After years of discussions, negotiations and preparation, Texas has finally joined the SEC. But how do the Longhorns stack up as they enter the toughest conference in college football?
We’re ranking the SEC position by position, assigning points for each team — 16 points for first place through one point for 16th. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving a sense of which teams will contend for the SEC title and College Football Playoff spots.
We’ve already examined the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, offensive lines and defensive lines. Next we rank the SEC schools on the strength of their linebackers heading into the season:
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1. Kentucky: Don’t overlook talented Cats
The Wildcats’ impressive linebacking corps rivals its defensive line for the best unit on the squad. D’Eryk Jackson, who has led Kentucky in tackles in each of the past two seasons, plays the middle spot like a noseguard with his stout 6-foot-1, 245-pound frame. He’s not just a run plugger, either; last season he had 8½ tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown. He got plenty of help in the portal with the arrival of Jamon Dumas-Johnson, an All-American for Georgia in 2022 who battled injuries last season. Even better, outside linebacker JJ Weaver returns for a sixth season despite an NFL opportunity and has a collegiate résumé that includes 29 starts, 165 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss and 16½ sacks. Daveren Rayner provides the depth inside while Tyrese Fearby and Noah Matthews have flashed as backups on the edge to Weaver.
2. Oklahoma: Danny Stutsman brings the heat
There may not be a better ballhawk in the country than Danny Stutsman, the Longhorns’ nemesis who serves as the heart and soul of what looks like a salty Sooners defense. The returning 6-foot-4, 240-pound All-American had 104 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2023 and looks primed for a big collegiate finale. Kip Lewis returns after finishing second on the team behind Stutsman in tackles with 66, and Jaran Kanak also boasts some starting experience. Veterans Justin Harrington and Dasan McCullough give the Sooners some solid options in their “cheetah” position, which is a hybrid linebacker/safety spot. New co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zac Alley may get creative with freshman James Nesta, a four-star prospect who impressed in the spring.
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3. Georgia: Lots of talent, but some questions
Talent abounds at seemingly every position for the nation’s presumed preseason No. 1 team, including linebacker. Smael Mondon Jr., a 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior, returns at an inside spot after earning All-SEC honors but does have some questions after missing the spring with an injury and getting arrested in July for reckless driving. Touted sophomores C.J. Allen and Raylen Wilson impressed in the spring with Mondon out and seem primed to step into starring roles if Mondon misses any time. Mykel Williams, who had a team-high 4½ sacks along with 6½ tackles for a loss, could line up everywhere from linebacker to tackle on passing situations. There are some concerns, however; the portal sapped the unit of proven depth especially at the outside spots.
4. Alabama: Inside pair among nation’s best
The new era at Alabama under coach Kalen DeBoer and first-year defensive coordinator Kane Wommack comes with tweaked schemes, including a base 4-2-5 defense that should showcase the skills of Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Lawson had 67 tackles and three sacks in 11 games last season and will handle the defensive calls. Campbell, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior, may have even more range than the speedy Lawson and racked up 66 tackles with an interception and two fumble recoveries. Justin Jefferson and Jeremiah Alexander provide some veteran depth and Sterling Dixon leads a strong crop of three true freshmen at the position.
5. LSU: Perking up the defense
Talented junior Harold Perkins spearheads what looks like the strength of a questionable defense. A former five-star recruit who has lined up everywhere from the edge to the inside, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Perkins earned All-SEC honors in each of his first two seasons. There probably won’t be a fourth since he projects as a high pick in next year’s NFL draft. Perkins will likely spend much of this season at inside linebacker in order to shore up a run defense that ranked second to last in the SEC. Greg Penn III also returns after starting 27 of 28 games over the past two seasons, while new defensive coordinator Blake Baker has raved about the development of senior West Weeks and his younger brother, Whit Weeks.
