Top 5 off-ball linebackers in college football right now
Now a month into the 2022 college football season, I decided it was time to rank the five best players for each position at this very moment. For clarification, these lists are based on where these young men are today as college football players. I’m in the business of projecting forward and evaluating them as draft prospects, but for this exercise, I tried to isolate them from their team and purely judge them on who could help me win games at the CFB level right now.
Here are the five best off-ball linebackers in college football:
#1. Noah Sewell, Oregon
I enjoy the process of evaluating stand-up or off-ball linebackers and think I have a solid track record in terms of NFL projections. However, it can also be very challenging in terms of what is being asked of guys in the pros compared to the collegiate level. Just separating what makes a great college LB versus what translates to the next level isn't easy.
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Noah Sewell at number one made it fairly easy for me. He was already a stud as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection in his second season, but I also love what he offers the NFL. The brother of Detroit Lions stud offensive tackle Penei Sewell, Noah became the crown jewel of Oregon once his brother decided to sit out 2020 and then became a top-ten pick.
He’s not quite there mentally, just being a step too late in his reactions at times, but he’s the full package. Sewell doesn’t shy away from blasting into blockers and can certainly blow up ball-carriers in the hole, but also has the burst to shut down toss plays out wide and is like a bear as a tackler. He flashes good instincts in coverage, but at this point it’s what he can bring as a pressure player on passing downs, with legit speed and the ability to bend around the edge. His pass-rush win rate of 31.2% last season was pretty staggering.
#2. Henry To'o To'o, Alabama
Rarely do you see a college football linebacker become a day-two NFL draft pick and you feel like the guy who was lined up next to him (but decided to stay for another year) is significantly better. Christian Harris was a highly-regarded recruit for Alabama and had flashes, where he’d let that talent flourish, but I thought Henry To’o To’o cleaned up quite a few things throughout the year for him.
Coming over from Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee offense, the linebacker was familiar with a similar defensive scheme that allowed Nick Saban and company to move Harris to the weak-side, with To’o To’o fitting in at MIKE. He’s light on his feet to mirror the ball and navigate around blockers, but can also flatten and cut off angles as running backs commit to a gap.
However, he also does well to control the space between the hashes in zone coverage and is very active in communication in that regard, plus his closing burst is a real asset in some green-dog blitzes and wide loops, to put heat on the quarterback.
#3. Trenton Simpson, Clemson
The guy most draft rankings seem to have at the top for the position in college football is Trenton Simpson at Clemson. Simpson was right up there with those two linebackers for Oregon in Sewell and Justin Flowe as LB3 in the 2020 recruiting class. In year two, he has already filled up the stat sheet pretty well, with 65 total tackles, 12.5 of them for a loss, 6.5 sacks and two passes broken up. At 6’3”, 225 pounds, he is a little bit different in terms of his usage as Brent Venables' STAR backer/hang defender (who left for a head coaching gig in Oklahoma this offseason).
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Simpson has continued to excel under new DC Wes Goodwin, thanks to his athletic profile and the growth in play-recognition. His short-area explosiveness to beat blockers to the spot and flat-out speed to run down plays all over the field really pops. In the passing game, he can carry slot receivers down the hashes, blitz off the slot, spy the quarterback and pretty much anything you ask of him, because of how loose he is in space.
#4. Jack Campbell, Iowa
When you think of a true standout college linebacker, who’s consistently a step early with how he sees plays happen and seems to get involved in every single tackle, Jack Campbell comes to mind. He has some good lateral agility to side-step blockers, but rarely fights through creases and stops the momentum of ball-carriers around the line of scrimmage.
He may not be super rangy in coverage. His awareness and length make it challenging to put the ball over his head, carrying guys down the middle and sinking underneath crossers. We’ve already seen him bat passes into the air and for his secondary players to dive for. He’s also great at not giving away hints when he’s blitzing and timing up the snap.
#5. Demarvion Overshown, Texas
Finally, somebody who may not be as comfortable stacking and shedding blockers in the traditional sense. But Texas’ Demarvion Overshown is incredible as a run-and-chase player. Between 2020 and ’21, he combined for 134 total tackles, 13.5 of those for loss, three sacks, nine passes broken up and two intercepted. He’s actually on track for slightly better numbers this season.
Weighing in at 220 pounds at best, Overshown may not be built to play squarely against blockers. However, he’s 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.
Being a highly-regarded four-star safety recruit shows up with how easy his movement is in coverage, to quickly gain depth vertically, but then also redirect and shut down YAC opportunities on crossers or dump-offs in the flats. Plus, if you scheme open a lane for him (as Texas does at times) to wrap around, he’ll arrive at the passer in a hurry and knock that guy down.
Honorable mentions: Troy Brown (Central Michigan), Ivan Pace Jr. (Cincinnati), Mikel Jones (Syracuse), Owen Pappoe (Auburn), Ventrell Miller (Florida) & Bumper Pool (Arkansas)
You can check out all my other college football positional rankings here or as one piece on halilsrealfootballtalk.com