Ranking The Opposing Linebackers On The Buckeyes’ 2024 Schedule

We continue our positional rankings of Ohio State’s 2024 opponents with a look at the 12 groups of linebackers the Buckeyes will face this season. And in case you were wondering, most of the Big Ten’s best ‘backers are indeed on the Ohio State schedule this year.

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1. Iowa [Game 5, October 5 – Home]
Starters Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson both return. Higgins was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection and Second-Team All-American last year after leading the conference with 171 tackles. Jackson was a Third-Team All-B1G pick, finishing with 110 tackles. Jackson has 464 career tackles. Kyler Fisher is their third linebacker when they go with a three-linebacker look. He’s a long-time vet.

2. Penn State [Game 8, November 2 – Away]
Penn State wouldn’t have moved First-Team All-Big Ten linebacker Abdul Carter to defensive end if they weren’t confident in the rest of the position room. Middle linebacker Kobe King returns following a season with 59 tackles and six tackles for loss. Tony Rojas had a promising season last year as a true freshman reserve and expectations are high this year. Tyler Elsdon is a former starter.

3. Oregon [Game 6, October 12 – Away]
Three Ducks with starting experience return at linebacker. Ohio-native and former Iowa Hawkeye Jestin Jacobs posted 32 tackles last year for Oregon after beginning the season with an injury. Jeffrey Bassa was a second-team all-league pick after posting 72 tackles last year. Sophomores Devon Jackson and Jerry Mixon earned positive reviews throughout spring ball.

4. Michigan [Game 12, November 30 – Home]
Both starting linebackers from last season are gone but Michigan was once again very strong in the transfer portal and grabbed Maryland starter Jaishawn Barham. He is a two-year starter who posted 37 tackles and three sacks last year. Former Nebraska Cornhusker Ernest Hausman was a valuable reserve for UM last year. Some young guys need to step up. Depth may be as issue.

5. Nebraska [Game 7, October 26 – Home]
Nebraska’s 3-3-5 defense returns five LBs with starting experience. Javin Wright finished second on the team with 51 tackles last year despite just one start. John Bullock posted 50 tackles and 10 starts in 2023. Jack LB MJ Sherman came over from Georgia last year and is still looking to make a significant impact. Stephon Thompson amassed 170 tackles in four years at Syracuse.

6. Michigan State [Game 4, September 28 – Away]
MSU has options but the foundation remains senior Cal Haladay. Haladay has led the Spartans in tackles each of the past three seasons. Michigan native and Wisconsin transfer Jordan Turner has 18 career starts. He finished third on the team with 61 tackles last year. Wayne Matthews posted 135 tackles last year at ODU. Jordan Hall finished fourth on the team last year with 67 tackles.

7. Purdue [Game 9, November 9 – Home]
Kydran Jenkins is a two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection but has moved from defensive end to linebacker. He has 37 career starts and posted 15.5 tackles for loss last year. Yanni Karlaftis started eight games last season, finishing with 55 tackles. There is not a lot of depth here but expectations are high for this pair in year two of head coach Ryan Walters’ defense.

8. Indiana [Game 11, November 23 – Home]
James Madison starting linebackers Jailin Walker and Aiden Fisher both transferred to Indiana following the hiring of Dukes head coach Curt Cignetti. Walker is a two-time All-Conference selection. Fisher was a second-team all-league pick last year. Fisher led James Madison with 108 tackles last year and Walker finished second with 61 tackles. There is experience behind them also.

9. Northwestern [Game 10, November 16 – Away]
Northwestern loses veteran middle linebacker Bryce Gallagher but returns Xander Mueller, who finished second on the team with 110 tackles last year. His 10.5 tackles for loss led the team. Junior Mac Uihlein was a valuable reserve last year and is slated to start in the middle this year. Sam linebacker Kenny Soares has the ability to create some havoc.

10. Akron [Game 1, August 31 – Home]
The Zips return their top three tacklers from last year despite losing a starter. Will linebacker Bryan McCoy finished second on the team with 94 tackles last season, earning Third-Team All-MAC honors. Middle linebacker Antavious Fish led Akron with 95 tackles. Shammond Cooper started half of the Zips’ games last year and posted 44 tackles after transferring over from Illinois.

11. Western Michigan [Game 2, September 7 – Home]
Western Michigan has three LBs who started multiple games last season, including middle linebacker Jacob Wahlberg. Wahlberg finished with 65 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss last season. Will linebacker Donald Willis also posted 6.5 TFLs in 2023 and added 40 tackles with five starts. The smaller and faster Damari Roberson (6-1 205) started 11 games and posted 68 tackles last year.

12. Marshall [Game 3, September 21 – Home]
Like many teams, the Herd operate mostly out of a 4-2-5. Senior J’Coryan Anderson started six games last year, posting 29 tackles while missing several games. The other linebacker could be Tennessee State transfer Monroe Beard, who has 233 career tackles. Landyn Watson and Jaden Yates both played in 11 games last year with minimal tackles. This is not an experienced group overall.

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