College Football 2012: Top 5 Most Difficult Linebackers to Replace

We are reaching the end of our installments of looking at teams tasked with replacing some serious stars at their respective positions. Just a couple more Friday editions left, and today we are bringing the linebackers to you.

The linebacker position in college football is a unique spot, thanks to the influx of offenses running the spread. Teams need their backers to be able to run and be as adept dropping into pass coverage as they are running downhill to take on a fullback.

Around the nation, some tremendous players just started the next chapter in their careers: the NFL.

Guys like Dont'a Hightower and Nigel Bradham leave behind teammates looking to continue success by merely stepping up on the depth chart. Hightower, from Alabama, leaves behind one of the nation's best linebacking corps, even losing the first-round draft pick. Bradham leaves a defense that has a defensive line that's absolutely among the nation's best. 

Other players who just fell short of making the list are Bobby Wagner from Utah State, Mychal Kendrick from Cal and Zach Brown from North Carolina. All darn good players, but not quite on the list.

Sean Spence, Miami

Sean Spence was Mr. Everything for the Hurricanes defense. The undersized linebacker led them in tackles and tackles for loss, and was two sacks out of the lead, for third place. Spence was an undersized, speedy linebacker for Al Golden's team, and he truly set the tone for the defense. He was aggressive, played downhill and truly garnered the respect of his opponents through his play. 

As it stands now, Ramon Buchanan is stepping up into the starting lineup for the 'Canes between two players, James Gaines and Denzel Perryman. Perryman came in and played very well as a freshman, and Gaines played quite well in his first year as a starter. Both players will give Buchanan someone to lean on as he tries to fill the big shoes of Spence.

Tank Carder, TCU

Originally, I had Carder up in the list of guys who did not quite make the list and put Mychal Kendrick into this slot. Then I remembered that odds are Tanner Brock would not be back for the Horned Frogs thanks to the whole drug sting in Fort Worth.

Losing two players of that caliber is a mighty blow for TCU, and they will have quite the time adjusting to life without their two best linebackers. We watched last year as it took TCU about five games to really adjust to life with their rebuilt secondary. Losing their best two linebackers spells trouble as they transition into the Big 12.

Terrell Manning, NC State

Terrell Manning got picked the highest out of the NC State linebacker departures, but the loss of Audie Cole will be felt just as much. Throw in Dwayne Maddox's departure plus the D.J. Green suspension, and you have all the major contributors at the linebacker position gone for the Wolfpack for the 2012 season.

The players vying for the playing time now, do not have much in the way of experience. In Jon Tenuta and Mike Archer's scheme, experience is critical—of all the complex blitzes and looks that the team runs, the players have to know what is going on.

Right now, Rickey Dowdy, Sterling Lucas and Brandon Pittman sit atop the depth chart for the three linebacker spots—but they are being pushed by Ryan Cheek and Michael Peek, who both have a bit of game experience.

This year should be interesting, as the Wolfpack is a team that wants to push Clemson and Florida State in the Atlantic division.

LaVonte David, Nebraska

Much like Sean Spence, we're talking about a linebacker in LaVonte David who was the heart and soul of his team's attack. David cleaned up all of the garbage for the Nebraska Cornhuskers over the last couple seasons, and losing him is a big deal for Bo Pelini's team.

David led the team in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and interceptions. He was an All-Big Ten performer and won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Award as the best linebacker in the conference.

Losing David means several different things for the Cornhuskers defense, the most important of which is they have to be sound in their assignments. LaVonte David is not around to track down ball carriers when defensive linemen miss their gaps. David is not there to cover the back side when another linebacker gets washed down by a guard getting to the second level.

That is going to be the biggest change for the Huskers, and it will be imperative that they have 11 defensive players all doing the right things.

Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Kuechly did things on the football field that most people never expected to see. He put up 20 or more tackles in four different games during his career at Boston College. He averaged nearly 16 tackles a game, and that was after posting 14 per game and 12 per game in his first two seasons.

Everyone knew Kuechly was the man to block on the Eagles team, and they still could not stop him from getting to the football. He put up 32 more tackles than the next closest FBS player, and 41 more than the next best BCS-level player. Simply put, at the linebacker position, Kuechly was a monster.

Now, Frank Spaziani, a man who is on the hot seat in a big way, has to find a way to replace the best part of his entire defense.

This will be no small task.

Kevin Pierre-Louis and Steele Divitto are quality players, but they also fed off Kuechly's ability to act as a safety net. Kaleb Ramsey is a heck of a ball player in the interior, and that should help the Eagles. Sean Duggan will benefit from Ramsey's presence as he tries to fill the biggest linebacker shoes in the nation.