College Football's Top 20 Linebackers for 2011
It’s always tough to wave goodbye to a great college linebacker.
I'll admit that I have had some trouble saying adios to the likes of recent greats such as Sean Weatherspoon, Rolando McClain and Patrick Willis.
I know we get to watch them in the NFL, but it's never the same as seeing them when they're young and hungry, tearing up college gridirons all across America.
This year, we lose some quality linebackers from last year’s college crop, most notably Texas A&M pass-rushing superstar Von Miller.
Luckily, though, there are plenty of up-and-coming young standouts who should demand our attention soon enough.
There are still a good amount of tenacious tackling machines left on the college level, so let’s get to know a few of the top impact players.
Here’s a look at college football’s top 20 linebackers for the 2011 season.
1. Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State
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I’ll admit, I’m starting to fall for this Arizona State team.
Yes, I know, they’ve tricked us into getting our hopes up before, but this Sun Devils squad feels different.
One of the main reasons for optimism is the man standing in the middle of the defense, LB Vontaze Burfict, one of the most feared defenders in all of college football.
Burfict is only a junior but it feels like he’s been out there in the desert, kicking ass and taking names, for what seems like a decade.
Burfict has racked up 159 tackles over the last two seasons and you can bet he made each one of those hits count.
2. Dont’a Hightower, Alabama
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If you're looking for the deepest linebacker corps in college football, all you have to do is head down to Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has five linebackers who could start for pretty much any team in America, and the best of the bunch is the versatile Dont'a Hightower—an intimidating physical force.
Hightower slowly gained back his form last year after missing most of the 2009 season with a knee injury.
The 6'4'', 260-pound junior finished second on the team with 69 stops and he now looks ready to take his game to the next level.
3. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
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Travis Lewis could have made the jump to the NFL after his junior season and probably would have been a second- or third-round pick.
After weighing his options and realizing that he had the opportunity to not only improve his stock with one more season, but also make a run at a national title as well, Lewis made the right call and stayed in school.
The Sooners couldn’t be happier to have him back.
Lewis, who led the team with 109 tackles in 2010, will once again be the undisputed leader of an Oklahoma defense that could be one of the best in college football this season.
4. Luke Kuechly, Boston College
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LB Luke Kuechly has 341 total tackles in his first two seasons at Boston College.
Pretty remarkable number, right?
Kuechly, a 6'3", 235-pound junior, is a tackling machine who has radar for ball carriers unlike any other player in college football.
He'll never be the best pure athlete on the field, but Kuechly has astounding instincts and intelligence for the linebacker position and he's one of the best defensive players in the nation.
5. Tank Carder, TCU
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I’m setting the over/under for how many times we hear announcers say “Tank Carder is a New England Patriots-type of guy” at 116.
Carder is the type of player who routinely refuses to be outworked by anyone else out on the field. So yes, he’s definitely a player who could suit up for Bill Belichick.
The 6’3’’, 235-pound ball tracker is a perfect fit in Gary Patterson’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
Carder has thrived during his TCU career, racking up 150 tackles over the past two seasons.
6. Lavonte David, Nebraska
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The Blackshirts are officially back and they have an intimidating leader in the form of LB Lavonte David.
David is a rough and rugged linebacker who plays with a "no prisoners" attitude and flies around the field at all times.
The 6’1’’, 220-pound senior led the Big 12 Conference with 152 tackles last season, earning All-American honors in the process.
David will be the most important piece for a linebacking trio, which also includes Will Compton and Sean Fisher.
7. Danny Trevathan, Kentucky
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The Kentucky offense will have some serious rebuilding to do in 2011, but luckily for head coach Joker Phillips, his defense returns most of its key players.
The team's top overall player is LB Danny Trevathan, who seriously flirted with entering the 2011 NFL draft.
Trevathan, a 6'1'', 225 lb. senior, led the SEC with 144 tackles last season.
Although he's a bit undersized, Trevathan has the instincts and hustle to be a thorn in any opposing offense's side.
