Five of the Best Linebacker Tandems in the State

Our next position group in this series highlighting some of the best positional unit in the state is the linebacker position. The leaders of the defense, the QBs of the defense. The best linebackers are some of the more versatile players on the field. They need to be able to cover TEs and RBs, rush the passer, and stuff the run. Ahead we will look at five teams who have some of the best duos of players manning the inside LB position for them. We will look at a quick scouting report on each player and take a look at their current recruiting activity. First up, let's head to Germantown! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Germantown</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30779" first="Noah" last="Galindo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="31011" first="Ethan" last="Neils"]</strong> Galindo is a beast in the middle of the Germantown defense. He is a tackling machine and basically set up residence in the opponents backfield last season. Noah flies through his gap, when blitzing or filling against the run, so fast that a lot of the time he gets through untouched. His ability to pick through all of the trash in front of him is also impressive as he shows good vision and quick feet to maneuver the mess. Lastly, Galindo's play speed will translate well to the next level. When he is out on the field it looks like he is playing at a faster speed than almost everyone else. He does it while having the size you want to see in a college LB. Galindo has a lot to offer a team. According to his twitter, it appears Galindo doesn't have any offers. Either they haven't been posted or Galindo is one of the biggest diamonds in the rough in the state. Neils is a little smaller than his teammate, but he stills has excellent size for the position at this level and the next. He plays similarly to Galindo. Ethan is at his best when he is coming downhill against the run. He does a good job of engaging with linemen and lead blockers, disengaging, and making the play at or behind the line of scrimmage. Ethan also is very good at mirroring the back that he is responsible for and then meeting him at the line. Neils, just like his teammate, should be a target for college teams. Currently, Ethan holds an offer from Carthage as well as interest from several other D3 programs. I expect that interest to turn into more offers as he begins another strong season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Middleton</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30840" first="Cole" last="Yanke"] and [player_tooltip player_id="30925" first="Nolan" last="Dunn"]</strong> The first trait that jumps off the tape with Cole is his burst and speed combination. He has sideline to sideline range and has really good body control making it so he can make tackles when he gets into the open field with a shifty skill player. Yanke has also shown that he can line up on the edge and rush the passer. He is a very versatile player who can do anything a team needs from him. He can stuff the run, rush the passer, and has the range and awareness to drop into coverage. It is because of that three level ability that Yanke has started to collect some college offers. He currently holds an offer from D3 St. Norbert's and D2 Southwest Minnesota State. We may see several others follow. Cole is an impact player. Nolan relies on his speed, shiftiness, and being very slippery at the point of contact with offensive linemen. Dunn is a bit undersized, so he lacks the ability to win with strength. Instead, he makes it hard for linemen to get their hands on him. He slices through gaps to make tackles and when linemen do get their hands on him he uses his agility to keep himself from being blocked squarely by the lineman. It makes it so he only has to beat half a man instead of the whole man. Nolan also plays with nice speed and awareness in space. He has traits that could intrigue coaches at the D3 level. Give him some time to fill out and he could be a nice player for them. At this time, Nolan doesn't have any twitter posts related to college offers or interest, but with another season like he had they will have a hard time ignoring him. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Greenfield</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30844" first="Skylar" last="Gill-Howard"] and [player_tooltip player_id="31197" first="Matthew" last="Fischer"]</strong> Skyler has a lot of what you look for in a linebacker at this level. He has very good size at 6'1" and over 220 lbs with long arms. He plays strong and it is very hard to throw him off balance. Even when he gets hit with a block he maybe didn't see coming. That low center of gravity helps him brush off blocks and make the tackle. Gill-Howard also has the range and athleticism to drop into coverage in the middle of the defense and he has shown the vision to see the field and feel players enter his zone while he reads the QB's eyes. Skyler also is an accomplished wrestler and it shows up in the balance and low center of gravity that I mentioned as well as in his reliability as a tackler. While looking through his twitter page, I can't find any posts about offers from schools. I hope he just hasn't posted otherwise this is the most under recruited athlete in the state. I believe he is at least a D2 prospect and the interest for him should be very high. He is very talented. The other half of the duo is Matt Fischer. Fischer is a bit undersized, but it doesn't effect his play as much as one might expect. His best trait looks like his ability to navigate the trash in front of him. He doesn't have the ability to take on a lineman one on one and he knows that. So, instead he does a great job of slipping off blocks, avoiding contact, and making it so linemen can't get clean shots on him. Matthew also has the range you like to see from the position. He can flow from his position to the sideline to make plays and he is a consistent and technically sound tackler. Fischer has a ton of reported interest from the D3 level and it is well deserved. He also currently holds an offer from Culver- Stockton. I expect that to be just the start for him. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Bradford</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30767" first="Brock" last="Lampe"] and Ethan Pergande</strong> Brock shows exactly what you want to see on film from a top prospect at his position. He checks off so many traits that you look for. Lampe is exceptional at shedding blocks; sometimes it isn't so much shedding blocks as it is completely throwing linemen to the ground. He has nice size and the perfect frame to fill out at the next level. Brock is an exceptional tackler and he has plenty of speed to pursue sideline to sideline. His play strength is noticeable as he throws linemen around. He needs to be one of the more heavily pursued LBs in the state. As for his recruiting, Brock has received a lot of D2 and D3 interest and offers. Among the offers are Carthage College, Northern Michigan, Bemidji State, and Roosevelt University. Pergande is one to keep an eye on. He enters the 2020 season as a junior with plenty of varsity experience already. He is undersized for the position, but considering his age, I wouldn't be surprised to see him continue to grow. His lack of size doesn't seem to effect his play much. The name of the game for him when you click on the tape is speed. He tries to beat linemen to and through gaps to make plays in the backfield and has been able to at a consistent rate. At the tackle, Ethan is actually a reliable tackler. When he makes contact with the ball carrier he stops their forward moment and doesn't get pushed back. He also is a smart tackler. He doesn't risk going high on bigger players, instead he takes out their legs. As for his recruitment, Ethan doesn't have any interest or offers posted, but that is to be expected for a young kid like him. Schools need to keep an eye on him this season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Little Chute</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30842" first="Ryan" last="Verstegen"] and Bennett Jansen</strong> Two words come to mind when I watch Verstegen's film. Closing speed. When he gets a ball carrier or receiver in his sights he can close the gap in no time flat. He carries that speed right into his tackle attempts as well. He does a great job of running through the offensive player. Overall, Ryan plays faster than everyone else on the field it seems like. His versatility jumps off the film as well. He can stuff the run up the middle, drop into coverage, and rush the passer off the edge. It is very clear why he has won DPOY for his conference in the past. At this time, Ryan has received attention from Sioux Falls including taking a visit to their campus. Other schools shouldn't be far behind. He is an impact player. Jansen makes up the second half of the talented Little Chute LB corp. He is another player who relies on speed and suddenness to make his plays. Unlike some of them though, he isn't undersized. He actually has a nice frame to fill out. Bennett is a tackling machine. Somehow he is always in a position to make a play on the ball carrier and he can fly when he shoots through gaps. It is so sudden that RBs and QBs have no time to react. His blitzing is probably his best trait. It is equally as effective against the run as it is against the pass. At this time it doesn't look like Bennett has any reported interest. With another strong season I believe that D3 schools will start to take notice.