Underrated 2022 Linebackers

As we continue our series looking at underrated 2022 players, we turn our attention to the linebackers. This is a strong class, maybe the strongest group of linebackers in a few years and one of the stronger 2022 position groups. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28663" first="Jaycob" last="Neely"], 6’1 200, Forestview</strong> A year ago, Neely was so undersized that he was written off by a lot of people. Despite that, he was selected All-Conference, thanks to his knack for making big plays and his open field tackling ability. He’s no longer undersized, putting on 25 pounds and growing a couple of inches. Watch out for Neely this spring as we expect him to have a huge season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28677" first="Carter" last="Wyatt"], 6’2 215, West Brunswick</strong> Wyatt is a prototypical middle linebacker that put up great tackling numbers as a sophomore. Still, he’s not getting enough recognition, but that could change this spring. Wyatt is a downhill linebacker and big hitter who is quick and strong enough to shed blockers and make tackles in the running game. He’s likely to put up some huge numbers in the spring. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153503" first="Donovan" last="Cole"], 6’ 200, Glenn</strong> Few individuals will benefit more from the spring season than Cole and fellow linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="28678" first="Albert" last="Redd"]. Glenn loses a trio of talented defenders as early enrollees and leaves a lot of room for Cole to shine. He’s a fast sideline-to-sideline linebacker that excels in space. With more opportunity this year, it looks like Cole could be one of the next great Glenn defenders. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106722" first="Dru" last="McClough"], 6’3 260, Maiden</strong> McClough is a big, versatile linebacker that may project better as a defensive end in college. For now though, he’s a terror in the middle of the field. He plays a number of different positions, including some left tackle of the offensive side of the ball and makes plays all over the field. He’s underrated and few people outside of the area know about him, but he’s a talented player. <strong>Brock Morgan, 6’ 200, AL Brown</strong> Morgan is an impressive player on the field and an impressive person off the field. As a linebacker, he excels against the run and in coverage. He’s blitzing a bit more and we expect him to makes some impact plays in the spring. In the classroom, he’s an outstanding student, student council representative and has an impressive Twitter presence. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="107034" first="Xavion" last="Coulter"], 5’11 220, Newton-Conover</strong> A solid linebacker with good stats, Coulter is a hard worker and that shows up on film. He’s disruptive in the run game and more than holds his own in man coverage. More of a downhill linebacker than sideline-to-sideline guy, Coulter routinely makes big plays for Newton-Conover. A second-team All-Conference player last season, we think he could put up first team numbers this year.