Best of the Big 12: Breaking down the linebackers as we rank all 14 conference teams
Ranking the Big 12 schools on the strength of their linebackers heading into summer camp:
1. TCU
The linebacker position plays a critical role in defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie’s 3-3-5 scheme, and the Frogs seem in good shape despite the loss of all-conference player Dee Winters. Johnny Hodges, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior who was the Big 12’s defensive newcomer of the year last season, led the team with 87 tackles while 6-2, 245-pound classmate Jamoi Hodge was second with 82. Shadrach Banks, another thumper at 250 pounds, flashed some star power as the season wore on, and speedy Marcel Brooks is yet another quality starter who missed most of last season with an injury. This unit will anchor the defense.
2. Kansas State
A healthy Daniel Green, who has more than 200 career tackles, will do wonders for a stout defense that lost several key starters. The 6-3, 245-pound senior battled some nagging injuries all season but still had 58 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. The other two starters from 2022 also return, even though outside backer Khalid Duke is likely to play more at defensive end this season. Speedy weakside linebacker Austin Moore led the team with 87 tackles and 10 stops for loss, and Terry Kirksey looks like the next in a long line of former junior college players to step into a starting role for K-State. Promising sophomore Jake Clifton emerged as a reliable member of the rotation as a freshman.
3. Texas
The good news for Texas? Senior Jaylan Ford returns as one of the nation’s best linebackers after a brief flirtation with the NFL draft. The bad news? He no longer has running mate DeMarvion Overshown next to him, so Texas needs a fresh face in the starting lineup to play a major role in its base 4-2-5 defense. The 6-3, 245-pound Ford racked up 119 tackles and picked off four passes a year ago while keying the Longhorns' defensive turnaround, an improvement from No. 99 nationally in points allowed in 2021 to No. 27 last season. Morice Blackwell Jr., David Gbenda and Jett Bush have paid their dues and provide steady if not spectacular presences, but five-star freshman Anthony Hill might be too good to keep off the field.
More: Will Arkansas, Texas resume rivalry full time? Not if Hogs coach Sam Pittman has a say
4. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have adopted the 3-3-5 scheme, which means pass-rushing specialist Collin Oliver will now terrorize quarterbacks from an outside linebacker position. Oliver, a freshman All-American in 2021, had five sacks and a dozen quarterback pressures a year ago, and the junior has slimmed down to 235 pounds in order to drop back into coverage occasionally. Newcomer Justin Wright, a hard-edged West Texan from Abilene who had 253 tackles in 49 career games with Tulsa, looks like a good fit as the starting middle linebacker, and Xavier Benson II returns after racking up 76 tackles a year ago. Good depth led by Jeff Roberson could even force Benson to the bench, and that type of competition is a good sign for the Cowboys’ revamped defense.
5. Oklahoma
There’s not a more productive linebacker coming back to the Big 12 than Danny Stutsman, who led the conference in total tackles (126) while adding 10½ for loss and three sacks. But the Sooners might need even more, based on their youth and lack of depth at the position. Dasan McCullough looks like a rising star after the 6-5, 225-pounder earned freshman All-American honors at Indiana last season with 49 tackles, 6½ stops for loss and four sacks. Another sophomore, Jaren Kanak, is expected to step in for the departed David Ugwoegbu, who’s now a defensive end at Houston. Shane Whitter is the only other upperclassman in the bunch, but he hasn’t done much so far.
6. Central Florida
Fifth-year senior Jason Johnson gives new defensive coordinator Addison Williams a proven ballhawk and a team leader, as evidenced by his 126 tackles and All-AAC selection a year ago. Walter Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason, but Williams thinks another fifth-year senior, Walter Yates III, is primed to star alongside Johnson. Yates joined UCF from Division II Savannah State last year and tied for third on the team with 54 tackles. The Knights might need Georgia transfer Rian Davis to immediately fill a key role after the former blue-chip recruit had limited playing time in four seasons with the Bulldogs.
7. BYU
The two most efficient tacklers from 2022 return at the position, but the Cougars will need more from Ben Bywater and Max Tooley after giving up 29.5 points a game last year. Bywater, a 6-3, 235-pound junior, has started all 26 games in his BYU career and led the team in tackles as a freshman (98) and sophomore (102). Tooley, a 6-2, 215-pound senior, played in just seven games a year ago but still racked up 56 tackles. Chaz Ah You brings plenty of speed and experience to the position but has battled injuries. The Cougars bolstered their depth by adding AJ Vongphachanh, a fifth-year senior who had 101 tackles for Utah State last season.
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8. Kansas
The Big 12’s worst defense in 2022 welcomes back its three top tacklers, including two linebackers. That experience should help trigger a turnaround, said head coach Lance Leipold. Rich Miller returns in the middle of the Jayhawks’ base 4-3 defense after tallying 173 tackles over the past two seasons, but Leipold might move the versatile senior around if Taiwan Berryhill Jr. shifts inside after starting all of last year on the outside. Craig Young ranked third on the team with 64 tackles, and the 6-3, 235-pound fifth-year senior is especially effective rushing the passer. If Bowling Green transfer JB Brown earns consistent snaps, this unit could indeed lead a defensive turnaround.
