The SEC continues to produce NFL linebackers at a higher rate than any other conference, and yet it never seems short on talented linebackers at the college level.

That trend of stellar linebacker play throughout the conference is likely to continue in 2015, as some of the SEC’s best and brightest at the position returned to school for another season.

In honor of Linebacker Week at SDS, we ranked our top 5 SEC linebacker tandems as we look ahead to the 2015 season:

1. Georgia — Jordan Jenkins & Lorenzo Carter/Leonard Floyd: There isn’t a team in the SEC with a deeper, more active group of outside linebackers than the group Georgia will enjoy once again in 2015. Jenkins plays more of a traditional outside linebacker role, and his 70 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and pair of forced fumbles in 2014 speak for themselves. Floyd, who could’ve gone pro early this winter, and Carter are best suited as edge rushers who take on some other linebacker responsibilities when necessary. Those two combined to contribute 15.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 23 quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles last season and should be even more dangerous this fall.

2. Tennessee — Curt Maggitt & Jalen Reeves-Maybin: Maggitt is somewhat of a linebacker-defensive end hybrid in a similar manner to Floyd on Georgia’s defense, and there are few edge rushers in the SEC more lethal than he is when lined up on the outside. His 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks both ranked in the top 10 in the SEC last season, and with Derek Barnett returning and a slew of touted defensive line prospects entering the program, Maggitt should be able to face even fewer double teams in 2015. Reeves-Maybin is more like Georgia’s Jenkins in that he plays a more traditional outside linebacker position. He logged more than 100 tackles and 11 tackles for loss last year, and should be just as productive as a junior in 2015 as UT continues to add talent and depth to its defense.

3. Alabama — Reggie Ragland & Reuben Foster: Don’t let Foster’s lack of live SEC experience deter you from believing this is one of the nastiest linebacker tandems in the conference. Few players get downhill faster and hit harder than Foster, who should serve as the enforcer of the Alabama defense this season. Ragland, a returning starter from last year’s SEC championship squad, is coming off a 93-tackle season including double-digit tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Ragland is the consistent playmaker opposite Foster’s role as a punishing hitter across the middle, and together they’ll wreak havoc on opposing offenses this fall.

4. Auburn: Kris Frost & Cassanova McKinzy: Both Frost and McKinzy are returning starters from last year’s eight-win team, and both are expected to perform even better in 2015 under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Not only is the tandem of Frost and McKinzy among the most experienced in the conference, but it’s also among the most productive. Last season, the two finished second and third on the team in tackles with 178 combined, and that was while playing behind a depleted defensive line. This year’s line is much nastier and should occupy far more opposing blockers, freeing the linebacker tandem to make even more plays in space.

5. Missouri — Kentrell Brothers & Michael Scherer: Neither Brothers nor Scherer is a player many would consider dynamic or explosive, but the pair of returning linebackers may be the most consistent tandem in the conference. Both players have enjoyed playing behind some of the best defensive linemen in the SEC during their careers, and when those linemen have occupied multiple blockers it’s freed up both linebackers to make plays in the open field. Neither Brothers nor Scherer has had to display other-worldly abilities to bring down ball-carriers, but rarely is either player out of position to make the plays set up for them in the trenches.