Previously: Quarterback, Running Backs, Receivers, Offensive Line, Defensive Line 

We have just two pieces to go in 2022's edition of The Enemy series. This piece covers linebackers, which this year we will use to only refer to true LBs. We included EDGE OLBs in our last piece on the defensive line, so they are out of the picture for this, and I am classifying nickel-shaped spacebackers as DBs. As a result, only a few teams here will have more than two starting LBs, but I may mention who the SAM is for teams that shift between a true 4-3 and 4-2-5.  

 

12. Hawaii 

LB	LB
Penei Pavihi	Isaiah Tufaga
Logan Taylor	Noah Kema

The Rainbow Warriors start at the bottom for the second straight defensive article, and that's in spite of having a returning starter at one of the two positions. Penei Pavihi is the returner and the leader of this group, someone who graded out extremely poorly in the PFF numbers, and he's joined by Isaiah Tufaga, a rotational piece from last season who is sliding in for the departing Darius Muasau. Tufaga didn't fare much better to PFF's data when he got on the field and both players have major athletic limitations. The depth is thin, as you'd expect for a team with as much turnover as Hawaii has endured... Logan Taylor redshirted last season and Noah Kema arrives as a JUCO guy. A pretty brutal situation. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Less depressing LB situations]

 

Ian Swenson is a Dude [UCONN Athletics]

11. Connecticut 

WILL	MIKE	OLB
Jackson Mitchell	Ian Swenson	Marquez Bembry
Jordan Morrison	Tui Faumuina-Brown	Hunter Webb

I'm classifying Marquez Bembry as an LB here but PFF classifies him as an EDGE for what it's worth (which is where I classified their other "OLB" earlier this week). Wouldn't change the rankings anyway. The big names here are the returning starters Ian Swenson and Jackson Mitchell, who were the defense's two leading tacklers a year ago. Mitchell is not a particularly great player, but Swenson, an undersized ex-DB, is pretty good and would be competing for All-Conference honors if UCONN wasn't homeless because their basketball team wanted to go back to the Big East. Marquez Bembry transferred in from Kentucky but has struggled to stick at a program to this point. The backups all boast little experience. It's not a terribly inspiring positional group, but the presence of Swenson automatically bumps them above the tire fire that is Hawaii. 

 

10. Colorado State 

WLB	MLB
Cam'Ron Carter	Daequan Jackson
Drew Kulick	Bam Amina

CSU runs a true 4-2-5 with a nickel, so only two guys here and both are pretty good returning starters. Cam'Ron Carter has been a darling of Bill Connelly's for some time and earned 3rd Team All-MWC honors last year. But to voters on that recognition, Daequan Jackson was even better, earning 2nd Team honors! With two rock solid returners who played almost all the snaps, the Rams should feel comfortable about where they are within the Mountain West at the LB position, and compared to the three non-conference teams here, that makes them clearly the best. Though they had a case to perhaps be above some of the terrible LBs at the bottom end of the B1G, I felt that their PFF grades (which remember, aren't curved for SOS) were not fantastic enough to jump ahead of teams whose (more talented) LBers are playing vastly better offenses. Colorado State will have to settle for 10th. 

 

[University of Illinois Athletics]

9. Illinois 

WLB	MLB
Calvin Hart Jr.	Tarique Barnes
Isaac Darkangelo	Dylan Rosiek

Illinois uses an OLB as an EDGE rusher, which we talked about last time, and a "STAR", which will be classified with the DBs. For their two traditional LBs, they return one starter in Tarique Barnes, who did finish #2 in tackles on the team but the fancystats are pretty unforgiving. Barnes was PFF's worst graded LB on the Illini, with a grisly 45.5 grade for a player who played the most snaps of any 'backer on the team last year. I didn't get to FFFF Illinois since they weren't on the schedule, so I can't offer my own thoughts, but despite the disagreements I sometimes have with PFF, they can't be that far off. If they say a guy is godawful, he probably is bad.

The issue for Illinois is that the other three players listed on this two-deep besides the very bad returner are all inexperienced. Calvin Hart Jr. is coming off an injury that wiped out nearly his entire 2021. The ex-NCST transfer graded out poorly with the Wolfpack, then transferred to Champaign, then barely played in year one for the orange and blue. He is projected to start, but seems like a giant question mark. And speaking of giant question marks, the two reserves listed played 14 snaps combined last season. Seems like a rebuilding year in the LB room. 

