ESPN College Football

Keeping up with the comings and goings in the SEC:

• Alabama's Barrett Jones is adjusting to another new position.
• Georgia's Mark Richt gets a new five-year contract that extends his deal through the 2016 season.
• If former Kentucky linebacker Ronnie Sneed doesn't make it in pro football, he'll give law enforcement a try.
• Hugh Kellenberger of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger has some results from Ole Miss' pro day.
• Backup Missouri quarterback Ashton Glaser was arrested on two warrants stemming from unpaid speeding tickets.
• Prized signee Dorial Green-Beckham takes in Missouri's first full-pads practice over the weekend.
• LSU and Tulane are in discussions about facing each other at the Superdome in 2013.

We move to linebackers today in our postseason position rankings.

Defensive lines are very important in this league, but there are other guys in the box who have to be pretty reliable as well in this league. This league has done a pretty solid job of producing some top talent at this position as well.

You can see what are preseason linebacker rankings looked like here.

And here are our postseason rankings:

1. Alabama: This unit was at the top of our preseason rankings and didn't budge throughout the season. When you have two All-Americans in Courtney Upshaw, who was the defensive MVP in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game, and Dont'a Hightower it's pretty understandable to see why. Those two combined for 136 tackles, including 29 for loss. Nico Johnson was fourth on the team in tackles, while C.J. Mosley added 37 of his own. Alabama's defense was first nationally in total defense and first in rushing defense, allowing 74.2 yards per game.

2. Georgia: Linebackers are essential to any 3-4 defense, and the Bulldogs' group did quite well in 2011. Georgia ended up with one of the nation's best linebackers in Jarvis Jones, who led the SEC with 19 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He also had 49 quarterback hurries. Michael Gilliard was third on the team behind Jones with 65 tackles. While Alec Ogletree missed part of the first half of the season, the speedster still finished with 52 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. Cornelius Washington, Amarlo Herrera Christian Robinson combined to add 101 more tackles, as Georgia's defense ranked fifth nationally.

3. Arkansas: Arkansas' defense had a lot of bend in it last season, but the linebackers found ways to make plays. Newcomer Alonzo Highsmith was third on the team with 80 tackles, led with 12.5 tackles for loss and had 4.5 sacks. The star continued to be Jerry Franklin, who led the team in tackles (101) for the fourth straight year. Then there was Jerico Nelson, who was all over the field as that hybrid linebacker/safety. He came away with 70 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Ross Rasner, who played outside with Nelson, added 53 more tackles and two sacks.

4. Florida: The Gators' defense ranked eighth nationally in part because of the aggressive play of its front seven. Jon Bostic commanded the middle, leading the team with 94 tackles, including 10 for loss. Jelani Jenkins seemed to come more into his own outside, finishing third on the team in tackles. The big surprise was Lerentee McCray, who played both Sam linebacker and the hybrid Buck. He was one of Florida's most active linebackers and grabbed 7.5 tackles for loss. Ronald Powell started at the Buck, but saw most of his production from defensive end.

5. Vanderbilt: The Commodores entered the season needing to replace three starting linebackers and ended the year with a very impressive linebacking corps. It was led by vet Chris Marve, who was 10th in the league in tackles. Archibald Barnes had a solid year at the Will, ranking fourth on the team in tackles and grabbing two interceptions. Chase Garnham and Al Owens manned the Sam position and combined for 72 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Against conference foes, Vandy's rush defense ranked fourth in the league.

6. LSU: The Tigers were in search of that dominant middle linebacker all season and might have found a budding star in Kevin Minter, really grew into the position by the end of the season and was fifth on the team in tackles. He started 11 games, but shared time with Karnell Hatcher, who finished with 24 tackles. Ryan Baker was LSU's best linebacker, was an outstanding leader and was fourth on the team with 64 tackles. Stefoin Francois was the starter at Sam, but he accumulated just 11 tackles, while backup Tahj Jones registered 27. Still, LSU owned the No. 2 national defense.

7. South Carolina: The Gamecocks saw improvement from this group as the season went on. While the defensive line got a ton of credit, the linebackers did their part in securing the defense's No. 3 national ranking. Antonio Allen spent some time in the box at the Spur position and led South Carolina with 88 tackles and had 9.5 for loss. Rodney Paulk and Shaq Wilson, who returned from injury, rotated at the Mike and combined for 109 tackles. Will linebacker Reginald Bowens added 44 tackles.

