Top Five Linebackers in Louisville Football History

We rank the top five linebackers in the history of the Cardinals' football program.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football program has seen plenty of talented players don the Cardinals uniform over the years, ranging from multi-time All-Conference selections to All-Americans and a Heisman Trophy winner.

This offseason, Louisville Report is taking on the task of ranking the top five players in the history of the program at each position on the field. Next in this series, we take at look at the linebacker spot.

No. 5: Doug Buffone

Years at UofL: 1962-65
UofL Career Stats: 495 tackles, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries (limited stats available).

Summary: Buffone is undoubtedly the most prolific tackler in program history. Not only is he the program's all-time leader in tackles, he's one of just five Cardinals to lead the team in tackles for three straight seasons, (C.J. Avery, Tom Jackson, Tyrus McCloud, Mark Sander), and holds the No. 1 and 2 spots on the single-season tackle leaderboard. He collected 177 tackles in 1964, then 201 tackles in 1965, earning First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in both seasons. He also holds the Louisville single-game tackle record with 35 at Kent State in 1965, which is five more than No. 2 in a single game at Louisville (30 - Tom Jackson at North Texas, 1971). After college, he spent 14 years in the NFL, all with the Chicago Bears.

No. 4: Yasir Abdullah

Years at UofL: 2018-2022
UofL Career Stats: 209 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, eight forced fumbles, three interceptions, five pass breakups.

Summary: Whether lining up as an edge rusher or dropping back into coverage, Abdullah was a force to be reckoned with, and is one of the best all-around defenders in Louisville history. He's tied for the second-most tackles for loss in school history, is tied for the fourth-most forced fumbles and has the eight-most sacks. Following a 2021 campaign that netted him Second-Team All-ACC honors, his best year came in 2022 as a redshirt senior. That season, he tallied 14.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors, finished as the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, and was named one of the top 101 players in college football by Pro Football Focus. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in April's NFL Draft.

No. 3: Otis Wilson

Years at UofL: 1977-79
UofL Career Stats: 484 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, eight fumble recoveries.

Summary: Coming to Louisville after starting his career at Syracuse, Wilson is one of the top tacklers in school history. In just three seasons with the Cardinals, he was able to collect the second-most tackles in program history (now third) and the second-most tackles for loss (now tied for 11th). His 175 tackles in 1977 is No. 3 in a single season at Louisville, while his 157 in 178 is eighth. Even though his 152 tackles in 1979 was the lowest in a Cardinal uniform, that still came with seven tackles for loss and three fumbles recoveries, earning First-Team Sporting News All-American honors that season as a result. He was taken in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears at No. 19 overall, later helping them win the Super Bowl in 1985.

No. 2: Tyrus McCloud

Years at UofL: 1993-96
UofL Career Stats: 403 tackles, 36.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups.

Summary: After not seeing any action in his first year with the program, McCloud had a three-year run where he was the top defender in Conference USA. He's tied for fifth in program history in forced fumbles, fifth in tackles for loss and seventh in tackles overall. He's also a two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year winner, first doing so in 1995 when he logged 126 tackles, 11 for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. He was named C-USA DPoY in 1996 as well as a Second-Team All-American by The Sporting News and Football News, collecting 144 tackles, 14 for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups. He spent a pair of seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected by them in the 1997 NFL Draft.

No. 1: Tom Jackson

Years at UofL: 1970-72
UofL Career Stats: 373 tackles, 4 interceptions, three fumble recoveries, one blocked punt (limited stats available).

Summary: One of the most important pieces of the Lee Corso era at Louisville, especially on the defensive side of the ball, was none other than Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in all three of his seasons as a Cardinal, and twice was named as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. His first DPoY came in 1970 when he registered 131 tackles and three fumbles recoveries, then his second came in 1972 after logging 120 tackles and an interception. He also was named a First-Team Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American in '72, becoming just the third Louisville player (Lenny Lyles, Ken Kortas) to earn First-Team All-American honors. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, where he would spend 14 seasons and later be named to their Ring of Fame.

Other Louisville Position Top Fives:

• Quarterback
• Running Back
• Wide Receiver
• Tight End
• Offensive Line
• Interior Defensive Line
• Defensive End
• Cornerback
• Safety

(Photo of Yasir Abdullah: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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