They're the heartbeat of a defense, the foundation of the special teams, the leaders and play makers every team needs to play elite football.
At Oregon in the 2022 class Mario Cristobal and his staff are in a classic numbers crunch.
The class will be small, somewhere in the range of 14-18, depending on transfers, early entries and other attrition.
At the same time every player has just five official visits to use.
As a defensive coach you'd like a four-deep of linebackers, especially when you include the variants like edge rushers and hybrid safeties. With every opponent spreading the field there's a premium on guys who can play in space and plug gaps, strong, athletic, intense dudes with a bit of an attitude, some style and quickness.
The Ducks have some great candidates on their offer list, but getting them to Eugene and stretching out the scholarships is a monumental challenge.
In a year like this, adding the right blend of talent, motivation and work ethic is critical. Tight numbers mean that every decision has to count.
Sneed has a world of ability but strong connections to the Notre Dame staff. He's coming to Oregon in the first weekend of visits along with a host of other top recruits. It's an opportunity for the Ducks to make a powerful impression and create some momentum for their class, which hasn't had a new commitment since Stephon Johnson on March 31st.
Omar Graham junior is a 2022 linebacker from Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's quick and physical, also a good student with a 4.2 G.P.A.
The Ducks made his Top 7, but in Graham's case he's nearly out of visits, having scheduled trips to four of his other favorites.
Last fall Graham had 38 tackles, 11 TFL, 9 sacks and a fumble recovery in just five games, his season shortened by Covid decisions in his area.
An offer went out to Taggart on May 24th. He's a former teammate of 2021 center Jackson Powers-Johnson. At 6-2, 208 he ran a 10.7 100 meters at the BYU High School Invitational and has a top time of 21.57 in the 200.
Linebackers don't often do that.
As his highlight tape shows, he's smart and alert in pass coverage and loves to square up and hit somebody, all of which makes him an intriguing player for Ken Wilson and Tim DeRuyter.
The Ducks offered Blanton on May 7th. He's a baseball commit for Mississippi State, another bright guy with a 4.0 G.P.A. and a 330 bench who's also attracted interest from Stanford. He's scheduled official visits to The Cardinal, the Louisville Cardinals and the South Carolina Gamecocks for this June, and may not have room for anymore birds on his visit list.
Murphy is one of the big prizes in the 2022 class, a supreme, difference-making athlete who's taking a very thorough and methodical approach to his recruitment.
He released a top 8 in January that included the Ducks, but otherwise he's stayed quiet about his intentions.
Murphy is a tackling machine with the instincts to sift and destroy.
