Buddy Johnson (team high 86 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles in 2020)

Super senior Aaron Hansford (49 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 pass broken up)

Junior Andre White (32 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 3 passes broken up)

Junior Chris Russell (4 tackles, 1 blocked kick)

Sophomore Edgerrin Cooper (2 tackles in 10 games)

Redshirt sophomore Tarian Lee (no stats in 2 games)

Redshirt sophomore Ke'Shun Brown (did not play in 2020)

Redshirt freshman Antonio Doyle (did not play in 2020)

Kenneth Phillips (did not play in 2020)

Losing Buddy Johnson is a huge blow. There’s no two ways about it. But it could have been worse, and they have stability at the position thanks to Aaron Hansford’s decision to stay.

Hansford was a breakout player last season and was second on the team in tackles. He plays an attacking style and will be expected to make a lot of big plays in 2021 as he tries to increase his draft stock.

White has proven he can play at a high level, after a solid performance last year as the thief linebacker. He played his best at the season’s end, recovering a fumble against Tennessee and picking off a pass in the Orange Bowl against North Carolina. He will likely replace Johnson in the starting lineup.

As with other positions, the backup jobs are wide open. Chris Russell was the fourth linebacker last year and could be in line to step up into the top rotation; Tarian Lee and Ke’Shun Brown are in their third season and it may be now or never for them. Second-year 4-stars Edgerrin Cooper and Antonio Doyle bring speed and size to the equation and could upend the rotation quickly. Kenneth Phillips, the sole new arrival, is still recovering from a catastrophic knee injury he suffered in 2019. But if he needs an example to follow, he just needs to look to the top of the depth chart and Hansford, who suffered a similar injury in 2017 and came all the way back.