9. Iowa State
Defensive coordinator Jon Heacock will lean heavily on Gerry Vaughn, the only starting linebacker who’s back in the Cyclones’ version of the 3-3-5 defense. Vaughn might not make many impactful plays — he had 1½ sacks and one forced fumble last season — but he gives a defense that allowed a conference-low 285.6 yards a game a ballhawk in the middle who racked up 71 total tackles in 2022. Sophomore Will McLaughlin showed promise as a true freshman and should slide into a starting role, and transfer Zachary Lovett will try to adapt to a starting role after playing primarily on special teams at Missouri. Depth looks like an issue, but the Cyclones always manage to get production from their reserves.
10. Cincinnati
The Bearcats boast one of the nation’s top defensive lines, and that group should free up some space for a linebacking corps that lost leader Jaheim Thomas to the transfer portal. New coach Scott Satterfield reached deep into the portal to replenish the position, which now includes Louisville transfer Dorian Jones and former New Mexico player Dion Hunter. Jones had 90 tackles, 10½ tackles for loss and four sacks over 36 games for the Cardinals while Hunter racked up 69 tackles in nine games in Albuquerque. Jack Dingle and Deshawn Pace return from last season, and Utah State transfer Daniel Grzesiak might also line up at linebacker but will probably spend much of his time rushing the passer.
More: SEC notebook: Conference expansion is opening recruiting Texas for Florida, other schools
11. Texas Tech
The two leading tacklers from last year, Krishon Merriweather and Kosi Eldridge, are both gone, which leaves Jacob Rodriguez as the only inside linebacker with any experience. The former high school quarterback showed promise a year ago while accumulating 29 tackles in 12 games as a reserve. Former edge rusher Jesiah Pierre saw action inside during the spring after recording 40 tackles and 4½ sacks. The outside linebacker spots look in better shape with lanky transfer Terrell Tilmon arriving from Oregon after a quiet freshman year and veteran Steve Linton coming in from Syracuse. The transition of Linton from defensive end to outside linebacker could help determine Tech’s defensive performance.
12. West Virginia
Fortunately for a shallow position, senior Lee Kpogba returns to captain the defense from his middle linebacker spot after racking up 92 tackles a year ago. The position looks thin around him, however, especially after promising freshman Josiah Trotter suffered an injury in the spring that will probably force him to miss the entire season. Veterans such as Tirek Austin-Cave, Caden Biser and Donald Brandel will have to emerge as reliable players despite limited career snaps, and Lance Dixon will probably start at the “spear” position, a hybrid of a roving linebacker and a safety.
13. Houston
Perhaps no unit on the Cougars’ defense underwent a bigger offseason overhaul. Team captain Donavan Mutin graduated, reliable Manny Nunnery transferred to Florida, and talented Malik Robinson is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle and didn’t participate in spring workouts. Oh, and starting safety Hasaan Hypolite has converted to outside linebacker and will probably start even while he adapts to the new position. If the 6-foot, 230-pound Robinson returns to health and emerges as a senior leader, if Trimarcus Cheeks adapts to a starting role instead of starring on special teams, and if speedy sophomore Treylin Payne builds on a promising freshman season, this could be an effective group. But that’s a lot of ifs.
14. Baylor
New defensive coordinator Matt Powledge had better hope that fifth-year senior outside linebacker Garmon Randolph is on the field when the season kicks off because the Bears don’t have much other experience at the spot. The 6-7, 250-pound Randolph had 42 tackles, including seven behind the line, in 2022 but had a rough offseason with a heel injury and a DWI charge. There’s not much other production coming back at the position, but the coaching staff said extended reps in the spring helped speed the development of players such as redshirt freshman outside linebacker Kyler Jordan, junior Tony Anyanwu, redshirt sophomore Prince Ugoh and redshirt freshman Kaian Roberts-Day.
About this series
This summer, we're ranking each Big 12 team position by position. We will assign points for each team at each position, with 14 for the leader and one for 14th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea, in theory, of which teams will contend for the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff spot.
The lineup: (Week 1) quarterbacks, (2) running backs, (3) receivers, (4) offensive line, (5) defensive line, (6) linebackers, (7) defensive backs, (8) coaching and intangibles.
Current standings
1. Texas 71
2. Kansas 58
3. Central Florida 57
4. Oklahoma 55
5. BYU 53
6. Kansas State 50
7. Texas Tech 46
8. TCU 41
9. Baylor 36
T10. Cincinnati 34
T10. Oklahoma State 34
12. West Virginia 30
13. Houston 27
14. Iowa State 25
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Veteran playmakers abound in rankings of Big 12 linebacking corps
