2025 Rankings: Linebacker Crop Doing Work

The Prep RedZone squad clearly has taken a liking to the linebackers in the Class of 2025.   We've got 44 of them ranked, after all.   This is one of those times where we'd love to split up a position, though. Because in this crop, we're seeing guys who put up ludicrous tackle figures from middle linebacker, guys who seal and crash the edge with authority and still others who put it all together in their own unique blend of the role they play.   Regardless, this class is strong.   Let's have a look.    BREAKING DOWN THE TOP FIVE   [player_tooltip player_id='624354' first='Cam'Rich' last='Smith'] Spartanburg   Now that we have officially verified metrics on Smith, we can tell you that he's actually 5-foot-9 (not 5-foot-10). And we can also tell you that we don't care. Ball don't lie. Smith has spent much the last two seasons impressing us by constantly playing at a high level against some brutal competition. He uses his now-200 pounds to inflict damage. Ask South Pointe - whom he racked up 20 tackles against in last year's opener - how good he is. Smith's 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles prove just how vital he is to this defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='272703' first='James' last='Herbert'] Trinity Collegiate   We've been following Herbert since his freshman season because from the time he started playing at Trinity, he stood out as a guy most coaches want leading the team off the bus. Now 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he had 101 total tackles last fall to go along with 18 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, a sack and a pick. Flash forward to this August, and what you're likely going to see is Herbert shifting more toward an outside linebacker spot that allows him to become more of a nuisance off the edge. If all goes to plan, get ready to see the swarm of college attention.    [player_tooltip player_id='272716' first='Andon' last='Hawkins'] Midland Valley   We can't say this definitively because not every team inputs its stats into MaxPreps' national data base, but Hawkins was clearly one of the top tacklers in 2023, if not the top tackler. His 187 stops over the course of his junior season were also top-30 in the aforementioned data base. He's an anomaly in many ways, thanks to the fact that he's got a verified height of just 5-foot-7. Yet, he's also every bit of 205 pounds. Hawkins doesn't shy away from anyone. After all, you don't put up the numbers he did by luck.    [player_tooltip player_id='809745' first='Max' last='Moorman'] Oceanside Collegiate   We were more than willing to give one-year Landshark [player_tooltip player_id='589056' first='Miles' last='Robinson'] his due last year. After transferring in from Waccamaw last summer, Robinson went on to lead OCA with 131 tackles and 27 tackles for loss. It overshadowed just how good Moorman was at the same time. The younger of the team's two linebackers finished with 97 tackles, 12 sacks and an all-important interception in the team's state championship victory over Gray. This season, Moorman is primed to take on an even larger role with Robinson graduating. We know Moorman is going to excel.   [player_tooltip player_id='1249737' first='Wyatt' last='Ward'] JL Mann   We wanted to get another look at Ward prior to moving him into the rankings, and what we saw at the Spartanburg site of the Carolinas Coaches Combines backed up his insane tackle figures from 2023 and his stellar highlight reel. Ward is around the ball almost every play. At 6-foot and 225 pounds, he still ran a sub-five-second 40 time, put up a 109-inch broad jump and pushed 185 pounds on the bench 20 times. All that power is what makes him so special, and it's a big reason he didn't just move into our rankings; he jumped way up the board.    TEN RISING STARS   [player_tooltip player_id='1039208' first='Hank' last='Aeppli'] Lucy Beckham - Of the Bengals' top seven tackles last season, six were seniors and have moved on. We won't make you guess the returner. We'll just tell you that his 71 stops last fall was only the tip of the ice berg.    [player_tooltip player_id='579278' first='Alonzo' last='Allen'] Whale Branch - Our introduction to Allen was him leading the front of his team's tug-of-war pack during the December combine. When we watched his film, we saw that same type of fire while he's in pads, too.    [player_tooltip player_id='1012620' first='Web' last='Barnes'] Hartsville - We know Barnes missed all of 2023. And we know he still wasn't healed up in time to take part in the Joanne Langfitt Challenge. But then we saw him back and better than ever at the March Combine.    [player_tooltip player_id='1157897' first='Cameron' last='Coe'] South Florence - When Coe went down in October, the staff initially feared he was done for the year. Instead, he only missed five games and helped the team qualify for a second straight Class 4A title game.    [player_tooltip player_id='1157945' first='Spencer' last='Conn'] Daniel - Conn gets the advantage of a lot of extra games. But we can't ignore the fact that he'll enter his senior year with 271 career tackles, 28 career tackles for loss, 15 career sacks and five career fumble recoveries.    [player_tooltip player_id='1254058' first='Jordan' last='Conner'] Ben Lippen - He's going to enter his senior season with 162 career tackles, 120 of which came during his junior season. If you don't feel like doing the math, that's a three-to-one jump from his sophomore season to his junior one.   [player_tooltip player_id='1253903' first='Fletcher' last='Ethington-Carl'] Bishop England - Bishop England struggled more than it didn't last fall, but it wasn't because of Ethington-Carl. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is active and cleaning up a lot of plays in the second level of the defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='1253970' first='John' last='Henderson'] Pendleton - Henderson put up great numbers (92 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass deflections) for a team that was scoring a heck of a lot more than it was giving up. He and most of his cohorts will be back.     [player_tooltip player_id='1249760' first='Tye' last='Kelly'] Belton-Honea Path - Kelly is a ferocious tackler who finished 2023 with 76 stops, 13 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries and five pass deflections. We love his motor and his place in one of the best teams in the state.    [player_tooltip player_id='1254063' first='Brody' last='Runion'] Greer - As a junior, Runion wasn't asked to carry the load, yet he still finished with 91 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, both third on the team. The two guys ahead of him are out of high school eligibility. What do you think that does for Runion?    FIVE DARK HORSE 2024 CANDIDATES   [player_tooltip player_id='1254107' first='Brody' last='Diggins'] Greer - Much like his teammate above (Runion), Diggins got an on-field dry run of sorts without the stress. Diggins still performed to the tune of 70 tackles and - again, like Runion - gets a bigger piece of the pie next time around.    [player_tooltip player_id='1254202' first='Carson' last='Gregory'] Pendleton - Gregory is going to be a bit overlooked since he's only 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds. But production matters to us and he produces plenty. His fit in this defense is clearly defined well in advance of his senior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1013114' first='Antwain' last='Jones'] Lake City - While the Panthers played 2023 without their head coach due to the effect of the devastating bus accident, Jones was also sidelined for the year due to his own injuries. All signs point to him returning as a senior with a high, high ceiling.   [player_tooltip player_id='1157982' first='Montrelle' last='Keys'] Airport - Keys finished third on the Eagles' roster last fall with 98 total tackles, 71 of which were solo stops. He's got a nice burst and pitches in behind the line of scrimmage, too. A high-quality 2024 seems inevitable.   [player_tooltip player_id='1253925' first='Jack' last='Merriman'] Riverside - Merriman led the Warriors in tackles for loss (18) and sacks (six), something he was able to do because he was so flexible in his pre-snap positioning. From there, he can let his athletic ability do the rest.    ARE THEIR MORE?   That's 44 players we've already deemed necessary of a ranking next to their name. Working from the southeast to the northwest corners of the state, dudes like [player_tooltip player_id='809743' first='Mandrell' last='Sanders'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1012625' first='Dylan' last='Polansky'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1158030' first='Bryant' last='Cherry'] to [player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1254142' first='Kyler' last='Turner'] have given us every reason to include them.   But we're guessing we're not done.   This will spawn more. And then more after that.   We're going to keep looking.

The Prep RedZone squad clearly has taken a liking to the linebackers in the Class of 2025.