Kobie McKinzie holds the MLB · Starter spot in Northwestern Wildcats’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Kobie McKinzie is a 6'2", 235-pound linebacker from Lubbock-Cooper High School in Lubbock, Texas. A consensus four-star recruit in the 2022 class, he was ranked No. 90 overall by national outlets and No. 3 at his position by the same outlet. McKinzie redshirted his first year at Oklahoma in 2022, appearing in four games on special teams. Over three subsequent seasons, he progressed from a backup role in 2023—when he recorded 22 tackles across all 13 games—to starting assignments in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, he played in 12 games with eight starts, tallying 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and four quarterback hurries. He now transfers to Northwestern as a graduate student.

Oklahoma2022 – 2025

Northwestern2026 — present