Texas’ Jaylan Ford among PFF’s top 10 returning linebackers in college football

Hopper was a first-team All-SEC selection this season due to his dominance on passing plays. The Florida transfer was one of four Power Five linebackers who held top-15 grades both as a pass-rusher and in coverage this past season. The junior was also second among SEC linebackers with a 51.7% open target rate allowed.

Njongmeta is the highest-graded returning Power Five linebacker, earning an 89.9 mark this past season. The redshirt junior is a menace when coming downhill, as he was the only Power Five linebacker who earned 85-plus grades as both a pass-rusher and run-defender. His 17 tackles for loss/no gain were fifth in that same group as well.

The No. 11 is reserved for the elite linebackers at Penn State, as Micah Parsons, NaVorro Bowman and LaVar Arrington all rocked the “stix.” So, when it was announced that Carter, a true freshman, would also wear that number, it raised some eyebrows. He quickly proved he deserved that honor, as his six sacks and three forced fumbles were tied for sixth among all linebackers in the country.

Ford was an honorable mention All-American for PFF this season and a turnover machine for the Longhorns. The junior’s four interceptions led all FBS linebackers, and he tied for second in the Power Five with two fumble recoveries. His three forced fumbles were also tied for sixth in the country.

Gray flew around North Carolina’s defense this year on his way to becoming a PFF second-team All-American. The junior made first contact on a ball carrier 122 times this season, which was 15 more than the next-closest defender in college football. It was also the best single-season mark by a Power Five player in the PFF College era.

With two linebackers cracking the top five of this list, Clemson easily has the best linebacking corps in the country heading into next season. Carter is one of college football’s most well-rounded linebackers. The sophomore was one of three in the Power Five with 75-plus grades as a run-defender, pass-rusher and in coverage. His seven combined interceptions and forced incompletions were tied for the most among FBS linebackers as well.

Dumas-Johnson is the next great Georgia linebacker, following past Bulldog greats such as Roquan Smith and Nakobe Dean. In fact, over the past two seasons, the only SEC linebacker with a higher grade than Dumas-Johnson is Dean. The sophomore led the SEC this season with a 79.9 run-defense grade.

Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFF’s wins above average metric. The redshirt junior is a dominant run-stuffer, as his 49 run-defense stops in 2022 ranked second among all linebackers in the country while his 20 tackles for loss/no-gain were tied for third.

Perkins was a top-10 recruit in the 2022 class, which may have been too low.  As a true freshman, he led all Power-Five linebackers with a 91.0 pass-rushing grade. He ranked second among all linebackers in the country with 18 quarterback knockdowns (sacks/hits) and was tied for second in the country with four forced fumbles. Perkins is Micah Parsons-esque in that he can play either linebacker or edge defender at a very high level.

The son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., the sophomore linebacker has lived up to his father’s name and then some. The younger Trotter excels on passing plays, as he was the only Power Five linebacker with 80-plus grades as a pass-rusher and in coverage. Trotter was second in that same group in both passer rating allowed (42.9) and open target rate allowed (47.6%).