Top 25 Big Ten Linebackers In The Jim Harbaugh Era
There are some landmarks when it comes to coaching careers. College coaches always get judged on their first year, after four seasons when all of "their" players are in place and then usually at five and ten years, if they make it that far. We're at the five-year mark with Jim Harbaugh, so now we can take a look back at how his guys have done compared to the rest of the conference.
Today, we'll take a look at the top 25 linebackers in the Big Ten since Jim Harbaugh took over at Michigan.
1. Devin Bush, Michigan
Bush left Michigan with more hardware than he could carry in a U-Haul. He was a consensus All-American in 2018 and a two-time Walter Camp All-American. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award twice along with the Bronko Nargurski Award once. He was named the Big Ten Woodson-Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year in 2018 as well. He finished his Michigan career with 194 total tackles including 19.5 for loss and 10 sacks, which aren't the highest totals on this list, but he changed the game as a defender. He flew around the field with reckless abandon and was No. 1 on every offense's scouting report. All of his success, athleticism and speed led to him to being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with pick No. 10 in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
2. Josey Jewell, Iowa
Jewell was never the most athletic player on the field but he was always in the right place at the right time and racked up a whopping 433 tackles because of it. Of those 433 stops, 28 of them were for loss and 10 of them were sacks. He is one of just three Hawkeye players ever to record over 115 tackles in three different seasons. In 2017 he led the entire conference with 136 tackles and ranked fourth nationally with 11.3 stops per game. Like Bush, he was also a consensus All-American during his final year of college and also took home the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award that season.
3. Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Because Peppers played both safety and linebacker over the course of just 27 games at Michigan, his numbers aren't as bloated as others, but his impact on the field was as strong as anyone on this list. He finished with 125 tackles including 21.5 for loss and four sacks. He also made an impact on offense and in the return game. Because of that, during his junior season in 2016, Peppers was named the Paul Hornung Award winner as the nation's most versatile player. He was also the Lott IMPACT Trophy winner and a Heisman finalist. Amazingly, he became the first player in Big Ten history to win three individual awards in 2016 taking home the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year. He left U-M early and was drafted with pick No. 25 in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
4. TJ Edwards, Wisconsin
Edwards was all over the field for Wisconsin. He finished his Badger career with 367 tackles including 37.5 for loss and eight sacks. He also recorded a very impressive 10 interceptions. He got it going as a true freshman earning Freshman All-American honors according to the FWAA and ESPN. Down the stretch of his career he was a Butkus Award finalist and a first-team All-American per the AP, ESPN and USA Today. As a senior, he was recognized as a first-team All-Big Ten player by the media. Edwards went undrafted in 2019 but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after. He has recorded 30 tackles in the league.
5. Micah Parsons, Penn State
Parsons has only played two seasons at Penn State but he's been a force already. During those two seasons he's racked up 192 tackles including 19 for loss and 6.5 sacks. He's also forced six fumbles, which he seems to have a knack for. Last year he was named a consensus All-American by the NCAA as well as the Associated Press. Several other major outlets also viewed Parsons as an All-American. He became the first sophomore in Big Ten history to win the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year last season and is poised to take it home again in 2020. He was also a finalist for both the Butkus and Bednarik Award and will be on the radar for both awards to start the 2020 season. He's expected to leave Penn State after next season and has been projected as high as No. 6 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
6. Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State
7. Zach Baun, Wisconsin
8. Joe Bachie, Michigan State
9. Anthony Walker Jr., Northwestern
10. Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
11. Malik Harrison, Ohio State
12. TJ Watt, Wisconsin
13. Joshua Perry, Ohio State
14. Joe Schobert, Wisconsin
15. Khaleke Hudson, Michigan
16. Tegray Scales, Indiana
17. Vince Biegel, Wisconsin
18. Jason Cabinda, Penn State
19. Darron Lee, Ohio State
20. Josh Uche, Michigan
21. Markus Bailey, Purdue
22. Chris Orr, Wisconsin
23. Dele Harding, Illinois
24. Cam Brown, Penn State
25. Tre Watson, Maryland
