College Football Recruiting 2013: Ranking the Top 10 Linebackers

1 of 12

We arrive at the linebackers for our look today at the top 10 positional rankings for 2013 recruiting. The LB crop is still being looked at, but it's checking out that we have several top-tier, elite-level backers.

Whether you need a sideline-to-sideline chase guy, a middle MIKE to line everyone up, a stand-up 3-4 OLB or a run-stuffing ILB, this crop has it. Let's take a look see who the top 10 are.

Here are the top 10 LBers for 2013 right now.

10. Ben Gedeon

Gedeon plays with a relentless motor and goes hard each play. He's 6'2" and weighs over 200 pounds.

Gedeon can play inside or out, as he shows great toughness, play speed, strength and range.

Early offers include: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia and Michigan State.

9. Jaylon Smith

Smith is 6'3", 225 pounds and is from Indiana. He's a prime prospect around the Midwest and is a top-tier LBer. He's big, thickly cut, instinctive and athletic.

Notre Dame, Michigan, Oho State, Tennessee and Michigan State have offered among others.

8. E.J. Levenberry

Levenberry lit up Virginia competition as a sophomore when he notched 125 tackles—which got him on the map. He stands 6'3", 220 pounds and has a strong build which helps him bring ball-carriers down.

Leveberry can jam TEs at the line, anchor and read run to shed and make the stop. If he reads pass, he can carry the TE around the field and make a play on the ball.

Florida State, Oklahoma and Tennessee are the leaders.

7. Trey Johnson

Johnson has been very productive over the past few years, topping the 100 tackle mark on the norm. He's 6'1", 210 pounds and is very sound and solid.

He's keen to reading OL's sets to get a jump on run or pass, has solid speed to play on the edges and has great technique as a tackler. He may be this year's Peter Jinkens.

Committed to Auburn.

6. Daniel McMillian

McMillian is a 6'2", 225-pounder and has great size, athleticism and read/react skills. He can diagnose quickly, attacks downhill and plays with some thump to him.

He's a sound wrap tackler, delivers a blow when he can and is athletic enough to factor vs. the pass.

He's pledged to Florida.

5. Peter Kalambayi

Hailing from North Carolina, Kalambayi has the size of the SAM 'backer at 6'2", 235 pounds. He's pretty strong at the point of attack, shocks OL and can plug the run well.

I think he's got a high ceiling, is athletically gifted to cover TEs and can be a stud in college.

Early offers include: Florida, Michigan, Stanford and Tennessee.

4. Tim Kimbrough

Kimbrough is a 6'1", 215-pound second-level defender from the Hoosier State. He has excellent range, can get outside the box with quickness, agility and athleticism and can factor as a blitzer.

Look for him to be one of the top LBers in the nation and to have a big senior season.

Early offers include: North Carolina and Penn State.

3. Dorian O'Daniel

Daniel is a 6'2", 210-pounder from Maryland. He's been productive but is even more athletic. Daniel plays with good lateral movement, can slip blocks with quickness, finds the ball-carrier and is a solid tackler.

Early offers include: Florida, Oklahoma, Cal and Virginia Tech.

2. Michael Hutchings

Hutchings is a 6'1", 215-pounder from California that has excellent play speed and range. He can get to any ball-carrier and if you don't put an OL on him on the second level, he's going to slip traffic and get there in a flash.

Hutchings has amazing instincts and can play all three downs because he's athletic in space to cover RBs and TEs.

Early offers include: USC, Miami, Michigan and Oklahoma.