College Football Rankings: The Country's Top 10 Linebackers for 2011

With all the early Heisman buzz around Andrew Luck and LaMichael James, it’s easy to forget that there are going to be defenses on the field next season, too. While the offensive stars get the headlines, a lot of games are going to be won by the guys on the other side of the field.

Many of the best defenses are built on great linebacker play. Is the next Ray Lewis or James Harrison waiting in this year’s college ranks?

Read on for a look at the 10 best linebackers you’ll see next season.

Along with Tank Carder, Tanner Brock is the emotional leader of the vaunted TCU defense. The Horned Frogs were among the nation’s best by any measure last year, and don’t figure to drop off much in 2011.

Brock himself recorded 106 tackles, 5.5 of them for losses, in 2010.

Oklahoma has a legitimate shot at an undefeated season in 2011, and if it gets there, Travis Lewis will have a lot to do with it. The Sooners' leading tackler in each of his three seasons, Lewis has already tied the school’s career record for interceptions by a linebacker.

Although the Sooners return plenty of starters on defense, Lewis is one of only two seniors, so his leadership will be critical.

Disastrous as the 2010 season was for Texas, Keenan Robinson was one of the few Longhorns who lived up to expectations. Robinson led the squad with 106 tackles while also notching two sacks and two interceptions.

He’s bidding for his third straight All-Big 12 selection in 2011.

Arkansas’ defense couldn’t quite keep up with its high-powered, Ryan Mallett-led offense, but don’t blame Jerry Franklin. He put up 13 tackles for loss (out of 95 total) and 6.5 sacks in 2010.

Franklin is just one of a likely seven seniors who will start for Arkansas on defense, so the Razorbacks could be an even tougher unit than they were in 2010.

Lost in all the negatives of Brian Kelly’s first season at Notre Dame was the development of Manti Te’o into a first-class linebacker. Te’o recorded 129 tackles in 2010, including 8.5 for losses.

The Irish won’t be facing the toughest schedule in Division I (as they did last season), so Te’o’s defensive efforts may contribute to an improvement on last year’s 8-5 record.

Miami’s defense lost a good chunk of NFL talent, but with Sean Spence returning, it’ll still be in good hands. Spence led the squad last year with an eye-opening 17 tackles for loss, along with 111 total tackles.

Spence is also a top-notch coverage linebacker, having recorded six pass breakups in 2010.

Kentucky had another of its all-too-common rough seasons in the loaded SEC, but had a big-time bright spot in the play of Danny Trevathan. The standout OLB led the SEC (and finished eighth in the country) with 144 tackles, and 16 of those went for losses.

Just for good measure, Trevathan also forced four fumbles last season.

Nebraska will bring loads of talent into its Big Ten debut, and few players bring more of it than Lavonte David. The leader of the Huskers linebacking corps posted a striking 153 tackles (third-best in the nation) in 2010.

David was especially dangerous against the pass, recording six sacks and eight passes defensed last season.

The best linebacker you won’t be hearing about next season toils for a good-but-not-great team in the unremarkable Mountain West conference. On his own merits, though, Miles Burris deserves as much press as any linebacker in the country.

Burris was a big-play specialist for the Aztecs in 2010. Of his 79 tackles, 18 went for loss, and he recorded 7.5 sacks along with four forced fumbles.

Even if Luke Kuechly’s stats only counted his solo tackles, he’d have been in the top 50 nationally in 2010. Counting all his tackles added up to a jaw-dropping 183, best in the nation and 21 ahead of second place.

The Boston College standout will need to play big in 2011 to make up for the loss of Mark Herzlich. After a brilliant season that featured 10.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions, he should be up to the challenge.