Jack Follman’s 2022 Preseason Pac-12 Linebacker Rankings

Led by Noah Sewell, the 2022 Pac-12 LB group is super strong with veterans and young talent

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Posted on June 11, 2022


  By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports

The 2022 Pac-12 linebacker group is super strong.

Led by Noah Sewell, there are veterans, stars, transfers, and talented young players that are starting to step up.

It was really hard to make cuts to this group and rank them in a way that felt right, but here goes:

Noah Sewell | Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images via KSL Sports

1. Noah Sewell, Sophomore, Oregon

No question here. Sewell is the favorite to win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and has put together two great seasons of college football already.

Edefuan Ulofoshio | Scott Eklund/UW Athletics

2. Edefuan Ulofoshio, Junior, Washington

There’s a big question mark here as Ulofoshio missed a lot of 2021 to injury and he might be injured again.

If healthy, he’s a complete linebacker that racks up tackles and will be the backbone of Washington’s defense.

Merlin Robertson | Christian Petersen/Getty Images

3. Merlin Robertson, Senior, Arizona State

Robertson is a major veteran and getting him back is big for the Sun Devils. He’s big, tough, and has a ton of experience.

4. Omar Speights, Junior, Oregon State

Speights is stepping in for Avery Roberts as the great, super-experienced Beaver linebacker. He’s great at rushing into the backfield to make plays.

Justin Flowe | Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

5. Justin Flowe, Freshman, Oregon

I think we finally get to see Flowe healthy this season and it will be a great addition for the Ducks. He’s a big power hitter who I think is going to team scary with Sewell.

6. Carson Bruener, Sophomore, Washington

Bruener stepped up last season as a freshman for the Huskies and looks like a future star in the conference. He’s versatile, athletic and has great instincts.

Eric Gentry | Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

7. Eric Gentry, Sophomore, USC

This is a huge transfer score for the Trojans. He looked like a future star for the Sun Devils as a freshman and has insane size.

8. Kyle Soelle, Senior, Arizona State

Another really good veteran for the Sun Devils. He’s a rock for them on defense and should have another really good, borderline-All-Pac-12 year.

9. Darius Muasau, Junior, UCLA

The Hawaii transfer should help the Bruins fill a major hole at linebacker. He was a two-time all-Mountain West selection.

10. Cam Bright, Senior, Washington

The grad transfer was a captain for Pitt and has some ACC All-Conference honors. He should slide in and fill a spot on the Husky linebacker crew and make a big impact in 2022.