PFF ranks Top 10 returning linebackers in college football
There’s no shortage of great linebackers in college football at the moment, with a number of the top players from 2022 back on campus in 2023. And PFF recently shared its list of the Top 10 returning linebackers in the sport.
There are some obvious names atop the list but a couple schools are conspicuously absent, such as Alabama and Michigan. The Crimson Tide have been an off-ball linebacker factory but don’t currently have a big-time returner at the spot. And the Wolverines returns basically the entire linebacking corps from a playoff defense — albeit that position was the weak spot in the 2022 defense.
See how PFF’s full Top 10 returning linebackers in college football shook out.
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
- Harold Perkins, LSU
- Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
- Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia
- Barrett Carter, Clemson
- Cedric Gray, North Carolina
- Jaylan Ford, Texas
- Abdul Carter, Penn State
- Maeta Njongmeta, Wisconsin
- Ty’ron Hopper, Missouri
Clemson gets to claim the best linebacking corps in college football heading into the season with two players on the Top 5 of this list. Trotter Jr. is the son of a long time NFL player and has excelled at Clemson through two seasons. Carter, in the same class as Trotter, hasn’t had quite as big a splash on the field but his head coach, Dabo Swinney said that he is “one of the best pure football players I’ve had in 20 years.”
Perkins could’ve landed atop this PFF list with little complaint, as the sophomore will once again look to wreak havoc on SEC offenses. With a performance that almost single-handedly defeated Arkansas — three sacks, two forced fumbles — he showed his best traits might be as a pass rusher.
Eichenberg finished fifth in the nation with 77 solo tackles in 2022. The Buckeyes linebacker was as consistent a force as they come against the run and he made big strides as a pass defender last season. Along with an interception and three passes defensed, Eichenberg had 12 tackles for loss. He’ll anchor Ohio State’s defense in Year 2 under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
It was only a matter of time before Dumas-Johnson got his chance to be one of the top linebackers in the sport — he mostly needed some talented teammates to graduate or head to the NFL. He played a rotational role as a freshman and stepped to play all 15 games on the Georgia defense in 2022. He had 70 total tackles — including nine for a loss — and three passes defensed to go with a forced fumble. He’ll be one of the older, more experienced players on the Bulldogs defense as they chase a threepeat.
Gray is one of the few returning players in college football who had more solo tackles than Eichenberg. The UNC linebacker tallied 82 in 2022, second in the country, but the Tar Heels defensive struggles were too comprehensive for elite linebacker play to overcome. With Gray returning, North Carolina is hopeful to build a better defense in 2023.
Ford was simply a turnover machine for Texas in 2022. He had four interceptions, three forced fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles, to boot. The linebacker also had 119 total tackles, including 10 for a loss. It’s hard to ask much more out of a linebacker than making tackles and forcing turnovers and Ford delivered both in spades in 2022. Overcoming turnover regression in 2023 will be difficult.
Carter came to Penn State and earned the coveted No. 11 — worn by any number of Penn State legends — as a true freshman. He backed it up with a strong rookie campaign. Carter played in all 13 games for Penn State and made a big splash when he got to get after the passer as a blitzer. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, plus a pair of forced fumbles. He’ll feature as part of a fearsome front seven for the Nittany Lions.
Wisconsin having a top-shelf linebacker is not a surprise and after a slow start to his college career, Njongmeta is the next in line according to PFF. He played in just seven games his first two seasons before bursting on the scene in 2022. He had 12.5 tackles for loss and an interception to go with 95 total tackles. Wisconsin should have a stout defense, as usual, in the first season under Luke Fickell and Njongmeta will be key to that.
Hopper, who began his career at Florida before transferring to Missouri, saw a notable uptick in his production playing for the Tigers. The linebacker set a career high with 13.5 tackles for loss on the season and had his first interception to go with a career high in passes defensed: four. Missouri might not be contending for the SEC East, but a feisty defense should have them in bowl contention once again.