By Luke Brumm
We looked at the edges last week, now let’s move on to the inside linebackers…
5. CJ Allen – Georgia
I could have went with Small Mondon Jr. here as well, but I went with the rising sophomore CJ Allen. As a true freshman last year, Allen came in and took playing time away from starting middle linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and forced him to hit the transfer portal. He was an instant impact players and racked up 21 solo tackles and a sack in 2023. He will start this season and will look to vastly improve his numbers from last year.
CJ ALLEN WANTS ALL THE SMOKE😤😮💨 pic.twitter.com/VCGlqBM1OD
— Thumser (@JeffreyThumser) December 30, 2023
4. Jaishawn Barham – Michigan
Barham is coming in from Maryland after a stellar season with the Terrapins. In 2023, he had 23 solo tackles, three sacks, and an interception. He will look to come in and replace a lot of starters from that defense who have since departed for the NFL. He will also be apart of the first year of the post-Harbaugh era in Ann Arbor. I like what Barham brings to the table and I think he will help ease the transition into the next era for the Wolverines.
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3. Danny Stutsman – Oklahoma
Danny Stutsman is the face of the Sooner defense and a great linebacker. He embodies the same type of energy that the Boz had back in his day, and with OU headed to the SEC, they’ll need all of that. 51 solo tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception is what his junior season looked like. Impressive stuff coming from the 6’4 241 lbs linebacker from Windermere, Florida. Oklahoma knows they need a stout defense to compete in their new conference, and with Brent Venables at the helm and Stutsman in the middle, I like what I’m seeing.
2. Jay Higgins – Iowa
Iowa continues to breed great middle linebackers and just defensive players in general, and Jay Higgins is next up. Higgins is back for his fifth year and already has an elite resume at Iowa. In 2023 alone, he accumulated 171 total tackles, 79 solo tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and an interception. Safe to say he was all over the field and doing multiple things for this Hawkeye defense. It’s a shame Iowa’s offense has been so bad in recent years because the defense has been the exact opposite.
1. Barrett Carter – Clemson
Coming in as my top MLB for 2023 is Barrett Carter out of Clemson. The Tigers have had a similar problem as Iowa in that their defense has been elite while their offense has been below average at best. Carter put up 37 solo tackles, three and a half sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception in 2023, and that was actually worse than he did the year before. I expect Carter back to his 2022 numbers and Clemson’s defense to have another stellar season.
