Class of 2023: Standout Linebackers

There are several great Linebackers in Kansas who will be Juniors in 2021.  With 5 LB ranked in the top 76 and 2 of them in the top 13, it is safe to say that these players will have a big impact on their team’s success next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35664" first="Ty" last="Weber"],</strong> <strong>6’3</strong>, <strong>230</strong>, <strong>Washburn Rural</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35664" first="Ty" last="Weber"] had a huge season for the Junior Blues of Washburn Rural as a sophomore in 2020.  He made 116 tackles with 7 TFL, a sack and 4 passes defensed.  He is the #1 ranked LB and the #12 ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  He plays as an ILB.  At the snap, he uses his football intelligence to key and diagnose the play, uses his very good play speed and range to play sideline to sideline in pursuit and uses his leverage and play strength in his upper body, lower body and core to bring down the RB with force.  Against the pass, he reads the QB, quickly gets himself in position to make a play on the ball and times his hands efficiently to deflect the pass. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87673" first="Conner" last="Neil"]l,</strong> <strong>6’0</strong>, <strong>205</strong>, <strong>Maize South</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="87673" first="Conner" last="Neil"]l is the #2 ranked linebacker and the #13 ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  He plays as an OLB.  He uses his good football intelligence to quickly read the play at the snap, displays good play strength and hand punch as he defeats the reach block from the TE, uses his very good play speed and range in pursuit and shows good form tackling ability as he plays at a low pad level, wraps up and drives through the RB negating his progress. He is very good in coverage as he uses his athletic ability to stay in phase with the TE and uses his good range, closing speed and form tackling ability to prevent a big gain. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35670" first="Axavier" last="Vink"],</strong> <strong>6’0</strong>, <strong>200</strong>, <strong>Ottawa</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35670" first="Axavier" last="Vink"] is the #3 ranked LB and the #51 ranked player overall in the state for the class of 2023.  He plays as a MLB and also on the ball as a SAM.  He is quick off the ball and uses his excellent play strength and hand use to stack the C at the point of attack but also uses his athletic ability to defeat reach blocks from the TE.  He plays at a low pad level and shows good form tackling as he uses his leverage and play strength to drive through the RB for the tackle.  He has very good ball skills as he drops into zone coverage while reading the eyes of the QB, uses his play speed to get himself in position while tracking the ball in the air and shows good hands as he comes down with the interception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87674" first="Sean" last="Anderson"],</strong> <strong>6’3</strong>, <strong>160</strong>, <strong>Norton</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="87674" first="Sean" last="Anderson"] had a great season in 2020 for the Norton Bluejays.  He plays as a MLB and last season, he made 97 tackles with 4 TFL and 4 passes defensed.  He is the #4 ranked LB and the #68 ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  A great player on both sides of the ball, he is also the QB for the Bluejays. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87675" first="Trey" last="Sommer"],</strong> <strong>6’1</strong>, <strong>175</strong>, <strong>Humboldt</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="87675" first="Trey" last="Sommer"] played very well as a sophomore in 2020 for the Humboldt Cubs.  Last season, he made 71 tackles with 5 TFL, a sack, a passed defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.  He is the #5 ranked LB and the #76 ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  He uses his good football intelligence to quickly key and diagnose the play and uses his very good play speed and motor in pursuit of the ball carrier.  He uses his very good play strength in his upper and lower body to bring down the RB or QB with force. &nbsp;