BALTIMORE, MD -- In the second of a seven-part series breaking down the 2015 Johns Hopkins football team, HopkinsSports.com takes a look at the Blue Jay linebackers. While newcomers to the program may make an impact this season, the breakdown includes only returning players.

Note - In Johns Hopkins' 4-4-3 alignment, the players listed as strong safeties are outside linebackers.

Who's Back - Eight players who posted 35 or more tackles last season are back for defensive coordinator Mickey Rehring, and three of those eight (Keith Corliss, Brady Watts and Jack Campbell) form the nucleus of the Blue Jay linebacking corps.

Corliss (team-high 81 tackles in 2014) and Watts (45 tackles, 7 TFLs) both earned First Team All-Centennial Conference honors a year ago and have combined to post 260 tackles and 22.5 TFLs since arriving together in 2012. They are two of the team's four co-captains this season and the unquestioned leaders of the defense.

Campbell started eight of the 10 games he played in last season and posted 51 tackles on the year playing alongside Corliss inside. Despite missing two full games he still ranked fifth on the team in tackles and is poised to join Corliss and Watts at the all-conference level.

Keep an Eye on - The talk of the early part of preseason camp on defense was junior Garrett Spek, who has played in 20 games in two seasons and registered 23 tackles a year ago. He has good size and athleticism and could be a breakout player for the Blue Jays this season.

Great Depth Here - One of the keys to Rehring's successful defense last season was the number of players in the regular rotation - that depth played a big role in keeping fresh players on the field; 2015 should be no exception.

Junior Pat Runger (28 tackles in 2014), seniors Joe Trumbetti (12) and Sebastian Edwards (12) and junior Rob Gorman (8) have all played in at least 13 games in their career and are more than capable of stepping in for extended time.

Numbers to Know
177 - The number of tackles returning starters Keith Corliss, Brady Watts and Jack Campbell combined for in 2014.

51 - The combined number of tackles for juniors Garrett Spek and Pat Runger in 2014. While neither is technically a returning starter, both have seen extensive playing time and are likely to assert their presence in 2015.

- Pride and Poise -