Five 2026 Georgia Linebackers Impressing Early

<p class="p1">Throughout this country there are certain states or hotbeds for football. Everybody knows the traditional “football states” like Texas, California, Florida and Georgia produce a number of talented prep football players year in and year out. Looking at the class of 2026, current 8th grade student-athletes, when it comes to the most dominant state—Georgia has a commanding lead on the talent.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>Here are five linebacker prospects that are impressing early.</p> [caption id="attachment_216003" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-216003 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/BaylorJohnson-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> Photo: Submitted[/caption] <p class="p3"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="212292" first="Baylor" last="Johnson"] | Calhoun</strong></p> <p class="p3">Johnson is an extremely exciting player to watch on film because he simply plays in another gear than everybody else. At 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds he flies around the field and is in the ball carrier's face before he can even think twice. Speaking of running the ball, Johnson plays running back on offense and even there you can see the type of physicality he brings as he attacks the hole. I'd go as far as to say that watching him hunt out ball carriers is like watching a hungry lion attacking it's prey—he arrives, he engages and he doesn't let go until he's finished. If his height can catch up to his ability…watch out.</p> <p class="p3"><strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-212827 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/BakariHamilton26HS-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="212290" first="Bakari" last="Hamilton"] | Trinity Christian School</strong></p> <p class="p3">When you look up the word ‘dog' in the dictionary, there might as well be a picture of Hamilton right next to the definition. The 5-foot-7, 175 pound tackling machine is a difference maker in the middle of any defense. Currently attending Trinity Christian, Bakari announced his presence this past March when he earned the Golden Ticket to the UA Next Game at the Under Armor All America Camp. In addition to his ability on the grid iron, Hamilton also excels in baseball and lives in the weight room. While it's certainly too early to compare him to the likes of Bo Jackson, he is certainly starting to check all the boxes when it comes to overall athleticism.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-216007 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/CJGamble2026-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="681160" first="CJ" last="Gamble"] | Carrollton</strong></p> <p class="p3">It's difficult to describe what it means to have that “it” factor, but whatever it is, Gamble possesses it. Quickly throwing on his film, you can determine which athlete he is before he's even spotlighted because he simply just looks different. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound linebacker plays with the swagger you want the leader of your defense to have. He has elite read and recognition skills, the ability to move exceptionally laterally and can lay the wood once he engages the ball carrier. Gamble is the unquestioned leader of the Carrollton Trojan 8th grade squad and has earned that through what he's accomplished during his middle school career. The versatile backer has been selected as a member of the Georgia Future Stars the previous two seasons and won an FBU National Championship with GFL last year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-216012 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/CJHarris2026-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="212296" first="CJ" last="Harris"] | DeKalb County</strong></p> <p class="p3">Yet another athlete already selected for the 2021 Georgia Elite Classic, Harris could be the most complete linebacker in the 2026 class in the state of Georgia. Harris has proven over and over again just how stout of a defender he is, by winning MVP of his tryout during the Georgia Future Stars, but was also named Linebacker of the Year by Born To Compete following last season. Throwing on his film, he's the type of player that makes everybody else look like they're moving in slow motion.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>He plays with the a seek and destroy mentality that allows for him to shed blocks with ease and get down hill quickly to make some jaw-dropping tackles.</p> <p class="p3"><strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-216016 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/JaidenColeman-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="212299" first="Jaiden" last="Coleman"] | Perry</strong></p> <p class="p3">Coleman is a tackling machine who just flat out makes plays. Watching his film, he takes a little bit longer to react than other backers and doesn't always take the best angles—but Coleman makes literally almost every tackle on defense. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, he's a big boy for a middle school linebacker and certainly lets that be known on the football field. The big Mike comes down hill very quickly and lays the wood.</p>