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We have talked about defensive linemen already, so now we move on to the second level of the defense. This category includes all off-the-ball linebackers. Therefore you can find 3-4 middle linebackers as well as 4-3 outside backers. Basically, all linebackers that don't line up primarily at the line of scrimmage. So for 3-4 edge-rushing outside linebackers, you will have to check out my top five edge rushers. Once again, this list is based on these guys as college players - not eventual draft prospects.
#1 Devin White, LSU
There are more accomplished linebackers in the NCAA, but I would take White over any of them heading into this season. He was a first-team All-SEC and second team All-American selection as a sophomore, recording 133 total tackles, with 13.5 going for a loss. White is the catalyst for the Tiger defense.
He plays with an attitude and swagger, is feather-light on his feet and has a jump to his step. The LSU backer has no troubles getting depth after stepping up against run-fakes, shows tremendous pursuit and has the speed to show up anywhere on the field. White displays an elite closing burst and is an explosive hitter. He is comfortable covering guys out of the backfield as well as getting after QBs, as he has a feel for where the open lane is.
Even though he has enough size to take on blockers, White prefers to get things done with speed and overruns some plays, surrendering cutback lanes and he can be manipulated by the QB’s eyes and pump fakes.
#2 Mack Wilson, Alabama
In a weird way, all those great linebackers for Alabama in recent years first put their name on the radar with a big hit and after Reuben Foster and Rashaan Evans, Wilson delivered a monster hit on kickoff coverage against Texas A&M as a freshman in 2016. Last year as a sophomore he fought through a banged-up foot, but didn’t fail to produce impact plays and looked healthy once the CFP began, making his mark on them by recording 18 combined tackles, two sacks and a pick six.
Wilson has the ability to read the play flat-footed and then shoot out of his stance like a missile. He has a way of getting through traffic and like those other Bama backers, he arrives at the target with some thump. The Tide backer doesn’t mind going through the chest of a guard on his way to the guy with the ball and brings the short-area burst to the table that enables him to undercut hook routes.
Wilson needs to improve the speed at which he recognizes plays, as he lets blockers put hands on him at times before he really knows where he wants to go. Yet, he has the talent and toughness to be the dynamic alpha dog the Tide seem to have every year.
#3 Devin Bush, Michigan
After being a special teams demon for the Wolverines as a freshman, Bush stepped into the starting lineup on defense in 2017 and was a game-wrecker for the Maze and Blue off the get-go, as he recorded seven tackles and two sacks versus Florida in the season-opener.
Overall he amassed 95 total tackles, with ten of them going for a loss, 5.5 sacks and seven pass deflections. Bush is an aggressive, downhill thumper, who can also play in space. He displays tenacious pursuit and loves to lay some wood on people. Yet he’s not a guy who just buries his shoulder into the opponent, but rather actually runs through his tackles.
He has a feel for where things will open up and goes in an instant to create negative plays. The Michigan backer had an incredible interception versus Wisconsin. At sub six feet and 220 pounds, there are some limitations, but Bush is dangerous at coming on those delayed blitzes and rushed off the edge a bit as well.
#4 Cameron Smith, USC
This young man was an impact player ever since he first suited up for the USC program, earning Freshman All-American honors and he has been the heart of the defense ever since. In 2017 Smith amassed 112 total tackles and 11 of them happened in the opposing backfield. The first-team All-Pac-12 member shows great pursuit, recognizes plays quickly, trusts his eyes and goes with a purpose.
He shoots gaps and creates a bunch of negative plays. He is an excellent open-field tackler, who drives his legs through contact. Smith gets into this zone, in which his eyes start getting bigger and he can intimidate opponents. He will squeeze through gaps, change angles, run around people and through them just so he arrives at the guy with the ball eventually. He completely took over the Utah game, collecting 16 tackles and a pick. The SC backer might not quite have the sideline-to-sideline speed of those other three guys, but he is a damn good football player.
#5 Joe Bachie, Michigan State
Nobody really expected Sparty to make a run for the Big Ten before the start of the 2017 season, but the emergence of quarterback Brian Lewerke and linebacker Joe Bachie as the cornerstones on offense and defense respectively all of a sudden changed things. Even though they had their dreams crushed in blowout fashion against Ohio State, the Michigan State program looked way ahead of schedule.
Bachie’s strong play and leadership as a sophomore were the main reason for the defense holding opponents to 20 points per game. Over the course of the 2017 season, Bachie recorded 100 tackles and three picks. That guy is an extremely instinctive and aggressive linebacker, who puts his helmet on the ball and drives his legs through contact.
Sometimes it seems like the MSU backer is in the backfield so fast offensive linemen can’t even put hands on him and he lights up running backs after they just took the handoff. He was a three-star recruit because he is no premiere athlete, but it doesn’t really show up on the field.
#6 Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
This young man came in for Northwestern and was a monster as a freshman after a redshirt year, recording 111 tackles, nine for loss, four fumbles forced and a pick while taking over as the program’s leader of the future. Fisher says he models his game after Luke Kuechly and is reminiscent of his head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was a two time All-American and Bronco Nagurski winner himself. Fisher plays with a tenacious attitude and tackles people like a bear. He chases after ball-carriers with a ferocious pursuit and truly is a sideline-to-sideline playmaker.
The Wildcat cornerstone never goes less than full speed, sorts his way through traffic and rarely lets the guy with the ball escape. Fisher needs to take on blockers with better extension to keep vision on the backfield, but he has strong arms to take down ball-carriers trying to run past him. In an upset over Michigan State, he had 14 solo tackles.
Honorable mentions:
Shaquille Quarterman (Miami), T.J. Edwards (Wisconsin)