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6. Vanderbilt: Vets abound for underrated unit
Head coach Clark Lea, who will handle much of the defensive coordinator duties after a disastrous 2023, may have 99 problems on a porous defense. But linebacker isn’t one, as evident by the savvy and skill coming back. Langston Patterson, a preseason All-SEC pick, returns after leading the team with 74 tackles and serves as Lea’s proxy on the field while making all the calls. Bryan Longwell, who saw significant snaps a year ago, will step into a starting role. CJ Taylor will likely float between linebacker and safety and could be the Commodores’ most talented player on the roster, as evident by the flood of NIL offers that reportedly came from higher-profile programs in the offseason. A healthy Prince Kollie, a former four-star recruit of Notre Dame’s, also will help if he’s fully recovered from concussion concerns last season.
7. Texas: Starters need to stay healthy
Head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski are more than comfortable with their starting set of linebackers. Anthony Hill Jr., a 6-foot-3, 243-pound sophomore, looks like a rising star after earning freshman All-American honors following 66 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and five sacks. He moved all over the front seven last season but settled into the middle-linebacker spot in the spring, where his size and athleticism should make him an every-down player. Senior David Gbenda and junior Mo Blackwell also return as valued veterans. But depth remains a concern. The portal arrival of Kendrick Blackshire from Alabama didn’t work out, and he joined UTSA after spring practices. Youngsters such as Liona Lefau and Derion Gullette have shown promise, but are they ready for significant snaps pending any injuries?
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8. Texas A&M: Can youth be served this season?
Sure, new coach Mike Elko and his staff have to replace all-everything Edgerrin Cooper, a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers. But the combination of returning young talent and some intriguing portal prospects could make this a team strength. Taurean York, a 6-foot, 230-pound freshman All-American, heads a strong sophomore class that includes Daymion Sanford and will start in the middle. The portal should fill the hole next to York in A&M’s 4-2-5 scheme; senior Scooby Williams arrives after starting for Florida last season and classmate Solomon DeShields started for Pitt. Hopefully for Elko, freshmen such as Tristan Jernigan won’t be needed despite a lack of proven depth at the position.
9. South Carolina: New faces in place
This position underwent upheaval in the offseason, with the portal giving as much as it took. But what’s the net result for a team that ranked just 11th in the SEC in total defense? Grayson Howard (Florida) and Stone Blanton (Mississippi State) have left, but UNC-Charlotte transfer Demetrius Knight Jr. and former Pittsburgh player Bangally Kamara arrive as potential starters in South Carolina’s 3-3-5 scheme. Veterans Debo Williams and Bam Martin-Scott will help the transition for the new players. The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Williams, who earned All-SEC honors a year ago after 113 tackles, keys the unit after playing in 38 career games with 14 starts the past three seasons.
10. Auburn: Asante seeking some help
Returning starter Eugene Asante serves as the centerpiece of a revamped defense, but new coordinator DJ Durkin likes the other pieces in the unit, too, including veteran Austin Keys and Duke transfer Dorian Mausi. Asante emerged as a star last season with 86 tackles and five sacks while Keys came on late in his first season with Auburn. Mausi played in 44 games at Duke and had 193 tackles in two years as a starter, and he looked comfortable in Durkin’s scheme in the spring. Even better for Durkin, the spring showed some stiff competition at the spot. Veteran Robert Woodyard may push for a starting job, and true freshmen D.J. Barber and Demarcus Riddick looked college-ready.
11. Ole Miss: Portal adds some pop
Arkansas’ loss was a gain for the Rebels, who needed a proven outside linebacker like transfer Chris Paul Jr. to anchor a unit with some questions. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound former freshman All-American led the Razorbacks in tackles a year ago and gives Ole Miss an active body on the outside. He’ll line up next to Khari Coleman, a second-year starter who may lack elite athleticism but boasts plenty of veteran savvy. Suntarine Perkins and TJ Bradley look like the wildcards; Bradley gives the team a physical presence inside but hasn’t played much since his senior year of high school in 2021, and the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Perkins needs to add more to his game than raw athleticism if he wants to do more than rush the passer from the edge.