 

8. Rutgers 

WLB	MLB
Dieon Jennings	Tyreem Powell
Anthony Johnson	Austin Dean

I said it was a rebuilding year for Illinois' LB room and the same can be said for Rutgers, who I debated putting 9th after everyone fled their LB room like it was a mining town and the mine just closed. Last year Rutgers ranked 4th on my LB list after their rolled almost everyone over and had an impact LB in Olakunle Fatukasi. This year Fatukasi, Tyreek Maddox-Williams, Drew Singleton, and Tyshon Fogg all exit. In other words, all four LBs who played >400 snaps last season are gone. Back to square zero. 

Tyreem Powell played by far the most snaps of any returner, with 299 snaps and 20 tackles. He graded out extremely poorly in PFF's numbers; I have no scouting because he wasn't on the field enough in the games I saw. Deion Jennings and Austin Dean combined for 78 snaps, and right now fourth up on the two-deep is a true freshman, Anthony Johnson. Johnson is a nice recruit (especially for Rutgers!), but linebacker is one of the last positions you want a true freshman to be playing a major role in. This is very grim, but I will give Greg Schiano some credit in how he is able to work with and develop both linebackers and defenses at large. They will be bad, but I give enough of a benefit of the doubt to bump Rutgers above Illinois. 

 

[University of Maryland Athletics]

7. Maryland

WILL	MIKE	SAM*
Fa'Najae Gotay	Ruben Hyppolite II	Vandarius Cowen
Ahmad McCullough	Gereme Spraggins	Caleb Wheatland

I put an asterisk by SAM because Maryland only uses that spot occasionally. The MLB/WLB spots are the two to really focus on. The Terps have the opposite problem of Rutgers: where the Scarlet Knights are staring down an LB position in which nobody has seen the field, Maryland is looking at an LB position in which everybody has seen the field and the coaches really wish they had more options. Of the four players listed on the two-deep at MLB/WLB, three were cyan'd on my FFFF diagram last year and the only one who wasn't, Fa'Najae Gotay, played just one game last season. The trio of Ruben Hyppolite II, Ahmad McCullough, and Gereme Spraggins (elite name triumvirate, though) were the worst LB corps I graded in 2021, as all three turned in a truly despicable performance. All three are back, so I guess they could improve? Not holding my breath. 

The hope for Maryland is that one of those three takes a step forward from atrocity to mediocrity and Fa'Najae Gotay's decent PFF grades in 2020 reappear when he returns to the field in 2022. Seems like a bit of a longshot that both of those things go right, let alone one. When they use the SAM position, it will likely be WVU transfer Vandarius Cowen. I can't tell you much about him other than the advanced grades are not kind either. And if he can't go, true freshman Caleb Wheatland would be next up. Yeah. 

These three teams, Illinois, Rutgers, and Maryland, clearly have the worst LB situation among B1G teams that Michigan draws this season. I put the Terps highest among those three because at least they have returners and are a bit more projectable. It's not a good projection, but it is a projection, and small strides forward seem likely by virtue of experience, which puts them in a tenuous position for #7. 

 

6. Indiana 

WLB	MLB
Cam Jones	Aaron Casey
Jared Casey	Bradley Jennings

I am classifying IU's spacebacker, known as the "HUSKY", as a DB because he's shaped like a safety. The two true LBs they run out there consist of returning starter Cam Jones, as well as Aaron Casey, the latter replacing acclaimed blitzer Micah McFadden. That is a huge loss for the Hoosiers and will not be easy to replace. Let's start with Jones, who was mostly just a guy. I didn't have a ton to say about him last year, and he more or less got lost in the shuffle behind McFadden. Now it will be his turn to transform from a guy to the guy. Can he do it? Ask again later. 

