Talented SEC Linebackers You Need to Know in 2024

© Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

These guys arrive at the ball carrier quickly and in a bad mood.

The Southeastern Conference is a power-broker in college football, laden with talented football players at all positions, and none more than a linebacker. When it comes to stopping opposing offenses in their tracks in 2024, these are the talented SEC linebackers you need to know as they prowl and growl in the toughest football league in the country.

Editor's note: This is not an all-inclusive list and is in no particular order.

Talented SEC Linebackers for 2024

Debo Williams, South Carolina Gamecocks

Williams was the grim reaper on the gridiron, racking up a whopping 113 tackles and 9 tackles for loss for the Gamecocks a season ago. Williams, 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds posted seven games of double-digit tackles, including a season-high 14 tackles against both North Carolina and Missouri. Williams was named first-team All-SEC for his efforts by the Associated Press and College Football News. Williams has been named second-team Preseason All-SEC by Phil Steele.

Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma Sooners

Stutsman returns to lead a Sooners defense that returns eight starters into the SEC. In 2023, Stutsman led the team with 104 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. Stutsman, 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds recorded double-digit tackles four times last season, including 17 tackles in a win over SMU.

After a stellar 2023 season, Stutsman earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference and second-team All-American honors. For his career, Stutsman has 266 tackles to his credit. Steele named Stutsman to his first-team Preseason All-SEC.

Greg Penn III, LSU Tigers

Penn is the leading returning tackler from 2023 after recording 89 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 2 INTs. In three games last season, Penn racked up double-digit tackles including a season-high 12 tackles against Arkansas. Starting 27 of the last 28 games for the Tigers, Penn, 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, is looked upon as a leader of the defense and is a veteran presence in the middle for the Tigers. For his career, Penn has 178 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. Penn was named third-team preseason All-SEC by Steele.

Harold Perkins Jr., LSU Tigers

Perkins was fourth on the team in tackles with 75. In addition, Perkins, 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, led the team in tackles for loss with 13.5, posted 5.5 sacks, and forced 3 fumbles. Perkins earned second-team All-SEC honors and has been named first-team preseason All-American by Steele.

Eugene Asante, Aubrun Tigers

Leading the team in tackles in 2023, Asante posted 86 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. Asante, 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds recorded double-digit tackles in three games last season, including 12 tackles against Cal and LSU.

Taurean York, Texas A&M Aggies

As a true freshman in 2023, York was second on the team with 74 tackles and is the leading returning tackler in 2024. In addition, York, 6-foot and 230 pounds recorded 8.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. As a result, York earned All-SEC Freshman honors as well as Freshman All-American by ESPN.

Anthony Hill Jr., Texas Longhorns

Another true freshman star in 2023, Hill was second on the Texas team with 67 tackles. In addition, Hill recorded 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Hill, 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds was named Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.

Deontae Lawson, Alabama Crimson Tide

Lawson was second on the team with 67 stops last season and is the leading returning tackler in 2024. In addition, Lawson made 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. Lawson, 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds posted two games of double-digit tackles, including 12 stops in a win over Tennessee. In the loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Lawson recorded 6 tackles. Lawson has been named first-team preseason All-SEC by Steele.

Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss Rebels

Paul was second on the team in tackles for Arkansas last season with 74. In addition, Paul recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Against Mississippi State, Paul recorded a season-high 12 tackles in a three-point loss to the Bulldogs. Paul,6-foot-1 and 233 pounds transferred to Oxford to play on what is now a stacked defense for the Rebels.

Trey Washington, Ole Miss Rebels

Washington led Ole Miss in tackles with 83 a season ago. In addition, Washington, 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds recorded 2 tackles for loss and intercepted 3 passes (tied for the team lead). In three games last season, Washington recorded double-digit tackles and recorded 10 tackles in wins over Georgia Tech, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

Stone Blanton, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Blanton, a transfer from South Carolina, posted 52 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack, a forced fumble, and broke up three passes in 2023 for the Gamecocks.

Coming to iconic venues near you, these talented defenders will be living nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators, mucking up their game plans and wreaking havoc. From the Forty Acres to Williams-Brice, from Bryant Denny to Death Valley, from Jordan-Hare to Vaught-Hemingway. Get ready for fall Saturdays in the SEC, where football means more.