Top Of The Charts: Linebacker

We are continuing our look at Ohio State’s upcoming opponents and their personnel and are midway through the defense. Earlier this week we took time breaking down the defensive line and now it is time to look at linebacker.

The traditional roles of linebackers of Mike, Will, and Same have started to blur as the game becomes a little more positionless, or at least without labels. Not every Will does the same thing in each system, same with Sam. Mike on the other hand, well, we know what that position is all about.

The Big Ten has turned out some great linebackers through the years and Ohio State has had its fair share of them, even if the past couple of years have not seen players drafted highly in the NFL Draft, one of the biggest measuring sticks of performance of a school’s development.

But that doesn’t matter in this piece, we are not talking about Ohio State and rather the players that Ohio State will have to face moving forward in its 12-game regular season.

Sure, everyone in Columbus knows it will be more than a 12-game season, but we only know of the 12 games and that is where our focus is right now.
Who has the top linebackers that Ohio State will face in 2025? One school shouldn’t be a surprise, but another one may be. Let’s get to it.

5. Jaishawn Barham – Michigan (November 29^th)

The former Maryland Terrapin has already put time under his belt with the Wolverines and put up career numbers with 66 tackles while in Ann Arbor (Mich.). The sack numbers have been down for Barham, but it is a different system in Michigan than what he was running, and his role doesn’t have him getting after the quarterback as much. He was one of the top transfer targets when he came out of College Park (Md.) and as much as Ohio State fans hate to admit it, found himself a good fit.

4. Dariel Djabome – Rutgers (November 22^nd)

Welcome to the party, Rutgers. This is the first player in eight pieces from the Scarlet Knights but if there were going to be a spot that I would have predicted someone from Rutgers, this may have been it. Djabome was third-team All-Big Ten last season and should be able to build upon that. Last year he racked up 105 tackles including 49 solo tackles. His 3.5 sacks may not jump off the page, but he is the straw that stirs the drink for the Scarlet Knights. Greg Schiano has made a lot of progress in years where he has a top player on defense and 2025 should be like that. But in the ultra-competitive Big Ten and having Ohio State on the schedule, there won’t be much margin for error when it comes to wins and losses.

3. Ernest Hausmann – Michigan (November 29^th)

How highly does Michigan think of Hausmann? Well, he will be one of three attendees for the Wolverines in Las Vegas for Big Ten Media Days. Hausmann had 89 tackles for the Wolverines last season, and that is sharing the load with Barham in the LB corps. It Hausmann was all-B1G last season (HM) and it would not be surprising for him to finish near the top of the pecking order when the season comes to an end. He is not the type of player who just jumps off the page when you are looking at a stat sheet but he does all the little things that you need to be successful.

2. Amare Campbell – Penn State (November 1^st)

It is a new world when we are talking about a Penn State linebacker that is not developed within the program, but here we are. Amare Campbell transferred in from North Carolina, getting out before Bill Belichick got in, but we don’t want to speculate there. UNC’s loss is Penn State’s gain with this uber-talented linebacker who had 76 tackles, 6.5 sacks and was just an overall pest to opposing offenses. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone to try and tag him as the next Abdul Carter or any other former PSU defender, but there will be a production hole that Campbell will be able to attempt to fill.

1. Anthony Hill – Texas (August 30^th)

Of course, a Texas player had to be here and Anthony Hill is worth all the hype, and maybe then some. Phil Steele has Hill as a first-team preseason All-American, and 2024 was just a taste of things to come with 113 tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and likely a partridge in a pear tree. It was a nice step up from 2023, a tremendous freshman season for the Longhorns and if Hill is able to get those types of gains going into year three, there will be national awards needing his name engraved into them come the end of the year.

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