College football’s 20 best linebackers of 2026
Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy lines up before a play against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday December 6, 2025 at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
They are the enforcers along the front seven and are usually the heart and soul of the defense.
Linebackers set the tone before every snap, fly from sideline to sideline and take care of whoever comes across the line of scrimmage. It’s a position that demands physicality and aggression. Having great vision and shedding through blockers to make ball-carriers eat grass is just another day at the office on autumn Saturdays.
These 20 backers made a name for themselves in their respective conferences last year, and now they’re back to wreak havoc again this fall.
20. Maverick Baranowski, Minnesota: The Florida native packs a ton of experience, and is very productive. Baranowski takes care of business on the field, and in the classroom. After all, he’s a three-time, Academic All-Big Ten performer, with 220 tackles over the past three seasons, including 103 in 2025. He led Minnesota in stops last year. Baranowski got off to a hot start, with 10 tackles in the opener against Buffalo. The former three-star prospect also posted 10 stops against Purdue, and Nebraska. Baranowski had nine tackles at Iowa. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder made the quarterback eat grass against Rutgers, Michigan State and New Mexico. His 17 tackles, including 13 solo in bowl win were season-highs.
19. Omar Diomande, Colorado State: Although he had no stars behind his name as a high school prospect, the New York native has blossomed into an elite defender. Diomande has spent the past three seasons at Connecticut, and had a breakout campaign last year. He tied for ninth in the FBS in solo tackles per game. Not to mention Diomande’s 116 stops, including eight for loss and five sacks, ranked second on the Huskies. Diomande tallied 11 tackles, including one for loss, and a sack at Boston College. His 14 stops against UAB, and Duke were season-highs. Diomande generated 13 tackles against Air Force. On top of that, Diomande made the quarterback eat grass against Syracuse, and Ball State.
18. Gideon Lampron, Colorado: The former three-star prospect is coming off a monster campaign with Bowling Green. After all, Lampron started all 12 games, and ranked second in the FBS in solo stops per contest. He also finished 10 nationally in tackles per game. Lampron even earned first-team, All-MAC honors for his heroics. The Ohio native posted 12 tackles, including one for loss and a sack at Louisville. Lampron also had 12 stops at Eastern Michigan. Not to mention he tallied 13 stops apiece against against Toledo, and Central Michigan. Lampron generated 11 tackles apiece against Ohio and Buffalo. On top of that, he recorded 10 stops, including two for loss, and forced a fumble at Massachusetts.
17. Chris Jones, Florida State: The former three-star prospect put together a stellar season at Southern Miss last year. Not only did Jones rack up 134 stops, but he also averaged 10.3 tackles per game, which ranked seventh in the FBS. He even earned first-team, All-Sun Belt honors. Jones got off to a hot start, with 13 tackles in the opener against Mississippi State. The Mississippi native also had 13 stops at Arkansas State. Jones generated 14 tackles, including one for loss at Louisiana Tech. His 15 tackles against Texas State were a season-high. Jones tallied 11 stops, including 2.5 for loss and two sacks at Georgia Southern. Not to mention Jones made the quarterback eat grass in the victory at Louisiana.
16. Ryan Coney, Texas A&M: The Ohio native started all 12 games for Tulsa last season, and was a team captain. Coney averaged 10.8 tackles per game, which ranked sixth in the FBS. He also capped off the year with first-team, All-AAC honors for his heroics. Coney tallied 14 tackles apiece against Abilene Christian, and Navy. The former two-star prospect posted 13 stops, including one for loss, and a sack at Oklahoma State. Coney also recorded 13 tackles against Temple, and Army. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder generated 12 tackles apiece against ECU, and UAB. Coney had 10 tackles, and a sack against Oregon State. He’ll bring experience, production and leadership to the Aggies’ locker room.
15. Daniel Wingate, Maryland: The former three-star prospect is coming off a productive season with the Terrapins. After all, Wingate started all 12 contests, and racked up 102 tackles, including 62 solo. He averaged 5.17 solo tackles per game, which ranked seventh in the FBS. Jones even finished sixth in the Big Ten in tackles per game. The Maryland native started out on fire, with 10 tackles, including nine solo, and returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown in the opening victory over Florida Atlantic. His 14 stops against Northern Illinois were a season-high. Wingate tallied 12 tackles at Rutgers. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder posted 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack at Wisconsin.
14. Matt Rose, Stanford: The Ohio native established himself as one of the best inside linebackers in the ACC last season. Rose started 11 games, and racked up 106 tackles. He ranked third in the ACC, and 26th nationally in tackles per game. Rose capped off the year with second-team, All-ACC honors. The former three-star prospect started out on fire, with 13 stops, including 12 solo, two for loss and a sack in the opener at Hawaii. Rose tallied a season-high, 14 tackles, including one for loss and a sack in the win over California. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder also put the quarterback to the turf at North Carolina. Rose had 12 stops at Miami, 10 against BYU, and nine apiece against Notre Dame, Florida State and Virginia.