Casey was a rotational piece in 2021 who was also nondescript for the most part, making this starter tandem close to the bar of mediocrity for LB play. The teams above IU have at least one guy who is worth talking about. The teams below IU are a dumpster fire by and large. But IU themselves is mostly just a collection of generic players. Bradley Jennings and Jared Casey transfer in from Miami and Kentucky, respectively, and they provide filler as equally forgettable pieces. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Bye bye, Steele Chambers [Patrick Barron]

5. Ohio State

WLB	MLB
Steele Chambers	Tommy Eichenberg
CJ Hicks/Cody Simon	Teradja Mitchell

New DC Jim Knowles is instituting a true 4-2-5 system with a nickel safety, who will be classified as a DB. He inherits an LB room that was pretty rough last season, encapsulated by dreadful performances in such notable games as Oregon, Utah, Penn State, and The Game. Knowles is the LBs coach in addition to DC, which means he will be working with these guys directly, wherein lies much of the conflict for me. This is a decently talented group of players who had some moments last year (particularly against bad teams) but were abused relentlessly in the big moments. However, I expect them to be a lot better by late November because I think Knowles is a fine coach who will be infinitely better than the mess that was OSU's 2021 defensive coaching staff. 

So how do we assess things? Tommy Eichenberg was their best LB I thought, though Steele Chambers had some moments before falling on his face against Michigan. I think they have a shot to be pretty solid given much better coaching from Knowles. Cody Simon and Teradja Mitchell, on the other hand, were both a cut below those two, with Mitchell not even on the field at Michigan Stadium because he was unplayable. Those two may not be salvageable. CJ Hicks comes in as a 5* true freshman, #7 nationally in the 24/7 composite, but he's probably not the answer this year. As Michigan saw with Junior Colson last season, you can have an uber-talented player still really struggle because true freshmen LBs should not be on the field. 

Best case for OSU is that Knowles turns Eichenberg and Chambers into serviceable, possible fringe All-B1G players. Worst case is a repeat of last year. I think the most likely outcome is closer to the former than the latter, and the glut of experience, even if it isn't good experience, bumps Ohio State a little higher than Indiana. They have a shot to finish higher than this, but should not be higher than 5th based on what we saw last season. 

 

4. Michigan State

WLB	MLB
Jacoby Windmon	Cal Haladay
Aaron Brule	Darius Snow

The Spartans play with two traditional LBs on most plays and one of those will likely be pretty good, Cal Haladay. I didn't think Haladay was an incredible player, but for a first-time starting LB, he was good. Especially considering the fact that he came out of relative nowhere to make an impact. I'd expect him to grab a spot somewhere on the All-B1G Team this year as a tackle-everything-that-moves old school MLB. Michigan State's attempt to pair him with a transfer failed epically last year in the form of Quavaris Crouch, but he has been drummed out and they've decided to play the Transfer Lotto again with Jacoby Windmon from UNLV. PFF profiles Windmon as an excellent pass rusher but pretty poor in coverage and at tackling. His overall grade was decent, but he was playing in the MWC. There will be an adjustment upwards and it's unclear if he will be able to hack it at a quality level in the B1G. 

The reserves consist of Aaron Brule and Darius Snow. Brule is another transfer, arriving from Mississippi State where he was a co-starter, but a pretty poor one in the PFF grading. Snow moves from safety, which makes a lot of sense as a good run defender who couldn't cover at all. Not sure of the kind of impact he can make right away after that positional switch. MSU grades out as #4 on my list because they do have a pretty good known-quantity in Haladay, but the rest are moving parts: transfers who may or may not fit in and/or be good, and a position switcher. A decent floor, but some questions.  

 

[Patrick Barron]

3. Penn State 

WILL	MIKE
Curtis Jacobs	Tyler Elsdon
Charlie Katshir	Kobe King

Penn State sees some turn over in their LB room, losing both Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith. It's a lot of snaps to replace, but neither were superstars or high NFL picks. The Nittany Lions they do return Curtis Jacobs, a good player overall but one who struggles in coverage and he will be sliding from SAM to WILL. The rest of the room is pretty up in the air. There was a competition at the MLB spot, which right now seems to have a slight edge in favor of Tyler Elsdon over Kobe King, but both are young and inexperienced pieces so I'm not sure there's really a discernible difference.

I should note that last year PSU ran a true 4-3, but this year it appears that the SAM spot will be more of a spacebaker, with Jonathan Sutherland moving from safety to take the job and turning it more into a DB-role than an LB one. Overall, there's one solid starter and then a tossup at the other slot, which is more or less the same thing as MSU. I gave the small edge to PSU because their replacement options are in-house players who know the scheme and have been coached by a lot of the same coaches, which I tend to think is a bit safer projection-wise than a transfer (especially at LB), even if Jacoby Windmon of MSU has more FBS experience. I wouldn't quibble either way if you wanted to move MSU up, though. 