8. Kenny Tate, Maryland
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I’m still puzzled as to why Kenny Tate decided to return to Maryland for one more season.
Top-flight talent plus a weak safety class and a new incoming coach should have been an equation that equaled Tate entering the 2011 NFL draft. But hey, what do I know?
Maryland fans should be thankful they get another year of watching the 6’4’’, 220-pound athletic behemoth, roaming the field at his new linebacker position.
Tate, who finished the 2010 season with a nice, even 100 tackles, will be Maryland’s best defensive player this season and he should contend for All-American honors.
9. Jelani Jenkins, Florida
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Now that CB Janoris Jenkins has been booted from the team, it seems fitting that LB Jelani Jenkins will be the one to assume the role as the unit's most valuable player.
Jenkins, who plays the game like a cruise missile, returns as the team's leading tackler after tallying 76 stops in 2010.
The 6'1'', 225-pound sophomore will team with Jon Bostic to give Florida one of the best linebacker duos in not only the SEC, but the entire country.
10. Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
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I can only imagine how terrifying it must be for a running back to line up and look straight across the line into the waiting eyes of LB Manti Te’o.
It’s something I don’t ever need to experience for myself.
Te’o is a frightening player who brings a lot of toughness to a Notre Dame defense that has been accused of being soft in recent years.
The 6'2", 245-pound junior is a stone-cold tackler who has lived up to his 5-star billing from his time as an elite Hawaii high school recruit.
11. Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
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Let's be honest: This Alabama linebacking group is absolutely stacked. No other team in the country can boast the type of talent and depth at the position that the Tide can.
Alabama's "Jack" linebacker, Courtney Upshaw, could be the best of the bunch. Upshaw, a 6'2'', 260-pound senior, helped ease the loss of top-10 pick Rolando McClain by becoming an instant impact player.
Upshaw made his living in opponents' backfields in 2010, leading the team with seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Even though there is so much talent around him, Upshaw has still been able to shine and make a name for himself.
12. Keenan Robinson, Texas
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Say what you will about Texas and the effort it put forth last year; however, you certainly can't blame the woeful 2010 campaign on the defense.
Texas finished as the top defense in the Big 12, allowing just 300 yards per game, and arguably the most important player on the unit was LB Keenan Robinson, the team's leading tackler.
The 6'3'', 240-pound senior stepped up his play in 2010 after the departures of S Earl Thomas, DE Sergio Kindle and LB Roddrick Muckelroy.
Robinson will once again be the leader of what looks to be another intimidating defense.
13. Nigel Bradham, Florida State
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There's no sugarcoating it—Florida State’s run defense was horrible in 2009, ranking last in the ACC and giving up an average of over 200 yards on the ground per game.
There was one shining light for the Seminoles, though, and that was LB Nigel Bradham.
After finishing as the team’s leading tackler in 2009, Bradham helped tighten up Florida State’s defense and bring it back to respectability this past season.
Bradham, who has totaled over 200 tackles during his time in Tallahassee, is a difference-making defender who can make plays on every down.
14. Shayne Skov, Stanford
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Brian Cushing all over again?
Shayne Skov shares a striking resemblance to the former USC linebacker, and with the way he's performed, he’s had a similar type of impact thus far in his career.
Skov led the Cardinal with 83 tackles in 2010 and played a brand of football that any true football fan would love.
The 6'3", 245-pound junior is mean, instinctive, athletic and strong.
Basically, he’s a deadly combination of linebacker traits.
15. Sean Spence, Miami
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Sean Spence doesn’t belong on this Miami team. Spence is an old-school type of Hurricane who would fit in well with “Da U" teams of the glory days.
Miami may have lost a bit of its edge since the days when Ed Reed and Sean Taylor turned Dade County into a hunting zone, but one player who still plays with the old 'Canes swagger is LB Sean Spence.
Spence is hardly the biggest linebacker out there size-wise, but nobody seems to come up with as many huge plays as the 6’0’’, 220-pound senior.