8. Kentucky: The Wildcats owned the SEC's top tackler in Danny Trevathan (143), who should have received more national attention. Trevathan was one of the most active defenders around at the Will. Winston Guy played the hybrid linebacker/safety and was third in the SEC with 120 tackles. Ronnie Sneed added 71 more tackles. Kentucky's defense was much more aggressive under new defensive coordinator Rick Minter and got more exotic looks from its linebackers.

9. Mississippi State: Cameron Lawrence was a beast for the Bulldogs in 2011. He was second in the SEC with 123 tackles, and had 49 solo. Senior Brandon Wilson added 94 more tackles. Brandon Maye, who transferred from Clemson, was expected to make a bigger impact for the Bulldogs, but played behind Wilson and was 11th on the team in tackles. Sophomore Deontae Skinner added 69 tackles and Mississippi State ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in total defense.

10. Tennessee: The Vols' top three tacklers were linebackers. The leader was senior Austin Johnson, who finished the season with 81 tackles, including 41 solo. Next were two true freshmen on the outside in A.J. Johnson (80) and Curt Maggitt (56). Both freshmen experienced up-and-down seasons, but were SEC All-Freshman selections. Herman Lathers, who was a projected started, missed 2011 with a fractured ankle, and after the big three, the Vols didn't get a ton out of their linebackers, as Dontavis Sapp was their next most productive linebacker with 20 tackles.

11. Auburn: The Tigers' defense really struggled in 2011 and gave up more than 200 rushing yards a contest. Auburn had to basically start over at linebacker, but lone returning starter Daren Bates had a heck of a year, ranking fourth in the league with 104 tackles. He really tried to make sure he played all over the field last fall. After that, the play was up-and-down. Senior Eltoro Freeman took over in the middle halfway into the year and finished with 58 tackles, while Jake Holland and Jonathan Evans combined for 83 tackles.


12. Ole Miss: The Rebels' defense had all sorts of problems defensively, including allowing 256.5 yards per game and 21 rushing touchdowns. The linebackers took a major hit with the absence of D.T. Shackelford, who missed the season with a knee injury. Mike Marry stepped up at the Mike and led Ole Miss with 81 tackles and five for loss. Freshman Serderius Bryant and junior Joel Kight combined for 122 tackles. Damien Jackson played the Spur and added 64 tackles, but Ole Miss' defense ranked dead last in the SEC.

When Rick Minter looks at film of Kentucky’s 2010 defense, he can easily point out the weaknesses.

He says it's not the talent, but the drive.

Hesitance suffocated the Wildcats at times, leading to blown assignments and a lack of toughness.

Minter, the Wildcats’ new co-defensive coordinator, is looking to toughen up this group.

“We’re going to be an aggressive, move-around defense,” Minter said. “We’re going to attack people. We’re not going to sit back and wait and we’re going to be a combination of zone coverages and zone pressures and man defenses.”

Minter, who joined Kentucky two weeks before January’s BBVA Compass Bowl, is also making things a bit more interesting by experimenting with a three-man front and operating out of a 4-2-5 alignment, while still having a 4-3 base.

He’s moving guys around, trying to get more speed on the field, especially closer to the line of scrimmage.

There is different terminology for players to decipher, a new playbook study and some new, more innovative formations to memorize.

It’s a lot to throw on his new unit, but more than halfway through spring practice, Minter said he’s pleased with how his guys have taken to all this change.

“I’m extremely happy with how hard they’re trying to do their best,” said Minter, who was the head coach at Cincinnati from 1994-2003 and was the linebackers coach at Indiana State last season.

“I couldn’t be happier with what they’re doing.”

But in January, that wasn’t the case.

With only a small window of time to work with his new players, Minter mostly worked on technique, staying away from implementing his new schemes. The preparation, Minter says, was good, but the result wasn’t as the Wildcats fell 27-10 to Pittsburgh, giving up 261 rushing yards in the process.

“We tried to make it through December, tried to prove ourselves, “Minter said. “Yet, we went out and basically did not get the job done in the bowl game.”