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12. Florida: Healthy James adds some bite
It’s not a coincidence that Florida’s defensive collapse down the stretch — the Gators gave up 38.2 points a game while going 0-5 to close the season — coincided with an injury to Shemar James. But the 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior seems back to full strength, which is good news for a rebuilt linebacking corps. Howard, the South Carolina transfer, seems like the likely starter alongside James in the Gators’ base 4-2-5 scheme, and he’s a load at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. But he was also a part-time player for the Gamecocks, which means he’ll have to adapt to a starting role in Gainesville. Florida doesn’t have much proven depth besides senior Derek Wingo, so blue chip freshmen Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles may see immediate playing time.
13. Tennessee: New coach, new players
New linebackers coach William Inge, who served as Washington’s co-defensive coordinator a year ago, has some work to do with a revamped unit. He’ll lean heavily on seventh-year player Keenan Pili, a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder who starred at BYU but missed his first season at Tennessee in 2023 because of injuries. There are lots of questions around Pili in the Volunteers’ 4-2-5 formation, since sophomores Arion Carter or Jeremiah Telander have yet to start at the college level. Carter has plenty of star potential, especially when he gets the green light to rush the quarterback.
14. Missouri: Fresh faces ready to snaps
The offseason took a toll on this position, which leaves the Tigers with lots of questions and lots of job openings. Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson played plenty a year ago and both started in the Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. Still, they may have 11 combined years of collegiate experience, but neither has been a regular starter. New coordinator Corey Batoon does have options, though. Corey Flagg transferred in from Miami and Khalil Jacobs arrives from South Alabama, Brayshawn Littlejohn earned some snaps last season, and freshmen Brian Huff and Nicholas Rodriguez impressed in the spring. Can those players meld into an effective group for a team that finished fourth in the SEC in defense a year ago?
15. Mississippi State: Rebuilt unit has questions
For the past three years, All-SEC linebackers Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson and Jett Johnson set the tone for the Bulldogs’ defense. But they’re gone, and new coach Jeff Lebby hopes veterans such as John Lewis and JP Purvis can step up as reliable starters. Ty Cooper, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound junior, also could shine as a stand-up pass rusher at the weakside linebacker spot in the Bulldogs’ 3-3-5 scheme. But like Lewis and Purvis, he’s never served as a full-time starter. Mississippi State didn’t use the portal to fortify the position aside from Blanton, a former baseball pledge who had 52 tackles while starting for South Carolina last season.
16. Arkansas: Change aplenty, including at LB
Upheaval roiled through the roster in the offseason, including at linebacker. The Razorbacks lost 30 players to the portal, including four potential starters at linebacker. Embattled head coach Sam Pittman and his staff hope a mixture of new transfer arrivals as well as some unproven youngsters can develop into a cohesive unit. Brad Spence, who saw action in 11 games as a freshman, apparently seized a starting spot in the spring and shows promise. The coaches hope newcomer Xavian Sorey Jr. can flash some of the promise he had as a former five-star Georgia recruit. Larry Worth (Jacksonville State) and Stephen Dix Jr. (Marshall) have lots of experience, albeit against competition a bit less stiff compared to the SEC.
About this series
This summer, the American-Statesman is ranking each SEC football team position by position. We’re assigning points for each team at each position, with 16 for the leader and one for 16th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea 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
Updated standings
1. Georgia 86
2. Texas 76
3. Ole Miss 73
4. Oklahoma 62
T-5. Alabama 60
T-5. Tennessee 60
7. Missouri 58
8. Kentucky 56
9. LSU 54
10. Florida 47
11. Auburn 41
12. Texas A&M 40
T-13. Arkansas 29
T-13. South Carolinda 29
15. Misssissippi State 23
16. Vanderbilt 22
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who has the best LBs in the SEC? The Statesman ranks all 16 schools
