As the 2026 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players at each position in the Big Ten.
We continue our annual Ranking the Big Ten series today with the inside linebackers. Production, instincts, and skill once again define this year’s quarterbacks of the defense…
Previous Ranking the Big Tens: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | EDGE/OLB | IDL
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Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy (21) reacts during the 2025 Big Ten championship game against Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
1. Rolijah Hardy, Indiana
While Indiana’s offense highlighted its remarkable 2025 national title run, its defense was equally dominant. Few players embodied the Hoosiers’ success on that side of the ball more than Rolijah Hardy.
The 5-foot-11, 227-pounder started all 16 games as a sophomore, racking up 103 tackles and eight sacks. That included posting some of his best performances against IU’s top competition with double-digit tackle efforts vs. Oregon (13), Penn State (12), and Ohio State (10).
Hardy took home second-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts and now returns as one of the conference’s top all-around defenders. Indiana doesn’t appear to be leaving the national championship conversation any time soon, and Hardy’s production and leadership are a big reason why.
Wisconsin linebacker Mason Posa (8) watches during the first half against Iowa at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo: Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
2. Mason Posa, Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s 2025 season was a disappointment on many levels. However, some promising young standouts – led by Mason Posa – have provided some optimism for the future in Madison.
Posa made an immediate impact with the Badgers as a true freshman, starting five of his 11 appearances and finishing with 61 tackles, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovery. Despite limited early snaps, the 6-foot-3, 237-pounder claimed third-team All-Big Ten and Freshman All-American honors.
Posa instantly showcased a natural nose for the football. He tallied 13 tackles in his first-career start vs. Oregon, 12 stops against Indiana, and took home Big Ten Freshman of the Week after 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks vs. Washington. He returns as one of PFF’s highest-graded ILBs and might have only scratched the surface on his potential.
Nebraska LB Owen Chambliss and head coach Matt Rhule talk during the 2026 Red-White game (Photo credit: Ken Juszyk/HuskerOnline)
3. Owen Chambliss, Nebraska
Owen Chambliss hasn’t played a down of Big Ten football yet. However, when you’re handpicked out of the portal by your former defensive coordinator, it generally suggests a clear path to success.
New DC Rob Aurich brought Chambliss with him to Nebraska from San Diego State after the Corona, California, native led the Aztecs with 110 tackles, 9.6 TFLs, and 4.0 sacks. Chambliss started all 13 games in 2025, helping SDSU rank seventh nationally in scoring defense and 12th in total defense.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior was the only underclassman defender to earn first-team All-Mountain West. It hasn’t taken him long to make his mark in Lincoln.
“I’ll tell you what he is – he’s crafty,” a former NFL linebacker who follows the Mountain West told HuskerOnline. “He’s long. I like him. Now, he’s not overly physical. He needs a little improvement against the run, but I just assume they’ll coach him up on that.
“But what he does is create havoc. He doesn’t stay blocked. Bottom line, he’s a Day 1 starter.”
Wisconsin linebacker Cooper Catalano (44) tackles Middle Tennessee’s Jekail Middlebrook (9) during the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. (Photo: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
4. Cooper Catalano, Wisconsin
Lined up next to Posa on Wisconsin’s defense is another budding star at inside linebacker, Cooper Catalano. He, too, had a breakout true freshman campaign in 2025, posting 56 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 2.0 sacks over 12 appearances and just five starts.
Catalano’s statement game came with a whopping 19 stops, two TFLs, and a sack against Washington, earning him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. That marked the most tackles by a power conference freshman since 2017 and the most by a Badger since 2011.
At 6-1, 232, Catalano appears to be the latest elite UW linebacker who always seems to find his way to the football. He and Posa could become not only the league’s most formidable ILB duo, but potentially one of the best duos in college football.
Penn State linebacker Kooper Ebel. (Photo: Thomas Frank Carr/BWI)
5. Kooper Ebel, Penn State
Matt Campbell seemingly brought his entire Iowa State roster with him to Penn State this offseason. Of the 24 former Cylcones now in State College, none might be a more important defensive addition than Kooper Ebel.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Ebel led ISU with 77 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, a sack, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups as a junior. That included double-figure stops against TCU (11) and Oklahoma State (10), as well as totaling 14 TFLs over the past two seasons.
A three-year starter in Ames who started all 12 games last season, the Hartley, Iowa, native brings immediate production, experience, and leadership to Happy Valley. With so much change happening in Campbell’s debut offseason, Ebel will be a pillar of stability on defense.