Live on set, five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson committed to Texas Tuesday morning on the Pat McAfee Show, the No. 1 linebacker and No. 9 recruit in the 2026 class.
"The journey has been great," Atkinson said. He explained his "AktN' Up" logo is about never getting outworked.
With his commitment, 17 of the top 20 linebackers have announced their school decisions. Another one, Nick Abrams of Owings Mills, Maryland, has an announcement scheduled for tomorrow between Oregon, Georgia and Michigan with the Bulldogs a heavy favorite.
For the Ducks, moving on leaves them with five options: flip, convert, scout, scheme or portal, or some combination of the five.
There isn't a big pool of top linebacker talent left. Remaining uncommitted are Abrams, likely to fall to Georgia tomorrow, four-star JaMichael Garrett, a 6-2, 205 four-star from Baton Rouge, Louisiana who has zeroed in on the Tigers, and the No. 20 LB prospect Anthony Davis, a four-star teammate of Atkinson's at Grayson High in Loganville, Georgia.
Davis, 6-2, 200, made official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Michigan. The Ducks offered him on March 7.
After Davis, the next 27 linebackers in the 247Sports Composite have all chosen a school. Oregon has one linebacker committed in the class, Tristan Phillips of Ventura High School in Ventura, California, a good one at No. 12 nationally, 6-3, 215.
Linebackers best come in pairs. Oregon took just one in 2025, Gavin Nix of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, three in 2024 in Brayden Platt, Kamar Mothudi and Dylan Williams. They'd like at least one more for 2026.
Looking to flip one, a staff would be alert to a hot-seat coach or a vulnerable situation, changing circumstances. Talanoa Ili is solid to USC at the moment, but with soaring expectations and a tough schedule, things could change there. The athletic department just cut 12 jobs.
In a letter to faculty and staff today, USC’s interim president Beong-Soo Kim warned of “painful” changes ahead for the university, due to an “unsustainable” deficit.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) July 14, 2025
USC, per the letter, had a deficit in excess of $200m in FY2025, much higher than the $158m deficit from FY24
Ranking Big Ten coaches from hottest to coldest seats entering 2025, according to Tom Fornelli, CBS pic.twitter.com/SgHaE3HL2e
— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) July 10, 2025
By November, some coach somewhere is going be tarmacked. When that happens, recruits will reevaluate and opportunities arise. Three-star linebacker Jaxon Pyatt of Arvada, Colorado committed to Cal on May 2nd. As a junior he tallied 140 tackles, four sacks.
Pyatt squats 585 pounds and posted a 4.56 40. He's solid to Cal but things could change. A smart staff is alert to things that change.
If a flip doesn't materialize, the next option becomes a conversion. Troy Dye and Jeffrey Bassa were high school safeties, for example. Looking for opportunity, players grow or change their bodies. The ideal size for a college linebacker is 6-2 to 6-4, 225 to 240 with some speed and agility. If you can't find the body type, you set about to create it.
The next option is to mine for one in the portal. On3 Sports reported over 4,000 players entered it in 2024-25. Ohio State and Penn State both picked up a premium defensive player in the portal this time around. Edge rusher Beau Atkinson transferred from North Carolina to the Buckeyes, while linebacker Amare Campbell moved from the Tarheels to PSU.
Again, taking advantage of a coaching change. Of the 4,000 or so in the portal, 20 to 30 will be impact, difference-making players. That's a lot of sifting.
When you miss on a five-star linebacker, you start sifting.
If sifting fails, the DC starts thinking about a Nickle or Dime, the intricacies of the 4-1-6.