely stay there in the long term. Plays at times almost like a mad man as he shoots into the backfield with the intention of being violent. Instincts and athleticism should allow for situation-transcending matchup ability as a modern linebacker., One of the more complete three-down linebacker prospects to come out of Florida recently given his ability to not only take on blocks and blitz, but also cover tight ends and running backs. 16. Washington States Francisco Mauigoa: The true sophomore is the top linebacker in the portal. Put this clip on repeat.pic.twitter.com/9lVlRwAxMo, Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 22, 2022. 15, the same number he wore at Nebraska. Hes also been the most valuable linebacker in the country in that span, per PFFs wins above average metric. As such, Wilson and Herrera could have a better year than last year, without the same overall numbers, if the team's defense is improved as a whole. Thats because his younger brother, Francis, is currently committed to the Hurricanes as a top-five recruit and the No. So, when it was announced that Carter, a true freshman, would also wear that number, it raised some eyebrows. PFFs lead college analyst Anthony Treash already went over the best players at every position, but what about the best position groups? Moses was supposed to head the Alabama defense in 2019 after a lot departures in the front-seven, but with him missing the entire season, that entire unit suffered and did not live up to their usual standards. In his first year as a starter, he missed just three percent of his tackles and in 2019 he led the Bulldogs with 89 total tackles. Defensive leader for state title-winning team as junior. With more than 1,300 college football players in the transfer portal, it can be difficult to parse through all the talent. Instinctual and plays at high rate of speed. Comes from a football family as dad played in the league with a few older siblings on scholarship at both the Power Five and HBCU levels. UCLA: Myles Jack and Eric Kendricks. Highly productive considering full-time two-way snaps. Subscribe to 247Sports YouTube for the latest college football, basketball and recruiting news including live college commitments. Gained 1,500-plus receiving yards over sophomore and junior seasons. Shows quick hands to keep offensive linemen from getting inside. Featured primarily as a stand-up edge player early on in his prep career, which in turn taught him how to win with a chop or a simple dip of the shoulder. One of his best games of the season was at the Big House, as in a loss to Wolverines, Hausmann had 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Tuakoi has sky-rocketed up the recruiting rankings going from an unranked prospect to a 4-star recruit on Rivals and the college offers have flooded in accordingly. . The Ohio State football team has eight linebackers on scholarship, but just two arrived on campus with bonafide inside linebacker designated rankings on Multi-year starter with possible early-impact ability for Top 20 program. Pursues and closes to the football with effort and has explosivenes off the ball and as he closes to his target. Top 15 Best Linebackers in College Football 1. Ivan Pace Jr. transfers in from Miami (Ohio) and is arguably the best linebacker in the country on passing downs. Uses length well when breaking down. Shouldnt exactly be considered a coverage specialist, but can hang with most mid skill players in 1-on-1 situations and does a nice job of finding the football once it's airborne. Picking up the slack is Pittsburgh transferCam Bright, whose 78.5 grade since 2019 ranks fifth among ACC linebackers. By: CollegeFootballNews.com, College Basketball Predictions. Wrights 79.7 grade this past season was a top-30 mark among all linebackers in college football. Just missed the cut: Cameron McGrone (Michigan), Nick Bolton (Missouri), Jabril Cox (LSU), Chazz Surratt (North Carolina) & Nate Landman (Colorado). We have not seen him asked to drop back and cover as much so that is a part of his game that needs to be furthered evaluated although he looks like a good enough athlete to do that., (Photo: @USC_FB, IG: tackett_curtis4, 247Sports), Nichelson is among the most athletic linebackers in the region. Georgia Daniel Jeremiah provides his initial scouting report on the Crimson Tide quarterback after studying his game tape. Hicks was the crown jewel of the Buckeyes top-five recruiting class from the 2022 cycle, but his role as a freshman was limited to special Not one, not two, but three Iowa linebackers made PFFs top 25 list, the only school in the country to accomplish such a feat. Aint No Discussion, You Know Im THE Real Deal. Played soccer growing up before concentrating on football in high school. He had three interceptions last season and returned two for touchdowns. Owns a rocked-up build at 6-foot, 205 pounds. Max Bullough, Michigan State 3. One of the biggest risers from this 2020 season has been this 64, 260 pound-listed linebacker that is the heart of a Hurricanes 21st-ranked scoring defense. Since 2019, the former walk-on has earned 80.0-plus coverage, run-defense and pass-rush grades, the only returning Power Five linebacker to accomplish that feat. Web8. Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Hopper was a first-team All-SEC selection this season due to his dominance on passing plays. Has been nothing but productive under the lights on Friday nights racking up 139 tackles and five sacks as a junior. The transfer linebacker has three years of eligibility remaining and will compete with some talented players like Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, Nikhai Hill-Green and Jimmy Rolder for playing time next season. One of the lone bright spots for the Orange in 2022, the Syracuse linebacking corps features. Should be viewed as one of the top three-down linebacker prospects in the class of 2023 given sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability and overall physical demeanor. Has been nothing but productive under the lights on Friday nights racking up 139 tackles and five sacks as a junior. pic.twitter.com/b5jXmoItKO, Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 5, 2022. Thats because his younger brother, Francis, is currently committed to the Hurricanes as a top-five recruit and the No. While at Clemson in 2020, he earned a 90.2 coverage grade, which was first among Power Five linebackers. Last time an SEC linebacker duo was selected in the same draft:LSU, Florida and Georgia all had multiple linebackers chosen in the 2013 draft. His pass-rush win rate of 31.2% last season was pretty staggering. Stroud after his sensational first season as the Buckeyes' starter. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. The true freshman is second on this list after a dominant season as a pass-rusher. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Athletic enough to compensate for occasional less-than-ideal angles. The Longhorns had Keenan Robinson drafted in the fourth round by Washington and Emmanuel Acho picked in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns. Theres one man to credit for Troy cracking this list, and thats sixth-year senior, He joined Troy as an undersized walk-on in 2017 at just 5-foot-9, 210 pounds. Featured primarily as a stand-up edge player early on in his prep career, which in turn taught him how to win with a chop or a simple dip of the shoulder. @WSUCougarFB Travion Brown #GoCougs | #CougarSportsAwards pic.twitter.com/ciEARYpBjb, Washington State Athletics (@WSUCougars) May 1, 2020. Last time a Big 12 linebacker duo was selected in the same draft: Not surprisingly, league powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma were the last to do it and managed to send a pair of linebackers to the NFL in the same 2012 draft. Best suited to play inside linebacker but possesses some traits to play outside. Here are the top five linebackers in college football, a group of future NFL Draft prospects. Plays with energy and effort, and is a competitor. 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