Average Size of College Football Linebackers (Height & Weight)
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always loved doing was going through and checking out the sizes of the other teams in our conference.
It helped give me (and our staff) an idea of how we stacked up against our competition. It also could be used as motivation with our team both during the season and, often, during the following off-season.
So, this is essentially the same research I’ve always done, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took starting depth charts for each team in the FBS (a total of over 3000 players) going into the 2023 season and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the over 350 starting Linebackers* across college football. In addition, I broke down the sizes of linebackers by conference and individual players.
Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random football knowledge.
Average Height of a College Football LB
The average height of a College Football Linebacker is 73.68 inches (just over 6’1 1/2″).
Average Weight of a College Football LB
The average weight of a College Football Linebacker is 230.51 pounds.
Want to see how college football Linebackers compare with the size of NFL Linebackers? Good news, I’ve also run the numbers on the guys at the next level.
Which Conference Has the Tallest Linebackers?
| Conference | Avg Height (Inches) |
|---|---|
| Big 10 | 74.13 |
| Big 12 | 74.1 |
| ACC | 73.88 |
| SEC | 73.75 |
| Pac 12 | 73.75 |
| AAC | 73.65 |
| Conference USA | 73.58 |
| MAC | 73.56 |
| Mountain West | 73.29 |
| Independents | 73.23 |
| Sun Belt | 73.09 |
Which Conference Has the Heaviest Linebackers?
| Conference | Avg Weight |
|---|---|
| Big 10 | 240.9 |
| SEC | 234.69 |
| Big 12 | 233.39 |
| Pac 12 | 233.13 |
| MAC | 230.11 |
| Independents | 228.92 |
| Mountain West | 228.1 |
| ACC | 227.91 |
| Conference USA | 227.38 |
| AAC | 225.56 |
| Sun Belt | 222.69 |
Who Are the Tallest Linebackers in College Football?
There are 20 Linebackers listed at 6’4″ and 7 Linebackers listed at 6’5″.
But, there are only 3 guys listed at 6’6″, the tallest in College Football.
| Name | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Cole | 6’6″ | 285 | Texas Tech |
| Nikhil Webb Walker | 6’6″ | 255 | New Mexico State |
| Cory Stover | 6’6″ | 248 | Oregon State |
Who Are the Shortest?
There are a total of 19 guys listed under six feet tall.
4 of those guys are listed at 5’10”.
| Name | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eriq Gilyard | 5’10” | 229 | UConn |
| Monty Montgomery | 5’10” | 225 | Ole Miss |
| Cruz Temple | 5’10” | 210 | Arkansas State |
| Melique Straker | 5’10” | 201 | Arkansas State |
Who are the Heaviest Linebackers in College Football?
This seems like a good place to point out something many of you reading through this have probably already thought of.
Many positions in modern football have become very blurred and perhaps the biggest example of this is the edge rusher. Depending on the defense, there are many guys who are a sort of hybrid between a defensive end and a linebacker.
I simply used the positions as listed on team rosters, but understand some of these guys could very well be considered ends in a different defensive scheme (and visa versa).
With all that being said, here are the six biggest linebackers in college football this season, all weighing 260 or more.
| Name | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Coe | 6’6″ | 285 | Texas Tech |
| Nic Scourton | 6’4″ | 280 | Purdue |
| Gabe Jacas | 6’3″ | 265 | Illinois |
| Michael Fairbanks II | 6’3″ | 265 | UAB |
| Kellan Wyatt | 6’3″ | 262 | Maryland |
| Kydran Jenkins | 6’1″ | 260 | Purdue |
Who are the Lightest?
There are a total of 7 Linebackers who weigh 200 pounds or less.
| Name | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Brackenridge | 6’3″ | 195 | Western Kentucky |
| Kavian Gaither | 6’0″ | 200 | Sam Houston |
| Jordan Pollard | 6’0″ | 200 | San Jose State |
| Eddie Williams | 6’1″ | 200 | Florida Atlantic |
| RaRa Dillworth | 6’1″ | 200 | East Carolina |
| Michael Batton | 6’2″ | 200 | Louisiana Monroe |
| Jontrey Hunter | 6’2″ | 200 | Georgia State |
Important Notes
As a former sports scientist, I tend to take data pretty seriously so I must stress that these ‘averages’ should be used for entertainment purposes only.
Why do I say that?
There are multiple issues that can make all the data in this article flawed.
First and foremost, it’s pretty commonplace in athletics to lie about heights and weights. I once worked at a school where it was standard procedure to add an inch and 5 to 10 pounds to almost every player on the roster.
Why?
The best answer that I was ever given is that it could potentially help with NFL scouting. However, I can’t imagine in 2023 that anyone is fooling an NFL scout with the size listed in a program. I think the real answer is it’s just part of the culture in sports.
*I used the heights and weights of all the projected starters leading into Week 1. Whether it’s through injury or performance, starters can and will change throughout the season.
In fact, it took me a week to gather all these numbers and by the time I was done I would bet that there were at least a couple of starting positions that had already changed hands.
And, if a couple of 6’4″ 240-pound players are swapped out with a couple of 5’11” 210-pound players, the sample size is small enough that this could substantially affect the overall averages.
Finally, I can tell you for a fact that players’ weights can fluctuate pretty wildly from week to week and sometimes even day to day and, especially, over the course of a season.
Just because a guy weighed 215 on the first day of camp when weights were put in the program, does not mean that’s what he weighs in Week 8.
So, have fun with the data above, but this is just a reminder to not take the numbers too seriously.
More Info
I also broke down the sizes of Running Backs across college football that you can check out.
Or, if you really want to have your mind blown, check out the fastest 40 times that linebackers have put up at the NFL Combine over the years.
Finally, you may not be able to control how tall you are, but you can control how hard you work and how smart you work. I can’t help you with your work ethic, but I have put together a Strength and Conditioning Guide for Football.
