Position | Player |
|---|---|
Middle Linebacker | Ben Roberts |
Weakside Linebacker | Jacob Rodriguez |
Reserves | Bryce Ramirez, Miquel Dingle |
The position group that Joey McGuire has to feel best about is his linebacking corps. That's where Ben Roberts and Jacob Rodriguez form what could be the Big 12's best LB unit.
Roberts was a revelation in 2023 making 12 starts and earning the Co-Big 12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honors. Despite being just a redshirt freshman, he racked up 107 tackles, 6.5 of which went for a loss.
Rodriguez has yet to play a full season at linebacker for Tech but when he's been on the field, he's been excellent. Last year, a foot injury limited him to just five games, though. Still, he managed 32 total tackles, an average of 6.4 per game. For a full 12-game regular season, that would project to 77 tackles.
Backing them up are Bryce Ramirez, one of Tech's emotional leaders and redshirt freshman Miquel Dingle who might also get some time at the "Star" position where his speed could be an asset. This is a tremendous group of linebackers and that will help fortify the middle of a defense that is replacing a ton of key pieces this year.