2026 Gophers Position Previews: Linebackers

Summer days are getting shorter. Football is coming. To make you the fan at your tailgate most informed on the top, middle, and bottom of Minnesota's depth chart, Ski-U-Blog is previewing each position group on the roster. It's now time to discuss the linebacker corps.

Likely Starters

Maverick Baranowski came into his own last season. He made quicker decisions than in past years, combining his aggression with experience to set new personal statistical bests. Playing all 13 games (and playing them all at Mike) for the first time, he almost doubled his career tackle total in a single season, recording a team-leading 77.5 tackles (52 solo), including 9.0 for loss.

It was a strong year for Baranowski, who enters his final year seeking his first all-conference selection.

To get there, he must still polish flaws in his game. While he is athletic and knows his responsibilities, he will never be a fantastic defender in pass coverage so much as a competent one. The linebacker corps as a whole can over-pursue runs and create cutback lanes, and that includes Baranowski. For all the blitzing the Gophers do, he only made 3.0 sacks. Baranowski is the Gophers' best linebacker and one of their most trustworthy defenders, but he has a little more room to grow.

Matt Kingsbury made one of my favorite plays of 2025. Let's watch it.

That's the good stuff.

Less positively: Kingsbury enters the season with questions to answer about his versatility. In a blitz-heavy defense, he had some success rushing quarterbacks but was not an every-down player most weeks. He often appeared as the Sam linebacker in a 4-3, aligned outside the 5-technique end to put another body on the edge. He is a bulky, physical linebacker, and that means there are drawbacks when Kingsbury lines up at Will. His uneven performance filling in for Devon Williams against Northwestern showed as much. Kingsbury is the starter but will rotate off plenty to give Baranowski a more natural foil.

Key Backups

Against Rutgers, Emmanuel Karmo made one of the most impressive plays of Minnesota's season. Lined up outside the left tackle, Karmo had man coverage on All-Big Ten running back Antwan Raymond. Raymond ran a wheel route, giving a tiny hesitation on his way up the sideline to try and shake Karmo. Karmo didn't bite, turned his hips, and kept up with Raymond to the front pylon, where he made a brilliant, touchdown-saving play on the ball. The only thing that could have made it better was if he came down with the interception.

It was a remarkable demonstration of the athleticism that Karmo used to force his way into the defense as a true freshman, a rarity for a U of M linebacker (injury crises aside).

He was still mostly a part of the Gophers' lighter sets, whether that was appearing as the lone linebacker in dime or going down to the edge in a 3-3-5. The next step in Karmo's development is playing more snaps in neutral situations and better filling his gap against the run.

Joey Gerlach is another part of passing down packages. He has never recorded a havoc stat and has averaged only about 10 tackles (including special teams) each of the last two seasons, owing both to his small role and to the games he missed last season due to injury. Gerlach may have much more to do this season, which will require him to unlock some disruptiveness he has yet to show.

Potential Rotation Options

Jeff Roberson and Ryan Selig provide an example of what Andrew Marshall's time as a Gopher may be. Both were prominent parts of their previous defenses (Oklahoma State and Western Michigan, respectively), only to be buried on the depth chart when they arrived to Minneapolis. Roberson had just 3.5 tackles (3 solo) in 2025, a paltry total even after accounting for the times he was unavailable.

For his part, Marshall started six games last year and led Eastern Michigan's linebackers with 45.5 tackles (30 solo) and added 3.5 TFLs (1.0 sack). That tackle total only ranked 4th on the team, however; the Eagles' defensive backs were extraordinarily busy. Depending on the opponent, Marshall also frequently left the field on passing downs.

He is a run-and-hit linebacker. He can just sometimes skip the crucial part between running and hitting, which is breaking down to make a sound tackle. His understanding of coverage and pursuit angles on the outside is spotty. The best way to deploy Marshall is just to wind him up and let him go. At Minnesota, that will mean appearing in clear running situations, as he does show fine gap responsibility when not having to chase a skill player into the open flat.

By October, Nate Cleveland had won a place on the Gophers' kick coverage unit. After longtime program servant Derik LeCaptain finally exhausted his eligibility, Cleveland took LeCaptain's number 35. Maybe he just wanted something smaller than 53, and there's nothing more to it, but it at least reads as symbolic for Cleveland to adopt the number when there were other options available for a switch and when he does the same jobs LeCaptain did.

Most of those jobs, anyway — Cleveland probably won't ever play tailback or fullback. He did everything as a high school prospect, though, owing to his standout athleticism. In the spring game, he displayed good awareness in zone coverage, likely owing to his time at safety, and closing speed to dart through gaps and make plays. He led all players with 8.0 tackles (6 solo), plus 2.0 TFLs (1.0 sack).

These tools are a more a natural fit at Will but will play at either linebacker spot. Currently, Cleveland is in a battle for second-team reps at Mike with Mason Carrier.

Carrier's spring game was much quieter than Cleveland's, but he had his moments. As a redshirt freshman, Carrier was one of the Gophers' "Quad Teamers" from the very start of the 2025 season: He covered kickoffs, he covered punts, he blocked on kickoffs, and he blocked on punts. Not every Quad Teamer has gone on to a great Minnesota career, but appearing on all four units often foreshadows regular playing time on defense. Take linebackers coach Mariano Sori-Marin, for example, a 2019 Quad Teamer who became a three-year starter.

He made an impact, too: Carrier's 6.0 special teams tackles (4 solo) led the team. Another two-way player in high school, Carrier has the required base athleticism to play linebacker at this level. Both he and Cleveland will keep contributing on special teams before competing for first-team defensive snaps next fall.

Notables Unlikely to Contribute

Ethan Stendel made a solo tackle on punt coverage and was a consistent special teams presence, but he is clearly behind Cleveland and Carrier entering his sophomore season.

Hudson Dunn picked the U of M over a reported 14 other power-conference offers, enrolling early to play in the spring game. He made this loud run stop:

As a prospect, he was a prolific edge rusher who made 63.0 TFLs (37.0 sacks) in three years. He moves off the ball, presumably, because his height (6 feet flat) does not play as well at end. P.J. Fleck called Dunn "one of the better linebackers we've ever signed," setting high expectations for his future.

Angel Luciano owns the coolest name among Minnesota's 2026 newcomers, and his high school team's nickname — the Steelton-Highspire High School (Pennsylvania) Steamrollers — may be the coolest among everyone on the roster. He looks the part of a hard-hitting middle linebacker and was a two-time all-state selection.