Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to master. A great linebacker must be a jack of all trades for a defense. They’re expected to defend the run, play in coverage and rush the passer, all at a high level.
Here are the 10 best linebacker units as we head into the 2024 college football season.
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1. Texas
The Longhorns have the best linebacker unit in college football thanks in large part to the best linebacker in college football. Anthony Hill Jr. Since 2023, his 32 coverage stops are tied for the most among FBS linebackers and his 10 sacks and five forced fumbles are tied for the most among Power Four linebackers. Hill racked up 127 plays where he made first contact on a ball carrier in that same span, the most of any returning Power Four linebacker.
Trey Moore is moving from edge defender to an off-ball role and had eight sacks last year, tied for 10th among SEC edge defenders. Texas also added Brad Spence from Arkansas in the transfer portal and he was eighth in the SEC with an 83.3 run-defense grade in 2024. Liona Lefau is also back for his junior campaign after starting for the Longhorns last season. Elijah Barnes will begin his collegiate career this year and was the No. 3 linebacker recruit from the 2025 high school class.
2. LSU
Whit Weeks is my No. 3 linebacker in the country following a terrific sophomore campaign. His 21 tackles for loss or no gain were the fourth most among all linebackers in the nation, while his 25 pressures were a top-15 mark last season.
Harold Perkins Jr. was No. 1 on that list entering the 2024 season and is back for his redshirt junior year. As a true freshman in 2022, he led all Power Five linebackers with a 91.0 pass-rushing grade. He was among the top-15 linebackers the following year in coverage grade (81.1). Perkins is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in September and will look to re-establish himself as one of the top linebackers in the country.
Davhon Keyes is back for his sophomore season and earned 70.0-plus PFF grades both as a run-defender and in coverage as a true freshman last year. The Tigers also have three players who were top-10 linebacker recruits coming out of high school in Tylen Singleton, Charles Ross and Jaiden Braker.
3. Pittsburgh
The Panthers are the only team with two of my top-10 linebackers in college football. Kyle Louis placed fifth on that list and led the Power Four both in interceptions (four) and tackles for loss/no gain (22) last season. He was also one of six FBS linebackers to earn 80.0-plus grades as a run defender and in coverage last season.
Rasheem Biles was 10th and tallied five forced incompletions in 2024, tied for the most among returning Power Four linebackers. He was more than just a coverage linebacker, though, placing among the top 10 Power Four linebackers in sacks (six) and tackles for loss or no gain (15) last season.
The final starter will be junior Braylan Lovelace, who played 447 snaps as a sophomore and only surrendered a 54.7 passer rating into his coverage. That was the lowest among all ACC linebackers.
4. Georgia
After losing a first-round linebacker in Jalon Walker, the Bulldogs might have another in C.J. Allen, who can fly around the field. He placed above the 98th percentile in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric. His 89.8 PFF run-defense grade last year also ranked seventh among all FBS linebackers.
Starting next to Allen will be Raylen Wilson, who played 420 snaps as a true sophomore last year. His 66.3 coverage grade was 12th among SEC linebackers in 2024. The Bulldogs also have three former five-star recruits at linebacker in sophomores Chris Cole, Justin Williams and true freshman Zayden Walker.
5. Notre Dame
Even after losing a veteran leader in Jack Kiser, the Fighting Irish are still in a great spot at linebacker. It starts with junior Drayk Bowen, my No. 9 linebacker in the country. No returning FBS linebacker was more valuable than him last year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
Jaylen Sneed is back for his redshirt junior campaign and earned a solid 70.8 grade on 433 snaps in 2024. Jaiden Ausberry also played over 400 snaps for Notre Dame’s defense last year, posting a 69.6 run-defense grade. Expectations are high for true sophomore Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who had a solid 67.6 PFF grade on 343 snaps as a freshman and was the No. 4 linebacker from the 2024 high school class. The Fighting Irish also welcomed in the No. 4 linebacker from the 2025 cycle in Madden Faraimo.
6. Texas A&M
Taurean York is my No. 2 linebacker in college football and leads all returning Power Four linebackers with 59 run-defense stops since 2023. His 122 plays with first contact on ball carriers are tied for fourth among that group. PFF’s lead draft analyst, Trevor Sikkema, recently broke down why York is one of his early favorite prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Scooby Williams is back for his redshirt senior campaign after starting next to York last season. His 82.0 run-defense grade was 11th among SEC linebackers. Daymion Sanford also returns and was fourth among SEC linebackers with a 64.1 passer rating allowed in coverage. Noah Mickhail also enters College Station as the No. 9 linebacker recruit from the 2025 cycle.
7. Ohio State
Sonny Styles is one of only a few returning starters from the Buckeyes’ national championship team and is my No. 6 linebacker in college football. The former top-five recruit finished his junior year as one of the 20 most valuable linebackers in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric and tied for fifth among Power Four players at the position with 16 coverage stops.
Arvell Reese will start next to him and was ninth among Big Ten linebackers in 2024 with a 76.4 PFF grade as a sophomore. Garrett Stover is entering his sophomore year and was the No. 8 linebacker recruit from the 2024 class, while true freshman Riley Pettijohn was the No. 2 linebacker in the 2025 cycle.
8. Alabama
The Crimson Tide did lose a first-round pick at linebacker in Jihaad Campbell, but they still have another stud patrolling the middle of their defense in Deontae Lawson. My No. 7 linebacker in America has eight forced incompletions since 2023, tied for the most among all returning linebackers in college football. His 56 run-defense stops in that same span stand third among returning Power Four linebackers.
Justin Jefferson is back for his senior year after posting a 69.7 PFF grade on 422 snaps last season. Alabama also added Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green from the transfer portal, who tied for eighth among Power Four linebackers with 53 defensive stops last year.
9. Clemson
The Tigers’ duo of Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown is a perfect blend of veteran leadership and a youngster with immense potential. Woodaz was the honorable mention on my top-10 linebacker rankings and is incredibly versatile in coverage as a former safety. He forced five incompletions last season and has picked off three passes since 2023. The rising senior is also a weapon as a blitzer, tallying 22 pressures last year — a top-20 mark in the Power Four.
Brown was a five-star recruit from the 2024 cycle and played 454 snaps as a freshman. His five sacks were tied for 17th among Power Four linebackers. Brown will be expected to take the next step as a full-time starter during his sophomore campaign.
10. Kansas State
The Wildcats return the highest-graded linebacker in the Power Four from last season in junior Austin Romaine, who posted a 91.0 PFF grade as a true sophomore. His 90.7 run-defense grade (third best) powered that mark, and his 43 run-defense stops were the fourth most among Power Four linebackers. He’s my No. 4 linebacker returning to the sport.
Kansas State also returns another starter in redshirt senior Desmond Purnell, who was fifth among all FBS linebackers with 30 pressures last year. Rex Van Whyne played 174 snaps for the Wildcats in 2024 and had a solid 69.7 coverage grade. Gabe Powers transferred in from Ohio State and was a top-10 linebacker recruit from the 2022 high school class, though he’s only played 50 snaps in three years for the Buckeyes.
Honorable Mention: Oregon
The Ducks didn’t have a linebacker mentioned in my top-10 linebackers piece but still deserve a mention here. Bryce Boettcher would’ve certainly been on the list if it were extended to 15 players, as he ranked fourth in the nation with an 89.8 PFF grade last season. He was the only Power Four linebacker who posted 80.0-plus grades as a run-defender, pass-rusher and in coverage.
Redshirt junior Devon Jackson will start alongside him and was an excellent tackler last year. He missed only 6.4% of his attempts in 2024, the third-lowest rate in the Big Ten.
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