It’s often difficult for true freshmen to make an immediate impact in the SEC, because that’s where the biggest of big-boy football gets played across the country.

When true freshmen do emerge, it’s usually on the perimeter. You’ll see receivers step up – like Calvin Ridley (Alabama) and Christian Kirk (Texas A&M) did in 2015 – or defensive backs like Kevin Toliver (LSU) or Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama) and return guys (Antonio Calloway, Florida).

When it comes to the linebacker position, that’s usually reserved for the guys with more experience. Just about all of the best linebackers in the SEC last year had been on campus for three years.

That said, there’s still plenty of talent around the SEC in the class of 2016 and it’s going to be interesting to see how much of an impact they can make this year.

Here are the five best new linebackers in the SEC, and what we might expect from them in their rookie campaigns:

Ben Davis, Alabama

The Crimson Tide rarely throw true freshman into the fire at this position, but exceptions might be made for Davis, a five-start recruit who was tagged as the nation’s top inside linebacker, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Davis’ father Wayne is Alabama’s all-time leading tackler and Davis is already on record for wanting to break his father’s tackles record. That will entail getting some playing time this year. We’ll have to see how fast Nick Saban and new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt want to rush him along. Davis is listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds and is expected to be the Tide’s next big star on defense.

Mack Wilson, Alabama

Wilson and Davis seem to be attached at the hip. They were the state’s top two recruits and they made a big deal of coming to Tuscaloosa together on National Signing Day. Wilson (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) has plenty of game. He was considered the No.2-rated outside linebacker in this recruiting class. The Tide have plenty of depth at outside linebacker, but Wilson might be too good to keep off the field.

Dee Walker, Arkansas

The Razorbacks had serious problems on defense last year, especially at linebacker and in the secondary. Arkansas aggressively addressed the former issue during this recruiting cycle with four signees. The best of the bunch might be Walker, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Moultrie, Ga. Walker can play and he might be able to help right away for a unit that has to be better in 2016.

Tre Threat, Auburn

Threat, the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder from Spanish Fort in southern Alabama, joins a Tigers team that lost three seniors from last season’s linebacker corps. Immediate playing time could be an option for the versatile Threat, who can play inside and out. Auburn’s defense struggled in the first half of last season but played better down the stretch. Needing to get off to a good start this year – the Tigers get national runner-up Clemson in the season opener – it’s going to be interesting to see how quickly Threat’s name gets called.

Daniel Bituli, Tennessee

Bituli is a four-star recruit who joins a loaded defense in Knoxville, so earning a starting job right away is probably out of the question. But the two-sport athlete brings a lot to the table and he’s going to find his way onto the field quickly and should make some plays that matter in 2016. At the very least, he’ll be an immediate special teams contributor.