Last Word has been examining both sides of the ball in the Big 10. Whether it is the nation’s best wide receiver, experienced Big 10 quarterbacks, bull-dozing offensive linemen, or lock-down defensive backs, Last Word has everyone covered for the upcoming season. Today, the lenses shift to the tackling machines of a defense. A great linebacker can serve as the tone-setter for any defense. But today’s linebackers just can’t play downhill against the run. The players in contention for the best Big 10 linebacker entering the 2025 season have to hold up against the pass as well as the run. So, which team has this year’s best in the conference?
The Best Big 10 Linebacker Returning In 2025
3. Sonny Styles – Ohio State
This might come as a shock to some, but Ohio State has some elite playmakers all over the field. Ryan Day’s first national championship featured NFL-caliber players on both sides of the ball. And while the Buckeyes might be in a “rebuilding” year by their standards, this team is hardly lacking in top-tier talent. While the Buckeyes have possibly the single best defender in all of college football roaming their secondary, Sonny Styles deserves plenty of recognition. Styles arrived in Columbus as a Safety, where he started 12 games in 2023. He made the transition to linebacker in 2024 and had an immediate impact. Styles was awarded a second-team All-Big 10 selection for his outstanding play. He finished second on the team with 100 tackles, including 48 solo and 10.5 tackles for loss.
In addition to all his tackling stats, he added five pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. After starting all 16 games last season, he now boasts 41 games played and 28 starts in his career. Despite his high level of production, his most memorable moment came in being Jack Sawyer’s escort during Sawyer’s 83-yard scoop-and-score versus Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Styles is already showing in some NFL draft projections to be the fifth linebacker drafted in 2026. Another big year from Styles could send his name climbing up draft boards.
2. Bryce Boettcher – Oregon
As impressive as Styles’ resume is, his bid for the best Big 10 linebacker was lacking something Dan Lanning’s guy possesses. Bryce Boettcher had a breakout season not just on the football field, but on the baseball diamond. Boettcher is a two-sport athlete for the Ducks and heard his name called by the Houston Astros in the 13th round in the 2024 MLB draft. But Dan Lanning’s defense got a major boost when Boettcher decided to forgo a baseball career and focus on one last season of college football. In 2024, Boettcher led the Ducks with 94 total tackles, including 50 solo. He also had eight TFLs, two sacks, four pass breakups, one interception, and a forced fumble. According to PFF, his grade on the season was 89.8, ranking fourth among all FBS linebackers. Boettcher took home multiple accolades for his 2024 performance.
The coaches and media All-Big 10 teams gave him a second-team selection. He also became the first-ever Oregon player to win the Burlsworth Trophy. This award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on. It’s clear Boettcher, a hometown recruit from Eugene, has developed into one of the best Big 10 linebackers heading into the 2025 season.
The Best Big 10 Linebacker Is Aiden Fisher – Indiana
However, the Last Word selection for the best Big 10 linebacker in 2025 plays for the breakout team of 2024. Curt Cignetti made a huge splash in his first season as the Hoosiers’ head coach. One of the big reasons he was able to hit the ground running had to do with the large contingent of players (27 to be precise) Cignetti brought with him from James Madison. One of those standout defensive players was Aiden Fisher. His 2023 season at James Madison was good (third-team All-Sun Belt selection), but no one would have expected his play to take the kind of jump it did in 2024. In addition to multiple first-team All-Big 10 selections, he became Indiana’s first-ever first-team All-America linebacker.
He led the team in tackles with 118, good for 16th 16th-best all-time in program history and third in the Big 10 in 2024. Of those 118 tackles, 49 were solo and eight were TFLs. He had five games where he had 10 or more tackles, including a season-high 14 against Michigan. Fisher quarterbacked the best run defense in the country and is looking to keep Indiana’s stock soaring in 2025.
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