With the 2026 college football season being less than three months away, Greg McElroy has ranked the top 10 linebacker units in the sport. The former Alabama linebacker ranked the linebacker units on his podcast, Always College Football With Greg McElroy.

The description states, “Are the veteran leaders at Clemson and Pittsburgh enough, and can Georgia just continue to reload with NFL-caliber talent? Can transfers at Texas A&M and Texas keep the production level up, and will Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine be able to pick up where Jacob Rodriguez left off? Can Indiana and Oklahoma keep up their domination, is the key to Auburn finally turning it around at linebacker, and does Notre Dame have the deepest and most dominant linebacker unit in college football?”

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So which team did McElroy rank No. 1? Here’s a look at his 10 best linebacker units in college football.

McElroy has Clemson at No. 10 because of Sammy Brown. Last year, Brown was selected to the All-ACC First Team after collecting 107 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven pass breakups, and an interception.

“He’s arguably the most productive individual linebacker by raw statistics anywhere in college football,” McElroy said. Let’s hope that Brown and the rest of the Clemson linebackers can help the team bounce back this fall.

The Bulldogs no longer have CJ Allen, but Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole and Justin Williams make up a strong linebacker group. All three return after helping the Bulldogs win the SEC for the second consecutive year.

McElroy liked what defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann has done at Georgia. He has produced a lot of linebacker talent in Athens, and this year won’t be any different.

In 2026, the Pittsburgh Panthers’ linebacker group will be led by Braylen Lovelace, who registered 41 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions last year. McElroy realizes that the Panthers are missing Rahseem Biles, who transferred to Texas in the offseason, but that doesn’t take away what the Pitt linebackers will do this year.

McElroy is a believer in Lovelace and the linebackers that are returning, such as Jeremiah Marcelin. He also said that the coaching staff described the linebackers as a “hungry group.”

Jacob Rodriguez is gone, but Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine should help Texas Tech reach its goals for 2026. Roberts had 85 tackles and four tackles for loss last year, and Romaine was an All-Big 12 Second Team player for Kansas State.

McElroy said that Roberts and Romaine are a “strong starting duo” for the Red Raiders. The two will be keys to Texas Tech making another run to the College Football Playoff. Last year, Biles collected 101 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two picks.

McElroy thinks that the Texas linebacker unit is a little stronger this season despite losing Anthony Hill. In 2025, Hill was selected to the All-SEC First Team after posting 69 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions.

A big thing Texas did in the offseason was add Rasheem Biles from Pittsburgh. Last year, Biles posted 101 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions.

Mike Elko had to address the linebacker group during the offseason after losing a couple of players, including Scooby Williams. The Aggies added Ray Coney, a transfer from Tulsa who recorded 129 tackles last year.

“When the portal opened, Elko closed that recruitment really, really quickly,” McElroy said. Daymion Sanford is another player to watch, as he tallied 94 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and one interception last year.

Aiden Fisher helped Indiana win the national title last year, but he is now playing for the NFL’s Houston Texans. That’s no problem for the Hoosiers because Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones are back for another run.

Hardy finished the 2025 season with 102 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks, while Jones posted 78 stops, 15.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The two should help Indiana compete for another title.

If Auburn becomes one of the surprise college football teams of the season, it will be because of the linebackers. Xavier Atkins, a first-team All-SEC selection last year, is back and will be joined by Elijah Melendez and Demarcus Riddick.

McElroy said Atkins has been “unbelievable” after leading the SEC in tackles for loss in 2025. He also said that Melendez “developed significantly” last year.

Owen Heinecke and Kip Lewis anchor a very talented linebacker group. In 2025, Heinecke posted 74 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, while Lewis notched 76 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

McElroy said that having Heinecke back changes a lot of things for the Sooners. He then added that Lewis is “so naturally athletic,” and the two student-athletes are big reasons why the Sooners have the second-best set of linebackers in college football.

But as talented as the Oklahoma linebackers are, McElroy couldn’t rank them ahead of Notre Dame. He said that Notre Dame head coach has made the linebackers a “program identity.”

The notable Fighting Irish linebackers are Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Jaiden Ausberry, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, and Madden Faraimo. McElroy said that Notre Dame “has arguably the deepest, most talented, maybe even the most dangerous linebacker room in all of college football.”