Stanford head coach David Shaw is stepping down after 12 seasons at the helm of the Cardinal program. Played soccer growing up before concentrating on football in high school. Adequate in-space athleticism appeared to take the next step during senior campaign. His 34.5% pressure rate last year ranked second among Power Five linebackers. While at Clemson in 2020, he earned a 90.2 coverage grade, which was first among Power Five linebackers. If he can stay healthy, he should provide a major boost on defense to his next school. Hes No. Has been nothing but productive under the lights on Friday nights racking up 139 tackles and five sacks as a junior. Also posted a 45-6 shot put PR during junior track and field season and played heavy minutes for his basketball team in Winter 2021-22. Highly productive considering full-time two-way snaps. Traits and pro-like mentality suggests that he can emerge as a trusted contributor for a Top 25 program and eventually an impact player. Rather instinctive in the box as a run defender and is quick to read and react. Mike Jones Jr. rounds out the list at No. Capable of consistent sideline-to-sideline pursuit with proven blitzing ability. pic.twitter.com/9w22mjeZpI, PFF College (@PFF_College) May 15, 2022. Featured primarily as a stand-up edge player early on in his prep career, which in turn taught him how to win with a chop or a simple dip of the shoulder. 2 and Ohio States Tommy Eichenberg at No. Last season, he injured his foot after just one game and missed the rest of the season. Washington States Travion Brown: Arizona States new linebacker has dominated in coverage over the past two seasons. Gray flew around North Carolinas defense this year on his way to becoming a PFF second-team All-American. His pass-rush win rate of 31.2% last season was pretty staggering. Verified high 4.6 speed with shuttle in 4.2s, which showcases change of direction and acceleration. So, what's the book on the quarterback heading into the 2022 college football season? Closes well on ball carriers. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Comfortable in zone coverage and is quick to anticipate throws. Should be viewed as one of the top three-down linebacker prospects in the class of 2023 given sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability and overall physical demeanor. Excellent in chase mode as he can get outside the hashes and hawk down ball carriers of all different sizes. The 2022 college football season has come and gone, and so has the deadline to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. A face-up tackler with good leg drive that doesnt let many slip ball carriers out of his hands. Hausmann was ranked No. Might need a developmental year or two, but has the makeup of a future impact off-ball linebacker for a Power Five program. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Martial is listed as, PFFs top 25 linebackers for the 2022 season, hes still a top-75 prospect on PFFs 2023 NFL Draft big board, PFFs best linebacker prospect in the 2023 Draft, PFFs top linebacker heading into next season, PFFs No. Closes well on ball carriers. Huff, an His short-area explosiveness to beat blockers to the spot and flat-out speed to run down plays all over the field really pops. However, hes more than willing to shoot through one half of the blockers and funnel the ball back inside on perimeter-oriented runs, or just hit a crease and create negative plays when the opportunity arises. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! NFL upside., Prototype size for a modern off-ball linebacker in the 6-foot-1, 215- to 220-pound range entering senior season. One of my Top-???? Finished junior campaign with 150 tackles, five INTs, four sacks, and three defensive TDs. Pick-6 for Tommy Eichenberg. Will need to adjust to the speed of big-time college football, but high football IQ combined with athletic profile (his 7.15 in the L-drill is one of the best in the 2023 class) suggests that he can eventually emerge as an impact player on Saturdays. Hes a physical kid and was one of the a, reas top running backs last season as well, but we think his upside is highest on the defensive side of the ball., A plus athlete for the linebacker position. Senior season displayed improved in-space competency as a big-bodied traditional off-ball 'backer who could likely stay there in the long term. Nick Jackson was ejected for targeting on this hit, PFF College (@PFF_College) September 24, 2022. Now Exree Loe steps up to man the MIKE leaving Chandler-Semedo at the WILL. Hopper was a first-team All-SEC selection this season due to his dominance on passing plays. Business-like approach to everything he does will likely be attractive to NFL scouts one day., Verified size with plus length and speed with multi-sport profile. USC assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the Pac-12 under coach Lincoln Riley. Owner of a 4.62 40 and 100-meter times of 11.16 and 11.18. Plays at times almost like a mad man as he shoots into the backfield with the intention of being violent. N.C. State has the ACCs highest-graded linebacker over the past two years in. Iowa ranks first, thanks to three linebackers making PFFs top 25 list. MWC: Utah State (Kyler Fackrell and Zach Vigil). Excellent overall athletic profile coupled with strong on-field context. One of the lone