{"id":88394,"date":"2026-06-16T15:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=88394"},"modified":"2026-06-16T08:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T12:38:08","slug":"the-big-10s-best-returning-linebackers-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/06\/16\/the-big-10s-best-returning-linebackers-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big 10&#8217;s Best Returning Linebackers in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Even before its recent streak of national championships, the Big 10 built a reputation of toughness, grit, and defensive dominance. The finest representations of that level of defensive tenacity often appear at the second level of the defense, so next up in <em>Last Word&#8217;s<\/em> ranking series is the Big 10\u2019s best returning linebackers.<\/p>\n<p>Although we&#8217;ve already covered <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/06\/12\/who-are-the-the-top-b1g-quarterbacks-for-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">quarterbacks<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/06\/10\/best-receivers-big-ten-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">receivers<\/a>, it\u2019s quite a challenge to whittle down any position list in an 18-team conference with so much high-end talent. Consequently, we thought we should mention a few linebackers outside of the top three who didn\u2019t make the cut. Let\u2019s look at who made our honorable mention players.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Big 10\u2019s Best Returning Linebackers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Honorable Mention<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/cam-buffington-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Buffington<\/a>, Iowa: We readily admit that this selection is based almost solely on potential, but Buffington appears to be the next in the line of home-grown linebacker recruits who develop and flourish at Iowa. At 6\u2019-3\u201d and 240 pounds, the sophomore has prototypical size to play inside. We believe in his tools and maturity enough to project a big 2026, even if he hasn\u2019t nailed down a starting job.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/tony-rojas-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tony Rojas<\/a>, Penn State: Rojas could easily make us regret leaving him out of the top three. He was starting to make a name for himself with 25 tackles in only four games before going down with a torn ACL in 2025. Now a redshirt junior, the new regime in Happy Valley will look to him as a key cog of its defense.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/payton-pierce-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Payton Pierce<\/a>, Ohio State: It\u2019s easy to get overlooked while playing with athletic freaks and first-round picks in the same position room, but Pierce is no slouch. The former four-star recruit is next up in the middle for the Buckeyes. We think Pierce has what it takes to play his way out of \u201chonorable mention\u201d status by the end of the season.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/devon-jackson-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devon Jackson<\/a>, Oregon: The Nebraska native came to Oregon at 200 pounds and is now a 6\u20192, 235-pound senior. Now that the Ducks\u2019 leading tackler in 2025, Bryce Boettcher, is now off to the NFL, Dan Lanning needs players to step up in terms of leadership and production, and Jackson is a prime candidate for both. He has the desired size, range, and speed for the position. A source close to program reported to <em>CBS Sports<\/em> that he\u2019s run a 4.3 40-yard dash. The production hasn\u2019t exactly been eye-popping to this point with 41 total tackles in 2025, but we expect a considerable jump in an expanded role in 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Top Three in the Big 10<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>#3 Isaiah Jones, Indiana<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/isaiah-jones-5.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Jones<\/a> returns for his senior season, along with a veteran linebacker group for Indiana. He excelled in multiple ways for the Hoosiers, finishing with 15.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2025. Indiana used him all over the field, and there\u2019s no glaring weakness to his game.<\/p>\n<p>Jones is explosive off the edge when rushing the quarterback. He grades out better against the run than the pass, with PFF grades of 66.8 compared to 55.7, respectively. But he doesn\u2019t look out of his element in pass defense. As expected with an Indiana prospect, the motor never stops for the 230-pound thumper.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>#2 Rolijah Hardy, Indiana<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/rolijah-hardy-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rolijah Hardy<\/a> is somewhat of a microcosm of Indiana as a program. Overlooked, not overly impressive getting off the bus, yet focused and productive. The 5\u201911\u201d junior had over 100 tackles and a staggering 15 tackles for loss in 2025. Hardy\u2019s production would justify not only an all-Big Ten selection, but All-American consideration.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his size, Hardy is a physical and effective tackler in the open field. He consistently times the snap well, making him harder to block when blitzing. In the age of spread offenses and nickel-heavy offenses, he\u2019s good in coverage. Hardy is an all-around linebacker and would likely be a bigger name in draft circles if he were a few inches taller.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>#1 Daniel Wingate, Maryland<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Ok, we know what you\u2019re thinking. And we\u2019ll tell you how a Terrapin reached the top of a position ranking in the Big 10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dylan-wingate-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Wingate<\/a> simply produces. He\u2019s improved every year, going from 11 tackles as a freshman to 102 as a junior. The scary part is that we think he can be better.<\/p>\n<p>Wingate is listed at 6\u2019-5\u201d and is now up to 230 pounds. While not a blazer, he displays adequate game speed while running plays down from behind. The rangy senior returned an interception for a touchdown in 2025 but also had 6.5 tackles for loss on the year. Although he doesn\u2019t wear the colors of a blue-blood program, Wingate will be a household name in the conference in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Main Image: <span>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even before its recent streak of national championships, the Big 10 built a reputation of toughness, grit, and defensive dominance. The finest representations of that level of defensive tenacity often appear at the second level of the defense, so next up in Last Word&#8217;s ranking series is the Big 10\u2019s best returning linebackers. Although we&#8217;ve [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4690,"featured_media":88405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[641,319,695,73,277,309],"class_list":["post-88394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","tag-indiana-hoosiers","tag-iowa-hawkeyes","tag-maryland-terrapins","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-oregon-ducks","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88394"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88406,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88394\/revisions\/88406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}