Although we are seeing an abundance of talented, athletic off-ball linebackers leave the college ranks for the NFL, there's still a very gifted crop returning to college football this fall.
Using a combination of Pro Football Focus grades and PFF's wins above average (WAA) metric, we present the top 10 off-ball linebackers returning to college football in 2020, as well as a sleeper to watch.
1. Micah Parsons, Penn State
Parsons was solid as a true freshman in 2018, but he took his game to a whole new level in 2019 in producing the highest PFF overall grade (91.5) at the position. Parsons excelled against the run, an area in which he recorded a run-defense grade of 94.8, which not only ranked first in the country but is also one of the best grades we've ever given to a player at his position. His tackling against the run was nearly flawless, too, as he recorded 17 tackles for loss or no gain and missed only six of his 83 attempts.