13. Cade Uluave, BYU: The Utah native put together a stellar campaign as a California Golden Bear last year. Uluave started 11 games, and led the team in stops, and tackles for loss. Uluave has actually started 26 games over the past three season, with 237 tackles, including 21.5 for loss during that span. He ranked fourth in the ACC in tackles per game in 2025. Uluave even earned first-team, All-ACC honors. The former three-star prospect posted 10 tackles apiece against Oregon State, San Diego State, and North Carolina. Uluave tallied 12 stops against Duke. His 19 tackles, including three for loss and two sacks at Virginia Tech were all season-highs. Uluave also posted a sack at Boston College.
12. Jaxton Eck, New Mexico: The South Dakota native delivered a breakout season with the Lobos in 2025. Eck started all 13 games, and racked up 128 stops. He ranked ninth in the FBS in solo tackles per game. Eck finished 12th nationally in stops per game. Not to mention he earned first-team, All-Mountain West honors, and was named the league’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. Eck posted 15 tackles, including eight solo, and forced a fumble in the win over Idaho State. The 6-foot-1, 224-pounder generated 13 tackles at UNLV. Eck had 11 tackles apiece against UCLA, Colorado State, San Diego State and Nevada. His 18 tackles at Boise State were a season-high. He’s arguably the Group of Five’s best linebacker.
11. Owen Chambliss, Nebraska: The former three-star prospect is coming off a stellar season at San Diego State, and led the team with 110 stops. After all, Chambliss ranked 38th in the FBS in tackles per game, and earned first-team, All-Mountain West honors. He posted 13 tackles, including one for loss, and a sack in the win at Northern Illinois. Chambliss also had 13 stops against Wyoming and Hawaii. His two sacks against the Rainbow Warriors were a season-high. Chambliss even made the quarterback eat grass against Stony Brook. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder made 10 stops against California, nine against Washington State, and eight against Boise State. Chambliss is a great addition to the Blackshirts.
10. Taye Brown, Arizona: The former three-star prospect has delivered a ton of production over the past two seasons with the Wildcats, which included 24 starts, and 163 tackles. Brown ranked second on Arizona in stops, and tackles for loss in 2025. He also capped off the year with third-team, All-Big 12 honors. Brown posted a season-high, 14 tackles, including one for loss against BYU. The Arizona native tallied 10 tackles, including two for loss, a sack and forced a fumble against Baylor. Brown also posted 10 stops at Houston. The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder hauled in an interception against Hawaii. Not to mention Jones recorded nine tackles apiece against Kansas, and SMU.
9. Owen Long, Arizona State: The Californian led the entire FBS in tackles per game as a Colorado State Ram last season. Long’s 151 stops were the fifth-most in a single-season for the program. He also earned first-team, All-Mountain West, and third-team, AP All-American honors. Long posted 17 tackles, including two for loss and a sack against Fresno State. The former three-star prospect also made 17 stops, including one for loss, and a sack against Air Force. Long tallied 16 tackles at San Diego State. Not to mention he had 14 tackles apiece against UTSA and Washington State. Long executed 13 stops, including 11 solo at Washington. On top of that, he had 12 tackles apiece against New Mexico and Boise State.
8. Langston Hardy, Wake Forest: The former three-star prospect is a hybrid-type of defender, who excels at outside linebacker, and off the edge. Hardy started all 13 contests for the Demon Deacons last season, and ranked 12th nationally in tackles for loss per game. He even led Wake Forest in sacks, and earned Honorable Mention All-ACC. Hardy made the quarterback eat grass twice against Western Carolina. The Florida native also put the quarterback to the turf against Virginia Tech, Oregon State, North Carolina, and Delaware. His eight stops at Duke, were a season-high. Hardy generated seven tackles apiece against NC State, and Virginia. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is primed to wreak havoc again.
7. Amare Campbell, Tennessee: The Virginia native had a productive campaign at North Carolina in 2024, with included 76 tackles, and 6.5 sacks. Campbell led Penn State in stops, and tackles for loss last season. He even earned third-team, All-Big Ten honors for his heroics. After all, Campbell tallied 14 tackles in the victory at Rutgers. His 15 stops, including eight solo against Oregon were season-highs. The former three-star prospect generated 10 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack at UCLA. Campbell recorded seven stops, including three for loss, and made the quarterback eat grass in the win over Villanova. The six-foot, 230-pounder brings experience, leadership and production to Rocky Top.