 

2. Nebraska 

WLB	MLB
Luke Reimer	Nick Henrich
Garrett Snodgrass	Etega Mauga-Clements

I hate how I have now had to become Mr. Optimistic with Nebraska. Please save me, Scott Frost!!!! Luke Reimer was my Dangerman on last year's Nebraska FFFF and with another year under his belt, he will have a shot to be one of the top LBs in the B1G. He was a tackling machine last year who did well in coverage. Yes there are things to work on in his run defense, but I was a fan of his last year and in 2022, he should be even better, one of the top B1G LBs. Nick Henrich also returns at MLB, making Nebraska one of just four B1G opponents to return both starters. Henrich had an interesting season, being very good in one of the games I charted (against MSU) but struggling elsewhere on the schedule. I think he should also progress towards being solid this season. 

The reserves were not leaned on heavily, with Garrett Snodgrass and Etega Mauga-Clements getting just 46 combined snaps last season, but it's important to throw out Chris Kolarevic's name. Nebraska's spacebacker, the "NICK", will be shared by DB-sized Isaac Gifford and the LB-sized Kolarevic, an ex-Northern Iowa transfer who now is in his second year in the program. Kolarevic didn't play a ton last year and wasn't great when he did, but a positional switch here may do him some good, and more than anything, playing a second year in the FBS should go a long way. 

Overall, Nebraska didn't have a great LB room last year, but they return one of my favorite LBs in the conference and have a couple more returners in Henrich and Kolarevic who should improve as well. That's enough to bump them over teams with real questions like MSU/PSU, but it's also an indictment of the rather poor level of LB play on Michigan's schedule this year. 

 

1. Iowa 

WILL	MIKE	SAM
Seth Benson	Jack Campbell	Jestin Jacobs
Kyler Fisher	Jay Higgins	Logan Klemp

Two defensive articles, two articles where Iowa ranks #1. Gonna be a good defense, folks! Iowa returns 100% of the snaps that PFF classified as "linebacker" from last season, which includes 2nd Team All-American Jack Campbell, not to be confused with ex-Michigan commit and Edmonton Oilers goalie Jack Campbell. I'm not as high on Campbell to that degree, but he's a very good player who may well be the B1G's best LB in 2022. He's joined by Seth Benson at WLB, who is a rock-solid starter himself, and Jestin Jacobs at SAM, who you could say the same thing about. Jacobs will come off the field more when they need five true DBs, as opposed to Campbell/Benson who basically never miss a play, but Jacobs still played over 500 snaps last season. 

Benson and Campbell are easy bets to be All-B1G, which made the Hawkeyes the only logical choice for #1. These two guys are Iowa LBs... they're not going to be Nakobe Dean and track Blake Corum down in space. There's no Devin Bush here. But if you want good old-fashioned Midwestern boys who know how to read a play and tackle a guy within their athletic limits while making few mistakes, this is the group for you. On a positional ranking that I wasn't terribly impressed with, it made Iowa an easy choice for the top spot. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

Where would Michigan rank?

This is a bit of an interesting one because while I am quite worried about the depth at LB, I feel very comfortable projecting Michigan's two starters. Neither Nikhai Hill-Green or Junior Colson were great, let alone even good yet, but they were both first time (co-)starters learning a new scheme, one that places a lot of pressure on them. Both have the tools to be great, though, and I think at least one progresses towards that this year. At the very least, I think both will be improved and both could/should threaten for All-B1G honors. That right there should put Michigan in line with MSU/PSU at the 3-4 slots, if not ahead. Both of those teams have a guy who was better than them last year, but both don't have a second guy as much of a known quantity as either. You can even make a case against Nebraska too. 

Depth holds Michigan back, but if you told me both guys are healthy the whole year, I'd be on the cusp of ranking Michigan #2 on this list. Not going to get any higher than that right now, because Iowa's got good, known quantities and Michigan doesn't. We're still betting on growth here. However, it's a good bet, and frankly, one I'd rather have than almost any other team I've listed here.