Ranking the ACC Units: Linebackers

Part six of the ACC Unit rankings series looks at the rankings of the Linebackers units of each ACC team.

It's a real shame that Mark Herzlich of Boston College will most unlikely be unavailable this season, due to his cancer diagnosis. He is such a good player; he would have made the Eagles a top 5 team on this linebacker list. We continue to wish him a speedy recovery.

Check out the completed rankings.

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1. North Carolina Tar Heels

The Heels had the No. 1 defensive line in the ACC, now they have the No. 1 linebackers in the ACC. Obviously, North Carolina now can claim the best front 7 in the ACC going into the 2009 season.

Junior Quan Sturdivant led the nation in solo tackles with 87 and will play the middle. 6-3 230 lbs junior Bruce Carter will man the strong side.

The Heels have plenty of young talent to provide depth. Sophomore Zach Brown is the likely starter at the weakside linebacker position. Sophomore Herman Davidson and four-star freshman Kevin Reddick will compete for playing time.

2. Florida State Seminoles

Senior Dekoda Watson, a pre-season All-ACC pick, is the leader of Seminoles linebacking crew. A potential first round pick Watson will provide leadership and experience to a young but talented group.

Sophomore Nigel Bradham, a five-star recruit from a couple of years ago, starts at the weakside. Kendal Smith, the starter in the middle, was a four star recruit from three years ago.

Vince Williams and Nigel Carr, a couple of top LB recruits from 2008 provide depth. Maurice Harris was arrested June 22 and was suspended by the Noles, leaving his status for the upcoming season in question.

3. North Carolina State Wolfpack

The Wolfpack have a star at linebacker as well. He is junior Nate Irving. NC State coaches call Irving the heart and soul of the defense.

Ray Michael, a solid player and a senior, returns in the middle. Michael had 85 tackles last season.

The other starter on the outside may be Audie Cole. Cole has little game experience. Terrell Manning, a 4 star recruit from 2008, is coming off a knee injury and could push Cole for playing time.

4. Miami Hurricanes

After missing most of last season, talented Colin McCarthy looks to return as leader of an athletic but somewhat inconsistent linebacking crew. Sean Spence, the ACC's defensive rookie of the year, is only 6-0, 211 but is a hard hitter.

Senior Darryl Sharpton will likely handle the middle. Arthur Brown arguably the nation's top linebacker recruit in 2008, looks to begin fulfilling the high expectations he came in with.

5. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies will be inexperienced at the linebacker position, but their young players have the potential to be one of the best linebacking units in the ACC.

At the Hokies whip linebacker position will likely be Cody Grimm. Grimm had 71 tackles and 7.5 sacks last season.

Cam Martin should still play significantly at this position. He had 51 tackles last season, but is recovering from off-season knee surgery. Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson are only sophomores, but are physical and talented.

6. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers return all three starting linebackers from last season. Senior Kavell Conner had a monster season at the weakside LB position. Conner had 125 tackles last season.

Sophomore Brandon Maye was also solid. As MLB, he had 87 tackles, and showed the ability to go sideline to sideline.

Scotty Cooper was a starter in four games, and will man the third LB spot. The biggest linebacker including reserves is Brandon Maye at 6-2, 225 lbs. That may be a concern against the more physical teams Clemson plays.

7. Maryland Terrapins

We are going to assume Alex Wujciak recovers fully from off-season knee surgery. As one of the top-returning linebackers in the ACC, Wujciak by himself makes the Terps LB unit a solid one.

He had 133 tackles last season to rank second in the ACC. Adrian Moten had a solid freshman year, but suffered wrist injury last year, and looks to return to his previous form.

A freshman, Demetrius Hartsfield, will likely start at the weakside position. Maryland coaches love his athletic ability. Darin Drakeford is a talented freshman who should see some playing time.

8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Jackets have depth and experience at the linebacker, even if they lack a true superstar going into the season. Senior Sedric Griffen and Junior Brad Jefferson in particular had solid springs.

Kyle Jackson is likely the third starter, and may be the most versatile of the bunch. Top 50 national linebackers Steven Sylvestor and Malcolm Monore from 2008 will add depth.

Tech will have a "Wolf" position a hybrid safety/linebacker. Ball-hawking Sophomore Cooper Taylor will probably man this position.

9. Virginia Cavaliers

The Cavaliers for years have employed the 3-4 defense. They lose 3 starters off last year's team, so there will be plenty of experience to replace. Senior Denzel Burrell is only returning starter.

Aaron Clark, a fifth-year senior, may finally get a chance to start. Senior Darren Childs looks like the starter on the inside. Steve Greer may start at the other inside position. Cam Johnson is a promising young player is one of the top backups.

10. Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils possess one of the better linebackers in the ACC in senior Vincent Rey. Rey had 109 tackles last season, and will be looked upon to lead the Blue Devils Linebackers after Mike Tauiliili's departure last season.

His replacement will be Damian Thornton, who only had five tackles last season. Thornton doesn't have much experience. Junior Abraham Kromah (6-1, 215 pounds) also lacks experience. Right now, this is a one-man show with Rey.

11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest loses all three starters off last year's team including first-round draft choice Aaron Curry.

Juniors Hunter Haynes and Matt Woodlief had only 46 total tackles between them last year. The other likely starter is athletic RS-freshman Joey Ehrmann.

RS-freshman Scott Betros and Riley Haynes will also compete for playing time.

12. Boston College Eagles

I can't think of one unit on either side of the ball that has had more bad luck than the BC linebacker's unit. Senior middle linebacker Mike McLaughlin tore his Achilles in spring practice.

There was the Herzlich's cancer diagnosis, and suddenly a solid group is looking for answers. Red Shirt Freshman Nick Clancy has ability, but lacks experience.

Two sophomores may take the other LB positions. Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson will have to step up if they replace McLaughlin and Herzlich. There are just too many question marks with this group right now to rank them any higher.