Pallone’s Most Anticipated Senior LBs
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Nearing the end of my most anticipated series, we have the Linebackers. I’m so excited to talk about all five of these underrated linebackers. Every one of these guys can play fast, stop the run, and react quickly to the…
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Continue ReadingNearing the end of my most anticipated series, we have the Linebackers. I’m so excited to talk about all five of these underrated linebackers. Every one of these guys can play fast, stop the run, and react quickly to the offense. I hope to see all of these linebackers at one or more offseason camp!
This should be no surprise to those who’ve followed my coverage of last season’s playoffs. Adrian was one of the most improved players I watched throughout the season. Early in the season, he reacted to what the offense gave him. He was a solid player but did not attack and anticipate. Late in the season, a switch seemed to flip for him and most of the defense. Adrian was flying around with anticipation and hit like a truck. Adrian especially excelled when blitzing the Quarterback; he has the explosiveness and speed to get into the backfield fast. He was also good in sideline-to-sideline situations and defended the pass adequately.
Reed has been on my radar for a long, long while now. Until last season, he wasn’t able to get his varsity game off the ground, but the potential has always been there. Reed excels as a downhill run-stuffing between the tackles Mike linebacker. I still think there’s some room to grow athletically, and if he’s able to become faster, he’ll be much better sideline to sideline. Despite a few flaws, Reed also picked a few balls off and was named first-team all-state by the Detroit News. I’m still not sure where he’ll end up, but my gut says MIAA or GLIAC.
Highlights
Milford is a physical, hard-nosed football team. After Ike’s sophomore season, I watched his tape and I really liked his reactivity and tackling as a linebacker. This past season, he moved to playing a more hybrid OLB/EDGE role while also getting reps at Tight End. Unsurprisingly, Ike is a very good blocking tight end who can even reach block and pull when needed. As a linebacker, he was a decent run-stopper and blitzer, but I’d like to see more explosiveness and anticipation in his game. That’ll come with working on his speed and watching more film.
Highlights
Jack is one of the best, if not the best linebacker in the Lakes Valley Conference. He plays with high effort and anticipation, two things I can say about very few linebackers. As far as I can tell, Jack doesn’t have a twitter and he has zero offers. One of the biggest sleepers in the Class of 2025, he’s someone who needs more attention. Check out his tape. I can tell Jack watches film, and there are plays where it looks like he knows exactly what the opposing team is going to do, and he takes full advantage of it. His first highlight shows him blowing up a screen. Where his teammates slowly reacted to the play, Jack quickly diagnosed the play and attacked, forcing an incomplete pass. I’d really like to see Jack at one of the MHSAA Evaluation camps next month!
Lastly, we have Raylon Murry Raylon Murry 5’10” | 195 lbs | LB Detroit Loyola | 2025 State MI . He’s another guy who’s been on my radar for a long time. He’s a solid outside linebacker who I think has potential as a DII EDGE Rusher. He’s a bit undersized for that at 6’0″, but he’s proven that he can be explosive and physical. Last season, he spent most of his time as an off-ball outside linebacker. There, he attacked the run pretty well, while also rushing the QB quite a bit. His time on-ball was limited, but again, I like the potential there. I’m excited to see how his recruitment goes this offseason.