The rating of the top linebackers entering any season is always an annual treat. Sometimes they pan out, and sometimes they flip. Who is this year’s slam dunk, and which guy on this list will make me look dumb? Here’s my top 50 in order and ranked in tiers — it’s called the Farrell 50, and I’ve been doing it since 2010.
Tier One
1. Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
2. Barrett Carter, Clemson
3. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
4. Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia
5. Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
6. Abdul Carter, Penn State
7. Lander Barton, Utah
8. Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
Tier Two
9. Jaylan Ford, Texas
10. Cedric Gray, North Carolina
11. Maema Njongmeta, Wisconsin
12. Junior Colson, Michigan
13. Michael Barrett, Michigan
14. Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
15. Nick Jackson, Iowa
16. Cal Haladay, Michigan State
17. Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
18. Johnny Hodges, TCU
19. Daniel Green, Kansas State
Tier Three
20. Kalen DeLoach, Florida State
21. Omar Speights, LSU
22. Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
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23. Luke Reimer, Nebraska
24. Shaun Dolac, Buffalo
25. Payton Wilson, NC State
26. Karene Reid, Utah
27. Steele Chambers, Ohio State
28. Chad Bailey, Missouri
29. Jackson Sirmon, Cal
30. Marlowe Wax, Syracuse
31. Jackson Mitchell, UConn
32. Bryce Gallagher, Northwestern
33. Mason Cobb, USC
34. Jason Johnson, UCF
35. Deshawn Pace, Cincinnati
Tier Four
36. Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
37. Dasan McCullough, Oklahoma
38. Ernest Hausmann, Michigan
39. Jett Johnson, Mississippi State
40. Aaron Beasley, Tennessee
41. Gabe Jacas, Illinois
42. Tatum Bethune, Florida State
43. Vinny DePalma, Boston College
44. Jaishawn Barham, Maryland
