2024 Rankings Update:2024 Linebackers with Division One Potential
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Geno Calgaro PA #157 LB #16 HEIGHT 5'10" WEIGHT 210 POS LB CLASS 2024 View Profile Geno Calgaro Instagram Twitter State: Pennsylvania School: Canon-McMillan Conference leader in tackles (96) and TFLs (23)as a sophomore returned the favor this Fall with…
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Continue ReadingConference leader in tackles (96) and TFLs (23)as a sophomore returned the favor this Fall with another stellar campaign. Canon-McMillan’s Geno Calgaro Geno Calgaro 5’10” | 210 lbs | LB Canon-McMillan | 2024 State PA places as the sixth-best linebacker in his class. Mt. Lebanon’s Beckham Dee Beckham Dee 6’1″ | 225 lbs | LB Mt. Lebanon | 2024 State PA is the only linebacker ranked above Calgaro that doesn’t have an offer. We fully expect that to change this offseason. Some of the best linebacker tape I’ve come across regardless of class. He places above the 6’2-3″ freaks because of his incredible play-diagnosis ability. Calgaro reacts to the run as well as anyone in the state. I’m a firm believer that this young man would have all the offers Speca and Lindsey have had he stood at 6’3. The kid controls what he can control, he’s a tone-setting animal manning the middle of the Big Mac defense.
Highlights
We talk for months on end about Aliquippa’s back end and front four, deservedly so. Yet we hardly shed light on the linebacking core outside of Cameron Lindsey Cameron Lindsey 6’2″ | 205 lbs | LB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA . Watching Aliquippa warm up, I saw a 6’2 chiseled out linebacker working through Indi’s, one who wasn’t Cameron Lindsey Cameron Lindsey 6’2″ | 205 lbs | LB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA . I had quickly learned it was Jayace Williams Jayace Williams 6’2″ | 225 lbs | LB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA who caught my eye, another stud on this ridiculously stacked defense. I plugged in the tape and was wowed by his play in space. OLB/EDGE capabilities, Jayace Williams Jayace Williams 6’2″ | 225 lbs | LB Aliquippa | 2024 State PA debuts inside the top 75 as well as the top ten in his position. You don’t see that too often. I could see his rank fly into the top 50 with an excellent off-season, something I’m projecting will happen. He outweighs every linebacker inside the top ten, yet flashes work in space, coaches will fall in love with this kid of skillset.
Shyne Roberts Shyne Roberts 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB Upper Dublin | 2024 State PA , listed at LB, is utilized everywhere on the field. You can find him toting the rock on offense, aligning with his hand on the dirt off the edge, or blitzing from any linebacker slot through any gap UD asks. 71 tackles, 8 sacks on the year, Shyne Roberts Shyne Roberts 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB Upper Dublin | 2024 State PA provides speed and athleticism to every alignment, proving to be one of the more versatile prospects in District One. He’s proven us right and retains his top 100 rank status. Upper Dublin will lose a ton of valuable seniors, they will be happy to have another year of Shyne Roberts Shyne Roberts 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB Upper Dublin | 2024 State PA holding down the fort.
A linebacking prospect whose skillset is very similar to Shyne Roberts Shyne Roberts 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB Upper Dublin | 2024 State PA , the linebacker ranked directly above him. Kamar Perlote Kamar Perlote 6’2″ | 190 lbs | LB Upper Darby | 2024 State PA out-produced Roberts when you break down the stats. 90 tackles, 18 TFLs, 6 sacks on the year. The stats don’t paint the entire picture. There’s effort on every rep. There’s a motor revving on each pursuit of the football. This kid gets after it and sets the tone for Upper Darby much like Geno Calgaro Geno Calgaro 5’10” | 210 lbs | LB Canon-McMillan | 2024 State PA does for Canon-McMillan. Primarily plays off the edge with his hand off the dirt, Perlote excels in chasing down ball carriers behind the LOS thanks to special pursuit technique. A ton of pass rush reps go unnoticed, the six sacks could easily turn to twelve had Perlote closed just a half-second sooner. A ton of hurries on tape. I’m waiting for Perlote’s game to fully unlock, what’s his ceiling?
Ten games out of Central Dauphin’s Xander Toland Xander Toland 5’10” | 200 lbs | LB Central Dauphin | 2024 State PA , nearly ten tackles a game averaged by the “undersized” linebacker. Xander Toland Xander Toland 5’10” | 200 lbs | LB Central Dauphin | 2024 State PA might list shorter and smaller than those ranked around him, that should be a testament to his tape, as he still possesses some of the best linebacking tape in his class. Incredible closing speed, incredible finishing ability once he’s got you wrapped up. Xander Toland Xander Toland 5’10” | 200 lbs | LB Central Dauphin | 2024 State PA plays like his head is on fire. A controlled/disciplined middle linebacker that hardly false steps or hesitates on tape. You can trust that this young man is going to fly hash to hash to bring down anyone carrying the football. Reads the run efficiently, usually meeting the ball carrier in the hole more often than not. Gap discipline is shown, even though he likes to step and go quickly off the snap. There’s a great blend of groundedness and tenacity in Xander Toland Xander Toland 5’10” | 200 lbs | LB Central Dauphin | 2024 State PA . You can argue that’s exactly the kind of player coaches want manning the middle of their defense.
Highlights
This is only the beginning for Chris Lake Chris Lake 6’4″ | 200 lbs | LB Malvern Prep | 2024 State PA in terms of ranking. I remember seeing number one fly around the field against Imhotep Charter in the game I attended this Fall. He came up with big stops as well as an interception in that one. He was a new name to me then. Now, the young man is squarely on radar as one of the future stars at Malvern Prep. I’ve seen him stay on the hip of many elite wideouts/tight ends 15+ yards downfield. The tape shows him crashing down from his linebacker spot to make plays against the run. Lake has special grabs on offense to boot. If I’m ranking solely on his linebacker production, this spot seems fitting. If I am ranking solely on potential, Lake could rank inside the top five with the best of the best at his position. Excited to see this kid in the offseason.
Jacob Schultz Jacob Schultz 6’2″ | 185 lbs | LB Mount Carmel Area | 2024 State PA ‘s skillset is similar to Chris Lake Chris Lake 6’4″ | 200 lbs | LB Malvern Prep | 2024 State PA ‘s. I think Schultz will be recruited to linebacker at the next level, yet Mount Carmel Area will gladly utilize his pass-catching ability on offense to provide a big target in the middle of the field. I would have a hard time passing up using Schultz on offense too, he’s natural with the ball in his hands and will have suitors looking for him to play TE at the next level. I’d prefer his skillset to OLB, however. Schultz can provide pass coverage in zone sets, you don’t see many kids this size be able to drop into flat/curl zones and take away passing lanes. He can improve in this area yet I can see him doing so at a proficient pace. Everything else is the cherry on top. His reps on offense translate to awareness on the defensive side of the football. I think he’s better than the 174th prospect in his class.