New Linebackers Added to the 2025 Rankings, Pt. 1

When it comes to the gridiron, the linebackers are the heart and soul of any defense. This year, the 2025 rankings have welcomed some fresh talent that deserves a closer look. In this first part of our series, we'll introduce you to the new linebackers who have earned their spots on the list. These young athletes all bring their own strengths to the field, whether it's speed, power, or versatility, making them players to watch as they gear up for their final high school seasons. Let's dive into what makes these linebackers special and how they'll make their mark on the field.    A new addition to Horizon's defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1353900' first='Jayden' last='Ridley'] has an extremely high motor coming off the edge. Truly disruptive against both the pass and the run, he's a lean 6'3" 210lbs and does a nice job of using his hands to keep offensive linemen from getting engaged with him. Seemingly always standing his ground, even linemen bigger than Ridley tend to struggle trying to move him out of his spot with his strong base. Coming off a junior season where he racked up 7 tackles for loss, 4 hurries, 3.5 sacks, and caused a fumble in just five games played, I have no doubts that Ridley's going to make a massive impact on a Horizon team looking to make a deep run in 2024.      [player_tooltip player_id='1353782' first='Lucas' last='Blumling'] is an incredibly well-rounded linebacker for Desert Mountain. He's got good speed and knows how to use it to get around offensive linemen, consistently getting in the backfield and causing disruption. Blumling still plays physical enough to be an effective run-stopper and is a great tackler in the open field. Just as good in coverage, he's got great instincts when trying to stop the pass. His speed ends up on full display as he covers more ground than your average linebacker can. Finishing his junior season with 5.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and two passes defended, Blumling's already proven his ability to affect the game in multiple ways and is a prospect coaches don't want to miss in 2024.      [player_tooltip player_id='1353918' first='DJ' last='Turner'] is a long and lean body quickly coming off the edge for Trevor Browne. He does a great job of using his speed and long strides to get an instant edge on the linemen, forcing them to have to get depth quickly or get beat. When his opponent is able to do that and get in front of him, Turner's able to show his strength as he moves them out of his path so he can keep eyes on the ball carrier. He's always using his hands to disrupt passing lanes and knocked several passes down as he zeroed in on the quarterback. He had a whopping 11 tackles for loss last year and is a force that defensive coordinators have to truly gameplan for. Turner's a player coaches should be watching closely as he works through his senior season.      When it comes to production, few have been more productive than [player_tooltip player_id='1353859' first='Ryan' last='Kavalami'] over the last two years – and he's still got another one to go. Through his sophomore and junior seasons at the varsity level, he's racked up an astonishing 152 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. It's easy to see why when throwing on his tape; Kavalami is a scary combination of speed and strength that no one on the field can seemingly deal with on their own. He's much too fast for offensive linemen to stay in front of for even a few seconds and far too strong for running backs to take on alone. Heading into his final high school season, the sky's the limit for Kavalami.      [player_tooltip player_id='1353769' first='Aaron' last='Alvarez'] has an incredible nose for the football, and it showed in his 103 tackles for Centennial as they made a run to the Open Division Championship Game. Another really well-rounded linebacker, he can make plays at all three levels of the defense. His 17 hurries last year were a product of his elite pass-rushing moves, despite not being a primary pass-rusher. You can tell Alvarez has really worked on his craft and is a bendy player with long active hands when he's trying to get into the backfield. He's also athletic enough to cover the speedy wideouts that line up in the slot. Alvarez is, no doubt, a player coaches should have on their big board prior to the 2024 season.

When it comes to the gridiron, the linebackers are the heart and soul of any defense. This year, the 2025 rankings have welcomed some fresh talent that deserves a closer look. In this first part of our series, we'll introduce you to the new linebackers who have earned their spots on the list. These young athletes all bring their own strengths to the field, whether it's speed, power, or versatility, making them players to watch as they gear up for their final high school seasons. Let's dive into what makes these linebackers special and how they'll make their mark on the field.