Projecting Every Conference’s Best Linebackers for the 2023 CFB Season

Linebackers do the dirty, inglorious work. They generally don’t command much attention as their edge-rushing teammates or create takeaways like cornerbacks or safeties.

Stability, however, can be the product of a rock-solid middle.

Looking around the Football Bowl Subdivision, there will be many strong linebacker corps in 2023. While last season’s national runner-up TCU stands out in the Big 12, for example, the Big Ten and SEC each have a few excellent contenders for the “best of the conference” label.

The choices are subjective but based on returning production, incoming transfers and overall depth.

While edge-rusher Trey Moore is a star pass-rusher, UTSA can lean on Jamal Ligon in the middle of the defense.

Ligon gathered a team-best 88 tackles last season and is entering his fourth year as a starter. He posted 72 stops as a freshman in 2020 and added 63 in 2021, totaling 14.5 for loss along the way.

Trevor Harmanson’s exit clears a path for Avery Morris, who produced 31 tackles in a reserve spot. Donyai Taylor and Martavius French are also poised for more playing time after tallying 29 and 22 stops last year.

UTSA can solidify the position if, for example, previous LSU transfer Pig Cage locks in a hybrid role.

In the wake of departures from Trenton Simpson (NFL), Keith Maguire (personal) and LeVonta Bentley (transfer), Clemson needs to restock the rotation at linebacker.

Good thing the starters probably won’t leave the field much.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. amassed a team-high 89 tackles with 13.5 for loss in 2022, while Barrett Carter notched 73 and 10.5, respectively. They combined for 12 sacks and four interceptions, as well.

Simpson’s replacement will be Wade Woodaz, who logged 20 tackles and 5.5 TFLs in limited time as a true freshman.

Kobe McCloud, TJ Dudley and Jamal Anderson are among the players with an opportunity to earn rotational snaps.

Is there a wrong choice between Michigan and Penn State? Both units have tremendous potential in 2023—and even Ohio State and Wisconsin aren’t far behind, either.

Flip a coin: Penn State.

In seriousness, the Nittany Lions have a mountain of depth. Abdul Carter, Curtis Jacobs, Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King each registered 40-plus tackles and combined for 25.5 stops for loss in 2022. For good measure, former walk-on Dominic DeLuca notched 29 takedowns.

The reliability of this group is a key reason the Nittany Lions ranked fifth nationally in yards allowed per play.

Michigan certainly won’t complain about the trio of Junior Colson, Michael Barrett and Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann, either.

Dee Winters stole the show in the Fiesta Bowl triumph over Michigan, and his contributions will be missed. But he was simply one part of a terrific unit.

Johnny Hodges gathered a TCU-best 87 stops, and Jamoi Hodge followed close behind at 82. Both of them also recorded 50-tackle years in 2021, so the Horned Frogs have a seasoned 1-2 punch in the middle.

Namdi Obiazor, who totaled 49 stops in 2022, is the early candidate in line to replace Winters.

Shadrach Banks chipped in 39 tackles last year, and true freshman Jonathan Bax is a name worth remembering. He emerged as a standout newcomer in spring practice.

As the program begins its transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the defense is a bright spot—and in particular, obviously, at linebacker.

Kavian Gaither propelled the unit in 2022, producing team-high totals of 79 tackles and 12 stops for loss.

Another bright spot is the return of veteran Trevor Williams. He led the Bearkats with 78 tackles during the 2021 campaign and managed 32 takedowns in just four appearances prior to an injury last year.

In his place, Jaylen Phillips logged significant snaps and tallied 36 stops. Phillips and Trey Fields, a rotational piece for the last two seasons, give Sam Houston plenty of experience.

Although the team finished 5-7 last season, Ball State quietly had a sturdy defense. Toledo, the MAC champion, is the only squad that surrendered fewer yards per snap.

And the Cardinals will stay strong in the middle.

Second-team All-MAC selection Clayton Coll posted 110 tackles, while Cole Pearce provided 85 more. They combined to record 21 stops for loss and strengthened a pass rush otherwise led by Sidney Houston Jr., who added 67 tackles and seven takedowns in the backfield.

Ball State will only succeed as much as the offense allows, but Coll and Pearce headline a stout linebacking corps.

Really, about a handful of teams are legitimate options here.

Air Force and San Diego State are rebuilding but have experienced backups moving into the lineup. Fresno State and Wyoming each return a couple of key players and could be quite strong at the position.

Boise State, however, has second-team All-Mountain West linebacker DJ Schramm coming back to lead the group. He racked up 107 tackles with 11.5 sacks last year.

Andrew Simpson, who notched 29 stops, should be headed for a larger role alongside Ty Tanner and Dishawn Misa.

Identifying the right complement for Schramm is imperative, but Boise State has a long history of productive linebackers.

Here’s a familiar question: Utah or USC?

Both defenses return a top tackler from 2022 and welcome an impact transfer to the group in 2023. But the Utes appear to have an advantage in the depth department.

Karene Reid earned second-team All-Pac-12 status after registering 72 tackles last season. Levani Damuni ended with an honorable-mention nod thanks to his Stanford-best 76 stops. Damuni will arrive as a transfer over the summer and should be a key contributor.

Lander Barton contributed 46 tackles as a freshman and figures to reprise his starting role.

Spring breakout player Justin Medlock and Sione Fotu—who held a first-string role in 2020 before serving his LDS mission and is back in 2023—round out a promising unit.

Georgia has a very compelling argument, and I wouldn’t even disagree if you prefer the Dawgs. Smael Mondon Jr. and Jamon Dumas-Johnson led UGA in tackles last season, and both of them are back.

LSU, though, demands a place in the conversation.

Harold Perkins Jr. is a budding superstar who amassed 73 tackles with 14 for loss as a true freshman. Greg Penn III notched 77 stops, and West Weeks gathered 28 more in his first season with the program.

Plus, the Tigers nabbed Omar Speights, a first-team All-Pac-12 choice at Oregon State last year, out of the transfer portal.

As the program tries to win a second straight SEC West crown, LSU is absolutely stacked in the middle of the defense.

Honesty time: I would love to pick Old Dominion and create a painless excuse to talk about Jason Henderson.

Last season, he paced the country with an absurd 186 tackles. He posted 17-plus stops in seven of his 11 healthy appearances—which, again, is ridiculous. But a simple individual mention is more acceptable because Georgia State deserves the spot.

Jordan Veneziale racked up a team-leading 98 tackles in 2022, and two-time All-Sun Belt honoree Blake Carroll is set to return from an injury that limited him to three games last year.

Jontrey Hunter, a bit of a hybrid defender, had 55 stops with Justin Abraham and Shamar McCollum at 46 and 45, respectively. As if that’s not enough, Jordan Jones added 38 more.

Georgia State’s depth is remarkable, especially when you remember Jamil Muhammad transferred to USC.