Villanova Football Roster Preview: Rising Stars in the Mix at Linebacker

This is one in a series of stories breaking down Villanova Football’s roster ahead of the 2026 season.

Villanova uses three linebackers in their 3-3-5 defensive scheme, a middle linebacker tasked with making plays and racking up tackles, and two outside linebackers capable of rotating down to the edge in order to rush the passer or combat running plays eyeing the sideline. In differentiating between the groups, the outside linebackers are typically lankier, needing the wingspan to battle opposing tackles, while middle linebackers are shorter and stockier.

Chief Candidates

The Wildcats lost a mainstay of their linebacker group during the offseason when Shane Hartzell graduated and, while they’ve managed to retain a solid group of talent, the loss of senior linebacker Turner Inge to a season-ending injury dealt the unit an early blow. Inge amassed 57 tackles and three sacks last season across 13 games played; the next man up in the linebacker group is six foot tall, 230 pound sophomore Omari Bursey, who put up 50 tackles (34 solo), eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception last season. 

With three seasons of eligibility remaining and a meteoric start to his career, Bursey could develop into a legitimate superstar on the gridiron. Even more exciting, his best games came in the playoffs against Lehigh and Tarleton State. Junior Christian Caballero (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) had an excellent performance during spring practices according to Villanova’s roster. After playing 12 games as a reserve last year, he’s expected to battle for a starting spot.

Junior transfer Tyler Cain (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) played at Division-II Slippery Rock last season, one of the premier programs at the classification,  after beginning his career at WVU. He amassed 54 tackles (28 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions in ten games (six starts) in 2025 and, while he’ll face a learning curve between Slippery Rock and the Main Line, his experience at a Power Four program should smooth the transition.

Also in the Mix

Other linebackers expected to rack up playing time in 2026 are senior JR Strauss (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), an experienced reserve who appeared in all 14 games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury against Penn State last season. His solid fundamentals and experience provide Villanova with plenty of upside, even as a career backup.

Redshirt freshmen Walker Murray (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) and Michael Gaul (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) are also in the mix, as is fifth year Dale Law (6-foot-1, 230 pounds), who recorded seven tackles in 14 games last season. Sophomore Langston White (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) earned praise as a hard worker on the Wildcats roster and, even if he isn’t ready to take the field on a consistent basis, having a good reputation among his coaches should help him earn some playing time.

Finally, the Wildcats have a class of four freshmen: Donovan Linthicum (5-foot-10, 215 pounds), Colin Gurley (6-foot-0, 220 pounds), Faustie Capobianco (6-foot-0, 210 pounds) and Jake Kissell (6-foot-2, 220 pounds). Gurley served as an edge rusher in high school; Kissell won a Pennsylvania state championship playing for Class-1A Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona, Pa.) and is a gritty underdog with rising stock.