After seeing his defense gutted on the ground against the Panthers, Minter has put special emphasis on stopping the run. Kentucky allowed 177.1 yards rushing yards a game lat season, good enough for 11th in the SEC.

Funky formations and a more creative blitz package will be a main force against the rush, Minter said, but the key cog is 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior weakside linebacker Danny Trevathan, who was first in the SEC and ninth nationally with 144 total tackles in 2010.

“Danny Trevathan was an outstanding football player long before I got here,” Minter said. “What we want to try and do is take his game to another level.

“You can see quickly when you coach him out there on a daily basis and you’re around this kid how he did indeed lead this league in a whole lot of areas in tackling.”

It hasn’t been an easy adjustment, but Minter is starting to see guys adapt to the new system. Guys like middle linebacker Ronnie Sneed, linebacker/safety Winston Guy, cornerbacks Martavius Neloms, Randall Burden and Anthony Moseley, and defensive tackle Luke McDermott have all caught on nicely, Minter said.

Junior quarterback Morgan Newton has seen more than just a handful of guys catching on. He said working against Kentucky‘s new schemes has been both confusing and frustrating at times and he’s convinced the defense will surprise people this fall.

“The defense is as exciting as anyone out here. They’re flying around, making plays," Newton said. “Coach Minter and the guys are going to have them making plays (this fall).”

That sort of praise is nice, Minter said, but there’s still work to be done.

The defensive performance in the first spring scrimmage drew high praise from head coach Joker Phillips, but it was also marred with inconsistency.

It’s fixable, but it’s out of Minter’s hands. The next step in the maturation of this defense, Minter said, is for players to be more reliable and more devoted to applying what they learn from mistakes.

“We’re not anywhere [near] where we need to be in the sense of consistency,” he said. “They gotta understand they gotta bring their lunch bucket every day to play.”

Schedule: Practice starts Friday at 2:55 p.m. ET for the first group and 4:15 p.m. ET for the second group. The first day in full pads is Tuesday (Aug. 10).

What’s new: The Joker Phillips era at Kentucky is being billed as “Operation Win” as he takes over for Rich Brooks. Phillips made several changes, including bringing in Mike Summers to coach the offensive line, Tee Martin to coach receivers, David Turner to coach the defensive line, Greg Nord to coach tight ends and special teams and Rock Oliver to head up the strength and conditioning program. Summers, Turner, Nord and Oliver all had previous stints at Kentucky.

Sidelined: Redshirt freshman Mister Cobble, who would have competed for one of the starting defensive tackle spots, has been ruled academically ineligible and won’t play this season. Defensive line signee Tim McAdoo will attend junior college, while linebacker signee Tim Patterson is on hold after undergoing knee surgery.

Key battle: The Wildcats lost four starters on the offensive line, and one of the battles to watch will be at center. Junior Jake Lanefski has the most experience after moving over from guard. He’s also coming off a knee injury that caused him to miss the contact portions of spring practice. Sophomore Matt Smith and redshirt freshman Sam Simpson will both push Lanefski.

New on the scene: Prep school signee Donte Rumph qualified late after two years of trying and should be able to help on the defensive line. Redshirt freshman Qua Huzzie will battle for a starting linebacker job. Redshirt freshman Jonathan George will help spell Derrick Locke at tailback. Junior college defensive back Mychal Bailey has a chance to make an immediate impact in the secondary. A pair of true freshmen to watch are kicker/punter Joe Mansour and linebacker Avery Williamson.

Breaking out: In his first season out of junior college, Chris Matthews emerged as Kentucky’s second leading receiver a year ago. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Matthews should be even better in Year No. 2. He’s big, but can also run and will take the pressure off Randall Cobb on the other side.

Don’t forget about: Junior Ronnie Sneed has waited his turn behind Micah Johnson at middle linebacker and is healthy now after battling through a bum shoulder last season.

All eyes on: Senior quarterback Mike Hartline. This is his last chance to make the kind of mark he wants to on this program. He heads into the preseason with a slight lead, but Phillips insists the quarterback race will be wide open with sophomore Morgan Newton and redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski also getting every opportunity to show what they can do over this next month.

Quoting: “We want to take this program to the next level, and the way you do that is by winning the key games Kentucky hasn’t typically won, going to BCS bowls and playing for SEC championships.” -- Kentucky receiver Randall Cobb