bright spots for the Orange in 2022, the Syracuse linebacking corps features two of PFFs top 25 linebackers in Mikel Jones and Stefon Thompson. Theres one man to credit for Troy cracking this list, and thats sixth-year senior Carlton Martial. Thats what the Sooners seemed to be aiming for as they made the trip over eastern border to offer 2024 linebacker Brian Huff. Hes actually on track for slightly better numbers this season. Also well-rounded basketball player. Gambling problem? Rather effective in pursuit and has also shown that he can get the job done as a face-up tackler. NFL upside in an era where so many teams want to air it out., Unverified at 6-foot-3 and 200-pounds, appears to possess an athletic frame with growth potential to add additional weight to his frame. We have not seen him asked to drop back and cover as much so that is a part of his game that needs to be furthered evaluated although he looks like a good enough athlete to do that., (Photo: @USC_FB, IG: tackett_curtis4, 247Sports), Nichelson is among the most athletic linebackers in the region. Intelligent player that has a good feel for whats going on around him, which isnt surprising given the fact that his father is an NFL defensive coordinator. Seasoned blitzer that can get home with his elite burst on Friday nights. Hes not quite there mentally, just being a step too late in his reactions at times, but hes the full package. Does not quit on plays. Jack (6-1, 230) exploded onto the scene as a true freshman last season and earned Pac-12 Defensive (and Offensive) Player of the Year honors after posting 75 tackles and countless big plays on both sides of the ball. Flashes chase-down speed with an exceptionally broad pursuit range. One school to keep an eye out for Mauigoa is, . Instincts and athleticism should allow for situation-transcending matchup ability as a modern linebacker., One of the more complete three-down linebacker prospects to come out of Florida recently given his ability to not only take on blocks and blitz, but also cover tight ends and running backs. Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. **More **. Neither is the most talented linebacker in the league, but as a duo, no returning SEC pair was more productive last year than this one. Thats because his younger brother, Francis, is currently committed to the Hurricanes as a top-five recruit and the No. University of Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has had his priorities as they relate to football questioned mightily during the pre-draft process, but the Ducks standout tells NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe it's a lot of misinformation he's ready to prove wrong beginning once he hears his name called in Thursday's first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Has some stack-and-shed ability but needs to continue to develop it. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Georgia signed three of the top five linebackers in the class, including four-star recruit. Long-term positional home has been in question in the past, but functional athleticism and playmaking ability are not. As a true freshman, he led all Power-Five linebackers with a 91.0 pass-rushing grade. University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has drawn the eye of a few NFL franchises, said he expects to coach the Wolverines in 2023. Adequate in-space athleticism appeared to take the next step during senior campaign. He also made 13 coverage stops, which ranked in the top 25 for all linebackers in the country. Follow College Football 24/7 on Twitter @NFL_CFB. The junior was also second among SEC linebackers with a 51.7% open target rate allowed. Simpson was right up there with those two No returning SEC pair was more productive last year than Georgia's Ramik By: CollegeFootballNews.com, College Basketball Predictions. UGA allowed third-down conversions at a 40-percent clip. Jones was the second-highest-graded linebacker in the ACC last season with a 75.6 mark. Ran for more than 1,000 yards on almost 10 yards per carry while recording 91 tackles as a junior. Heres a look at the top linebackers in the transfer portal at this time. Trotter was second in that same group in both passer rating allowed (42.9) and open target rate allowed (47.6%). Moses has the speed to scrape over the top of blockers and take away angles towards the sideline, limiting the amount of big plays against the Crimson Tide defense. Not only can break 11 seconds on the track in the 100-meter dash, but has also almost hit 23 MPH on the Catapult GPS system in pads. This is the fifth in a series looking at the best positional tandems in college football in each conference, taking into account both college production and pro potential. Buy Sooners Tickets. Ernest Hausmann, who transferred to Michigan after one season at Nebraska, was named to On3s recent top-10 Linebackers of 2023 list. Max Bullough, Michigan State 3. However, while I like the patience he displays in reading run schemes, he is a little too conversative for my taste and when big linemen work up to him, he struggles to disengage. Naturally low center of gravity and impressive core balance allows him to change directions without wasting much, if any, motion. Needs to show he can stack and shed on consistent basis. 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