Monday Morning Quarterback: Who’s the top Husker linebacker of the 2000s?

Two names separate from the rest when looking at the top Husker linebackers since 2000, either one has a claim to be the top Blackshirt linebacker of the 2000s.

Barrett Ruud started 37 out of 50 games for the Huskers and holds the school record for tackles with 432 in his four-year Nebraska career – 90 more than anybody else. He holds the #2 and #3 slots for most tackles in a season for his 2003 and 2004 seasons, with 149 and 143 tackles respectively. Ruud is 3rd on the Husker list for career tackles for loss, and the highest linebacker on the list.

Lavonte David was a junior college transfer and had one heck of a two-year career. He holds the Husker single-season record for tackles with 152 in 2010. In 2011, David led the team in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, interceptions, fumbles caused and fumble recoveries, and was first-team All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award.

Both of these men were linchpins for the Blackshirts. Which one of these Huskers do you think was the best ‘backer of the 2000s?