6. Prince Umanmielen, LSU: The former four-star prospect is a versatile defender, that’s elite at outside linebacker, and edge rusher. Umanmielen led Ole Miss in tackles for loss and sacks last season. He even earned third-team, All-SEC for his blue-collar work in the trenches. After all, he posted six tackles, including two for loss and made the quarterback eat grass at Oklahoma. Umanmielen also recorded six stops against Georgia in the Playoffs. The Texas native intercepted a pass, and put the quarterback to the turf against Florida. Umanmielen also generated a sack against Kentucky, Washington State, South Carolina, Tulane, Mississippi State, and Miami. He’ll resume his hybrid-linebacker role with LSU.
5. Sammy Brown, Clemson: The former five-star prospect is coming off two stellar campaigns with the Wildcats. After all, Brown racked up 186 tackles, including 25 for loss and 10 sacks during that span. Not to mention he led Clemson in stops, and ranked second on the team in tackles for loss in 2025. Brown capped off the year with first-team, All-ACC honors. The Georgia native posted 11 tackles, including eight solo and one for loss against LSU. Brown also made 11 stops, to go along with a sack in the win at Louisville. His 15 tackles in the bowl game against Penn State were a season-high. Brown had a sack, and intercepted a pass against Furman. The 6-fo0t-2, 235-pounder tallied 10 stops against Duke.
4. Keaton Thomas, Ole Miss: The former Juco started all 25 games, and led Baylor in tackles over the past two seasons. Thomas racked up a jaw-dropping, 220 stops over that span. He even led the Bears in tackles for loss in 2025, and tied for third in the Big 12 in tackles per game. Thomas earned first-team, All-Big 12 in 2024, and second-team last year. The Florida native started out on fire with a season-high, 16 tackles, including 10 solo in the opener against Auburn. Thomas tallied 12 stops at Cincinnati. The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder generated 10 tackles apiece against Arizona State and SMU. Thomas even left a lasting impression with 13 tackles, including nine solo, two for loss and a sack against Houston.
3. Rasheem Biles, Texas: The Ohio native is coming off two stellar campaigns with Pittsburgh. Biles started 18 games over that span, and stockpiled 183 tackles. Not to mention he’s a two-time, second-team, All-ACC performer. Biles led the entire FBS in tackles for loss per game in 2025. He even ranked eighth nationally in tackles per game. Biles posted 15 stops in the win at Georgia Tech. The former three-star prospect tallied a season-high, 16 tackles, including eight solo and two sacks in the bowl game against East Carolina. Not to mention he had 12 tackles, a sack, and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown against Louisville. Biles also returned an interception for a score against Notre Dame.
2. Rolijah Hardy, Indiana: Despite not having any stars behind his name out of high school, he’s blossoming into one of the nation’s best linebackers. Hardy had a breakout campaign last season, and started all 16 games for the National Champs. He even led the Hoosiers with 102 tackles, and eight sacks. Hardy also capped off the year with second-team, All-Big Ten honors. The Florida native tallied 12 tackles including one for a loss and a sack at Penn State. Hardy posted a season-high, 13 stops, including two for a loss and a sack at Oregon. The 5-foot-11, 227-pounder generated 10 tackles apiece against Purdue and Ohio State. Hardy made the quarterback eat grass twice against Michigan State.
1. Xavier Atkins, Auburn: The Houston native delivered a monster campaign for the Tigers last season. After all, Atkins ranked first in the SEC, and sixth nationally in tackles for loss per game. He finished ninth nationally in solo stops per game. Not to mention Atkins tied for 16th in the country in sacks per game. The former three-star prospect posted 10 tackles, including two for loss, a sack, and recovered a fumble in the win over South Alabama. Atkins had 10 stops, a sack and forced a fumble at Texas A&M. The six-foot, 210-pounder had a season-high, 13 tackles and two sacks at Arkansas. Atkins generated 11 tackles, and two sacks against Missouri. He’s a tackling machine, and blocker’s worst nightmare.
Honorable Mention
Arion Carter, Tennessee: He racked up 76 tackles last season for the Volunteers, and was a staple against the run. Carter wreaked so much havoc that he earned second-team, All-SEC honors for his work in the trenches. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Ethan Wesloski, Oklahoma State: The Texas native made 113 tackles at North Texas in 2025. Wesloski has the ability to fly from sideline to sideline. He also earned second-team, All-AAC honors. Wesloski brings credibility to Cowboys’ defense.
Austin Romaine, Texas Tech: He was a staple for Kansas State for the past two seasons. Romaine even led the Wildcats in tackles in 2024, and is a two-time, All-Big 12 performer. Expect Romaine to make an instant impact for the reigning Big 12 Champs.
Blake Fletcher, Air Force: He’s coming off a stellar campaign with the Falcons. After all, Fletcher racked up 108 tackles. Not to mention he ranked 21st in the FBS in tackles per game. Fletcher is arguably the best backer out the Group of Five.
Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma: The Oklahoma native made his presence felt in the SEC last year. Heinecke tallied 74 tackles, including 12 for loss and three sacks. Not to mention he earned second-team, AP All-SEC honors for his heroics in the trenches.