Spence had 111 stops last season and he should challenge for the ACC’s tackle crown in 2011.
16. Jerry Franklin, Arkansas
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The Arkansas offense may have run like a well-oiled machine last year, but it was the defense that turned out to be the real reason the Razorbacks made a run to the Sugar Bowl.
Arkansas finished fifth in the SEC in total defense in 2010, and the leader of that group was LB Jerry Franklin, who led the team with 95 tackles.
Franklin may not be the kind of linebacker that the NFL scouts will fall in love with, but the 6’1’’, 240 lb. senior is the type of player who can will a defense to success game in and game out.
17. Chris Borland, Wisconsin
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Losing LB Chris Borland to a shoulder injury so early in the 2010 season was a major blow to the Wisconsin defense.
Borland, the 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, looked like he was going to be one of the conference’s elite defensive players last season, but sadly, it was not to be.
Borland has spent the time since the injury feverishly rehabilitating his wounds and it wouldn’t be surprising if he comes back this season and looks better than ever.
The 5’11’’ 240-pound sophomore will make the move to middle linebacker where he should be a natural.
18. Zach Brown, North Carolina
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Stud linebackers Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant may be gone, but that doesn’t exactly mean North Carolina has to go back to the drawing board when it comes to the linebacker position.
The Tar Heels have two of the conference’s—scratch that—two of the country’s top linebackers in Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick.
North Carolina’s two top tacklers combined for 146 stops last season.
They both possess NFL potential, but it's Brown, a 6'2'', 230-pound senior, who has the best chance to be the star.
19. Sio Moore, Connecticut
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Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus were Connecticut’s two big-name linebackers entering the 2010 season, but it was an unheralded sophomore by the name of Sio Moore who turned out to be the real difference-maker of the unit.
Moore, who rarely saw the field as a freshman, emerged as a tackling machine in 2010, racking up 110 total stops.
With both Lutrus and Wilson now gone, it’s finally Moore’s time to truly step out of their shadows and cement himself as one of the conference’s top defenders.
The 6’1" 230-pound junior has proved that he’s great at tracking down ball carriers from sideline to sideline and he should once again break the 100-tackles mark in 2011.
20. Garrick Williams, Texas A&M
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Von Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, will no doubt be missed in College Station, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.
Senior LB Garrick Williams, who finished the 2010 season with 112 tackles, is an impact player capable of filling the void Miller leaves.
Williams is a tough inside presence who gives the Texas A&M defense an intimidating force in the middle of the field.
The 6’2’’ 235-pound senior can’t pressure passers like his former teammate, but he’s the type of player who can keep a defense glued together.
Five ACC Linebackers To Watch
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Audie Cole, North Carolina State
Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College
Demetrius Hartsfield, Maryland
Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech
Five Big East Linebackers To Watch
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DeDe Lattimore, South Florida
Najee Goode, West Virginia
Marquis Spruill, Syracuse
Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers
J.K. Shaffer, Cincinnati
Five Big Ten Linebackers To Watch
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Andrew Sweat, Ohio State
Michael Mauti, Penn State
Mike Taylor, Wisconsin
Chris Norman, Michigan State
Gerald Hodges, Penn State
Five Big 12 Linebackers To Watch
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Emmanuel Acho, Texas
Arthur Brown, Kansas State
Jake Knott, Iowa State
Zaviar Gooden, Missouri
Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
Five Pac-12 Linebackers To Watch
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Mychal Kendricks, California
Paul Vassallo, Arizona
Devon Kennard, USC
Chase Thomas, Stanford
Chaz Walker, Utah
Five SEC Linebackers To Watch
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C.J. Mosley, Alabama
Chris Marve, Vanderbilt
Ryan Baker, LSU
Jon Bostic, Florida
Cornelius Washington, Georgia
Five Non-BCS Linebackers To Watch
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Tanner Brock, TCU
Miles Burris, San Diego State
Corey Paredes, Hawaii
Marcus McGraw, Houston
James-Michael Johnson, Nevada
