Every successful team needs an enforcer on defense and there are a couple squads in the SEC blessed with two at the linebacker position heading into August.

RELATED: Ranking the SEC’s best linebackers after spring ball

Categorizing the league’s best at the position based on a variety of factors including overall production and projected impact, the SEC’s top linebacker duos for the 2015 season are …

1. Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
2014 combined stats: 125 tackles, 18 TFL, 11 sacks, 41 QB hurries
Bring it: It doesn’t feel right excluding standout sophomore Lorenzo Carter when referencing Georgia’s uber-talented core of outside linebackers so we’ll throw him in this mix as well. Jeremy Pruitt’s stacked at the center of his defense this season with the nation’s best collection of tacklers and edge-rusher hybrids. Not only are Floyd and Jenkins stellar in pursuit of ballcarriers in run support, but the duo smells blood at the line of scrimmage and makes life a living hell for opposing quarterbacks. With Carter’s help, Georgia’s linebackers should combine to lead the SEC in sacks this fall.

2. Jaylen Reeves-Maybin and Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
2014 combined stats: 149 tackles, 26 TFL, 13 sacks
Bring it: An explosive linebacker with unlimited range, Reeves-Maybin emerged as one of the division’s best linebackers in his second season, accumulating a team-best 101 tackles. The first-year starter led all SEC sophomores in solo stops (63) and showed the poise of a seasoned vet down the stretch. Maggitt’s the more widely-recognized player in this duo, a multi-positional threat and three-year starter for the Vols. In his return from an ACL injury which forced him to miss the entire 2013 campaign, Maggitt managed 11 sacks and 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He’ll play off the edge at times in his fifth and final season after spending more than half of his total defensive snaps (558) at linebacker as a junior.

3. Reggie Ragland and Reuben Foster, Alabama
2014 combined stats: 117 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
Bring it: Next up in the Crimson Tide’s recent star-studded lineage of linebackers is Ragland, a ready-made defensive captain anxious to help Alabama to another SEC championship in his final season. Watching him on film, Ragland has the look of an old-school gap to gap tackler, a player who isn’t afraid to lower his pads for the anticipated collision in the hole. Foster, possibly the SEC’s meanest linebacker, is another hard-hitter who performs with dangerous aggression. With Ragland at weakside and Foster in the middle, Kirby Smart’s 3-4 look flexes brute strength and NFL-level talent heading into August.

4. Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer, Mizzou
2014 combined stats: 236 tackles, 8.5 TFL
Bring it: Last season, Mizzou defensive coordinator Dave Steckel asked a lot of his linebackers, tackle-happy standouts who often lurked in the shadows of sack masters Shane Ray and Markus Golden. Brothers and Scherer are the SEC’s top returning tacklers at 122 and 114, respectively, and have a knack for flying to the football at all levels on defense. Easily college football’s most underrated tandem, it’s not out of the question that Brothers and Scherer exceed 250 stops this fall with an increased workload on a unit missing several key pieces off last season’s squad.

5. Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost, Auburn
2014 combined stats: 178 tackles, 21 TFL, 5 sacks
Bring it: Both of the Tigers’ draft-eligible veteran linebackers decided to give it another go after last season, strengthening Will Muschamp’s chances to turn this defense around during his return to Auburn. We ranked this duo sixth in the SEC heading into the 2014 season and the multi-year starters didn’t disappoint, combining for 178 tackles on a unit in desperate need of reliable tacklers. Another year should improve each player’s draft stock and most importantly, gives the Tigers leadership in the middle of the defense.

6. Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis, Florida
2014 combined stats: 124 tackles, 7 TFL
Bring it: Will Morrison and Davis perform at full strength this fall? Injuries concerns plagued the Gators at linebacker throughout the spring as Geoff Collins’ best personnel at the position from the sideline. Morrison was carted off the field with a nasty leg injury during the bowl game while Davis has been out since tearing his meniscus in November. When he’s healthy, Morrison’s all over the field and might be the league’s best overall at the position after registering 87 of his team-leading 101 tackles during eight SEC games last fall. Alex Anzalone, after a solid spring, will see substantial snaps this season and be leaned on if either of these two freaks isn’t healthy.