Montgomery County’s top Linebackers to watch

Linebacker may be the most stacked position in the county. It has a ton of talent. These are the top guys that play backer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209043" first="Dillon" last="Dunathan"] (2023) | 6’1 LB | Damascus</strong> The D1 offers are starting to pile in for Dunathan. He is a versatile backer that can play off the ball or play on the edge. He is great in the run game as he has great pursuit and is a fantastic tackler. He also has great speed so he is able to run sideline to sideline and chase down ball carriers from behind. He also is a good blitzer and wreaks havoc in the backfield. He is very strong and is able to fight and shed blockers off of him. Dunathan will see plenty of more offers come in. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="250308" first="King" last="Tshiama"] (2023) | 6’4 LB | Quince Orchard</strong> Tshiama is an edge defender that also plays off the ball at times. He is very quick off the ball and often times beats offensive linemen off the ball. He is very explosive coming downfield whether that’s coming off the edge or playing off the ball. He does a great job of utilizing his length to keep blockers off of him. He is a good tackler that also has a knack for ripping the ball loose. Tshiama is a good athlete that has the potential to have an extremely productive senior season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="249073" first="Dustin" last="Hottel"] (2023) | 5’11 LB | Damascus</strong> Hottel is a turnover machine. He is able to cause turnovers by forcing fumbles and even making plays in the passing game. He is very athletic and is solid in coverage. He is also a great tackler that can jar the ball loose with a big hit or rip the ball from a ball carrier. He does a great job of reading and diagnosing plays. He also has the ability to fight off blocks. Hottel will look to have another productive season this fall. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="260080" first="Arnauld" last="Tegom"] (2023) | 6’1 LB | Blair</strong> Tegom is a traditional middle backer. He is a run-stuffing linebacker that plays very physical. He uses his strength to overpower blockers. However, he does not only rely on his strength as he also has the ability to slip blocks. He also is a strong tackler and limits yards after contact. He also has the ability to line up on the line and play as an interior lineman if needed. Tegom will be a big part of Blair’s run defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="184002" first="Chris" last="Castelli"] (2023) | 6’1 LB | Wootton </strong> Castelli is a great athlete. He uses his athleticism to make himself a very effective linebacker. He uses his speed and athleticism to get to the outside and make stops on outside run plays. His athleticism also makes him very good in coverage. He also has great football IQ and seems to put himself in the right spots to make plays. He is a good blitzer as he likes to make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. Wootton will rely on Castelli to make a lot of plays on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="264173" first="Seth" last="LeMarr"] (2024) | 6’2 LB | Poolesville</strong> LeMarr is a coach’s dream. He is willing to do it all: he will play offense, defense, and special teams. As a linebacker, he is a tackle machine and is consistently stuffing the stat sheet. He also was an ace on special teams as he showed off his ability to block punts. if LeMarr can put together another productive season on film his recruitment will start picking up. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="348582" first="Matthieu" last="Longa"] (2023) | 6’1 LB | Quince Orchard</strong> Longa is one of the most talented players in the county. He does a great job of blowing up plays in the backfield. He is an explosive backer. As a blitzer his explosiveness causes problems for the offense. He does a great job of shooting through gaps and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. He is also very athletic and is very good in coverage. He has fantastic sideline-to-sideline range. Longa is a fun player to watch and will look to continue to be a great player for Quince Orchard.