8 Preseason Names To Watch: 22′ LBs

As we get closer to the start of the Fall 2021 season these young men are practicing with their respective teams getting ready for their Week 1 matchup. With that being said let’s take a look at 8 preseason names to watch as the days are getting closer and closer to gameday. <hr /> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="118756" first="Mitch" last="Larkin"] Palatine <a href="https://twitter.com/Mitch_larkin16">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11232121/607c900d90f9ad01e895acb7">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Larkin is from Palatine, he currently holds no offers and is one of the top linebackers that we have in the state. What I like the most about this young man is his aggressiveness and attacking playstyle which he showcases throughout his spring highlight tape. This is seen with his closing speed which he uses to cover sideline to sideline and when he attacks downhill to make open-field tackles. His ability to plant his foot to change his direction and attack is impressive, to say the least. This young man’s stock is going to rise after this fall season and is awaiting his first blessing. If your school is looking for an attacking linebacker, go check out his highlight film above. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155362" first="Sean" last="Allison"] Hinsdale Central <a href="https://twitter.com/Sean_Allison18">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11599214/6085dcd3a018ca1df4b3840f">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Allison is from Hinsdale Central, he currently holds no offers and was on our 8A 1st Team All-State Team this past spring season. What I like most about his young man is his playmaking abilities in both the pass as well as the run defense. For pass defense, he gets to his drops quickly where he reads the quarterback’s eyes and undercuts the route resulting in an interception. In run defense, he has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline and attacks downhill to make the open-field tackle. He’s an under-the-radar player here in Illinois as he has the ability to play at the next level. If you’re looking for a balanced linebacker that attacks each play, go take a look at this young man’s film above. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155403" first="Djabril" last="McNabb"] St Rita <a href="https://twitter.com/DjabrilM">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12851817/608654f64debb114cc2e8e4e">Highlights</a></em> Mr. McNabb is from St Rita, he currently holds one offer from Culver-Stockton College and I expect his college interest to pick up after this fall season. What I like most about this young man is his closing speed that he utilizes to cover sideline to sideline. There’s a play on his highlight film where he bolts down the line of scrimmage with his pursuit angle to make the tackle for no gain. It’s plays like this that caught my eye on this young man as he has untapped potential yet to come to light. If your school is looking for a balanced linebacker that can cover sideline to sideline with untapped potential, go take a look at this young man’s film above. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="20926" first="Malyk" last="Jones"] Homewood Flossmoor <a href="https://twitter.com/MalykJones">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11108644/6073aff84debb11670798d83">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Jones is from Homewood Flossmoor, he currently has one offer from St. Norbert College and has interest from other institutions as well. What I like most about this young man is his ability to fill the holes in run support where he meets the running back at the line of scrimmage and gets in the backfield to make the tackle. Standing at 5’10 220, he’s a thumper-style type of linebacker that isn’t afraid to deliver the heavy hits. With there being a full fall season expect this young man’s stock to increase once it’s all said and done. If your school is looking for a run-stopping linebacker, go take a look at this young man’s film above to see if he’s a fit for your program. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="20921" first="Carson" last="Eggebraten"] St Viator <a href="https://twitter.com/CEggebraten">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11609562/6088e5bf4deb1e09607bc87c">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Eggebraten is from St Viator, he currently holds no offers and is flying under the radar. What I like most about this young man is his attacking play style. In run defense, he fills the holes in run support quickly where once the ball is snapped he "pops" his hips to change gears quickly and attack downhill. In pass coverage, he gets to his coverage drops quickly and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. Standing at 6’0 220, he gets it done on the defensive side of the ball and is looking for his first offer. If your school is looking for a balanced linebacker that can stop the run and get it done in pass coverage, go take a look at his highlights above. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155400" first="Jacob" last="Bottarini"] Marmion Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/Jacob_Bottarini">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11147034/6088cf8b420771195470e42e">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Bottarini is from Marmion Academy, he currently holds no offers and has gone to various camps this summer to get his name out there. What I like most about this young man is the closing speed that he utilizes to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. He uses his 4.65 40 speed to cover sideline to sideline to make the tackle, gets pressure on the QB disrupting the play, and fills holes in run support. This young man has a good "pop" of his hips once the ball is snapped which helps him attack the ball carrier and accelerate to full speed quickly. I expect his stock to rise once the fall season is over and I look forward to seeing how he produces. If your school is looking for a balanced linebacker that flies to the ball, go take a look at his highlights above to see if he’s a fit for your program. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155418" first="Allan" last="Richards"] Wilmington <a href="https://twitter.com/allanri53154517">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11578930/60819fb1b5362d16e809b425">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Richards is from Wilmington, he currently holds no offers and was named to our 3A 1st Team All-State team for his past spring season performance. What I like most about this young man is his ability to stop the run by filling holes in run support. Once the ball is snapped, he attacks meeting the running back at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the play. This young man is also able to get pressure on the QB and cover sideline to sideline with his closing speed. Standing at 6’3 210, he has an aggressive playstyle and gets it done for his defensive unit. Keep an eye on this young man as his stock is going to rise once the fall season is over. If your school is looking for a run-stopping linebacker that’s aggressive in their playstyle, go take a look at this young man’s film above. <em>[player_tooltip player_id="65808" first="Brock" last="Skaggs"] Washington Community <a href="https://twitter.com/skaggs_brock">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11021307/608cc14002b1af050c756ad1">Highlights</a></em> Mr. Skaggs is from Washington Community, he currently holds no offers and was named to our 6A 2nd Team All-State team for his past spring season performance. What I like most about this 6’2 240 thumper is his ability to fill holes in run support where he meets the running back at the line of scrimmage disrupting the play. He also has the ability to cover sideline to sideline where he bolts down the line of scrimmage to make the tackle for no gain. This young man plays alongside [player_tooltip player_id="118835" first="Cade" last="Biedscheid"] in the linebacker core and I expect his stock to rise once the fall season is concluded. If your school is looking for a run-stopping linebacker go take a look at his highlights above to see if he’s a fit for your program. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Notables</strong></em></span></span> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155504" first="Jake" last="Zator"] Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/ZatorJake">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11464964/606b51cb420771195cea83f2">Highlights</a></em> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="156765" first="Ethan" last="Gallagher"] Lockport <a href="https://twitter.com/Ethan_G10">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11164517/608700580c5da201901bf8af">Highlights</a></em> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155264" first="Colin" last="Nesler"] Genoa Kingston <a href="https://twitter.com/_colinnesler">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12549900/607352d7a018ca1344e07f84">Highlights</a></em> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155409" first="Ian" last="Knotts"] Manteno <a href="https://twitter.com/IanKnotts4">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11381437/6081e384bd6ba31310d30289">Highlights</a></em> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="155374" first="Detric" last="Dee"] Bradley Bourbonnais <a href="https://twitter.com/DetricDee">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11498261/608825544debb114cc2f9f6f">Highlights</a></em> <hr /> These are some of the Preseason Names to Watch at the LB position for the class of 2022. Keep an eye on these young men as they get ready to put the pads on. <em>Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news &amp; information for Illinois High School Football,  @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.</em>