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The heart and soul of a defense is usually its linebackers.
With that in mind here’s a look at each team in the SEC and its best linebacker heading into the 2016 season.
ALABAMA — Reuben Foster
Instinctive and a big-hitter, Foster earned the starting job at inside linebacker and returns to Alabama for his senior season. He finished second on the team in tackles in 2015 with 73. Only Reggie Ragland had more (102). Foster recorded 8.0 tackles for loss and set a career high for tackles (11) against Tennessee.
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ARKANSAS — Brooks Ellis
The junior led the team in tackles last season with 102. He also posted 8.0 tackles for loss, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. A leader on and off the field, Ellis was named to the Butkus Award Watch List as well as the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, given to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
AUBURN — Tre’ Williams
Rotating with senior Kris Frost, Williams gained valuable experience as a sophomore and will step into a more prominent role in 2016. With Frost and fellow senior linebacker Cassanova McKinzy leaving the program, Williams’ role and responsibilities increase. He recorded 55 tackles in 2015, including a career-high 10 vs. LSU. He started against Mississippi State and recorded three tackles before leaving with a knee injury.
FLORIDA — Jarrad Davis
Second on the team in tackles (98) in 2015 behind senior linebacker Antonio Morrison, Davis is expected to be the team leader on defense for 2016. He had 11 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks last season. He stood out in the SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama, recording eight tackles, including six solo, and forced a fumble.
GEORGIA — Tim Kimbrough
Third on a team where the top four tacklers were linebackers, only Kimbrough returns for the 2016 season. He’ll be called upon to be a leader and will play field general for the new crop of linebackers. Kimbrough recorded 67 tackles last season. He played in 12 games, starting seven, and had a career-high 13 tackles vs. Alabama.
KENTUCKY — Jordan Jones
Three senior linebackers are gone and the next-best leading linebacker prospect was recently removed from the team. That leaves a batch of freshmen to move in and take charge. Among them, Jones played in eight games in 2015 and recorded 10 tackles. An early high school graduate, Jones came to campus and impressed Wildcats coaches in the spring. At 6-2, 215, he already has decent size and will only grow bigger and stronger.
LSU — Kendell Beckwith
A leader at linebacker from the moment he took over as a starter in his sophomore season, Beckwith returns for his senior year. With continued improvement he should be among the top linebackers in the 2017 NFL Draft. Beckwith was second on the team in tackles (84) and tackles for loss (10) last season. He also came up with 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles. He will be among the SEC’s top linebackers in 2016.
MISSISSIPPI STATE — Richie Brown
A top special teams player before last season, Brown had played in 26 games but didn’t make his first start until last season. Brown led the Bulldogs in tackles (109), solo tackles (51), and sacks (6.5) and was second in tackles for loss (13).
He will once again be called upon to lead the charges on defense especially with fellow linebacker Beniquez Brown, third on the team in tackles, declaring early for the NFL draft.
MISSOURI — Michael Scherer
It is his time in 2016. After toiling in the shadows of fellow linebacker Kentrell Brothers, the spotlight is on Scherer. He finished second on the team in tackles each of the past two seasons behind Brothers, tallying 207 over that span.
He certainly isn’t overlooked among his teammates, garnering the Tigers’ player of the year award.
Ole Miss — DeMarquis Gates
He led Ole Miss with 76 tackles last season as a sophomore after arriving from Hampton, Ga., as a modest three-star prospect. He had a career night against arch-rival LSU last season recording 14 tackles in the Rebels’ 38-17 victory. He played in every game as a freshman on special teams and as a backup linebacker before emerging. This season, he’s one of the SEC’s top 20 returning tacklers.
SOUTH CAROLINA — Skai Moore
Returning for his senior season, Moore looks to lead the Gamecocks in tackles for the third consecutive season. He finished fourth in the SEC last season with 111 after finishing tied for 11th as a sophomore with 93.
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He is the unquestioned leader of new coach Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks.
TENNESSEE — Jalen Reeves-Maybin
A huge boost to the Vols’ defense, the team’s two-time leader in tackles will return for his senior season. Reeves-Mabin piled up 105 tackles in 2015, sixth-best in the SEC, and led the Vols with 14 tackles for loss, including 5.0 sacks.
WATCH Tennessee LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (@Finally_Maybin) Sack Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson #GoVols pic.twitter.com/BekZirb0nt
— Tennessee Fan Base (@VolsFanBASE) January 1, 2016
He totaled a career-high 21 tackles this season in the Vols’ disappointing loss to Oklahoma. It was one of three 10-plus tackle games last season for the 6-0, 225-pound leader.
TEXAS A&M — Shaan Washington
Among the Aggies’ top tacklers the past two seasons, Washington leads what figures to be the Aggies’ best defense in years. Second on the squad in 2015 with 81 tackles, Washington led the team with 52 assists.
He also tallied 7.5 tackles for loss.
Myles Garrett and Armani Watts get the most attention on the Aggies’ defense, but Washington gives them a playmaker at every level.
VANDERBILT — Zach Cunningham
As a redshirt sophomore, Cunningham emerged as the Commodores’ top tackler with 103 last season. But that was hardly surprising given he finished second on the team in tackles as a redshirt freshman with 67.
A first-team All-SEC performer, he also led the Commodores in tackles for loss (16.5) and sacks (4.5) in 2015.
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Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
