2023 Linebacker Unit Rankings: Do the Clemson Tigers have the best duo in the country?
With spring practice in the books and the second transfer portal window closing, it’s the perfect time to evaluate some pre-summer 2023 positional unit rankings.
We kickstarted the series on offense, opening with quarterbacks, examining the Top 10 QB rooms in the country in the fall. We’ve also looked at the 2023 running back unit rankings, as well as the 2023 top receiver depth charts and 2023 tight end rooms.
We rounded out the offensive unit rankings looking at the best 10 OL units.
This week, we looked at the other side of the football, examining the top 10 defensive line/edge units in college football.
Today, we release the top 10 off-ball linebacker units in college football.
1. Clemson
Despite losing Trenton Simpson to the NFL, the Tigers return arguably the best inside linebacker duo in the country in Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter.
Both have All-American potential, with Trotter the better pass rusher (6.5 sacks) and Carter the more complementary coverage ‘backer (10 PBUs + two interceptions).
Other LB units have better depth than Clemson, who hope to see redshirt freshmen like Kobe McCloud and T.J. Dudley make a leap in 2023.
2. Georgia
Much like the defensive line/edge unit, the Bulldogs are loaded at inside linebacker — so much so that veteran Trezman Marshall transferred to star at Alabama this spring.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson was an All-American in 2022, while former 5-star recruit Smael Mondon had a strong first season as a full-time starter.
During the spring, another former 5-star signee Xavier Sorey became a factor in the rotation after mostly riding the bench the first few seasons in Athens.
Georgia might also move Jalon Walker, who was a pass rush specialist at JACK as a freshman in 2022, inside and it signed 5-star freshman Raylen Wilson and Top 75 prospect CJ Allen in the 2023 — both of whom were on campus during the spring and elicited all sorts of buzz.
3. Penn State
The Nittany Lions have one of the most exciting inside linebackers in America in Abdul Carter, a 6-3, 235-pound missile who reminded some PSU fans of former star Micah Parsons in 2022.
As a freshman, Carter, who plays WILL and some MIKE, ranked No. 2 on the team in sacks (6.5) and TFLs (10.5) and added a bunch of other impact plays with QB hurries, forced fumbles and PBUs. He’s flanked alongside Curtis Jacobs, third on the team with 52 stops, and Kobe King, who had 41 tackles as a freshman.
Penn State isn’t lacking a nice mixture of veteran and youthful depth either, with Top 100 freshman Tony Rojas looking to crack the rotation.
4. Michigan
With Michael Barrett and Junior Colson, plus the addition of Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann, the Wolverines have three linebackers with All-Big Ten potential.
Colson was a second-team conference performer in 2022, leading Michigan with 101 tackles and chipping in six TFLs. Barrett earned 3rd-Team honors with 72 stops and five TFLs.
Hausmann was a coveted addition via the portal after recording more than 50 tackles as a freshman for the Cornhuskers. He was among the stars of the Maize & Blue Game and will have a real role in 2023 even if he doesn’t start.
5. LSU
Depending on where the Tigers ultimately end up playing sophomore standout Harold Perkins Jr., they arguably could rank even higher on any LB unit list. For these purposes, I slotted Perkins at edge in the DL/edge rankings. He lined up at multiple spots in the spring, so we’ll see.
LSU has the luxury of playing Perkins everywhere because of its depth elsewhere inside. It returns junior Greg Penn and sophomore West Weeks, while also adding All-Pac 12 first-team linebacker Omar Speights from Oregon State.
Expect DC Matt House to get creative and find ways to play Perkins Jr., Speights, Penn and Texas edge transfer Ovie Oghoufo all on the field together at times.
6. North Carolina
The Tar Heels bring back two of the most productive linebackers in the country in 2023, with upperclassmen Cedric Gray and Power Echols both manning the middle of UNC’s defense for the second-straight year.
With 146 tackles, Gray led all Power 5 players — linebacker or otherwise — in stops, adding 12 TFLs and a couple of picks, too. The former 3-star recruit earned first-team All-ACC honors. Echols was a tackling machine in his own right, racking up 102 stops.
There’s some uncertainty with depth behind the two starters, with North Carolina hoping at least one of Michael Short, Amare Campell or Deuce Caldwell becomes a reliable rotational option.
7. Ohio State
Tommy Eichenberg had the fourth-most tackles (120) of any linebacker in the Power 5 in 2022, and the senior returns as one of the better interior players in the country. For the second-straight season he’ll be paired with Steele Chambers, who was OSU’s second-leading stopper and is a better coverage ‘backer (two picks, multiple other PBUs).
The Buckeyes also have Cody Simon as a swing option who can play both the MIKE and WILL, while C.J. Hicks is another quality rotational player who got lots of snaps during the spring with Chambers out with an injury.
8. Wisconsin
Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner are veteran stalwarts for the Badgers, with Njongmeta a menacing pass rusher and run defender. The junior had 95 tackles, 11.5 TFLs and another half dozen hurries in 2022. Turner was a nice second banana, doing a little bit of everything for Wisconsin as a sophomore (70 tackles, one pick, couple of sacks, five TFLs).
Wisconsin also has decent depth inside with Jake Chaney, who has played some in three-linebacker sets and senior Tatum Grass, who started multiple games last season.
9. TCU
Although Dee Winters is gone to the NFL, TCU DC Joe Gillespie still has two very reliable starting linebackers to slot into his 3-3-5 stack defense in 2023.
Johnny Hodges and Jamoi Hodge form one of the best (if not the top) LB duo in the Big 12 in the fall. Hodges led the Horned Frogs in tackles with 87, while Hodge was third on the team with 82 stops and had 4.5 sacks, too.
Finding supplementary pieces to surround the two standouts remains an offseason focus, but there’s optimism that a guy like Shadrach Banks is ready to make the leap as a full-time starter. The former Texas A&M wideout signee converted to linebacker when he transferred to TCU in 2021, and last season, he ended up starting the Big 12 Championship Game against Kansas State where he recorded a career-high 10 tackles with two TFLs.
10. Notre Dame
The Irish return their top three tacklers from a year ago in JD Bertrand, Marist Liaufau and Jack Kiser. Bertrand was a team captain and the best of the bunch, recording 82 stops with a couple of sacks and 8.5 TFLs.
What makes ND’s group interesting though are the young pups already pushing the vets for playing time.
Athletic sophomores Jaylen Sneed and Nolan Ziegler figure to fit somewhere in the rotation, while the freshmen signees Jaiden Ausberry, Drayk Bowen and Preston Zinter — were on campus during the spring and emerged as potential factors on the depth chart.
Honorable Mention: Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi State, Oklahoma