2026 Linebacker Follow Up

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We know there are some guys in this class who do not mind coming up to make somw tackles. We want to take a look at some of the guys who did a good job this season. Let's check it out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258744' first='Bennett' last='Payton']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payton is a beast from Noxubee County who did a good job this season. We know Payton is known for getting to the quarterback as well as being a guy who can stop the run. Payton has grown a lot since last season. He is at a true 6-foot-2. We do not think that he is an edge guy. He could easily be an outside linebacker somewhere. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='691279' first='Jeremiah' last='Harkins']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harkins was able to come out and do some things on both sides of the football this past season. We know Harkins is a guy who can stop the run. We know he is a tough player. This offseason, we are going to be trying to see how he does against the pass. College coaches are going to want to see if he can move and get those hips turned. He is a stud from New Hope.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577336' first='Jakobe' last='Barnes']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We think Barnes is a guy who is going to continue to impress coaches this offseason. We noticed that he is a guy who can move when he showed up to our combine in Jackson, Mississippi this month. Barnes was also able to show that he can get busy in coverage. This is a player from North Pike High School that you want to know.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='953409' first='Mac' last='McDaniel']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of people feel that this stud from Oak Grove is a linebacker. We think he is a guy who can play defensive back. However, you cannot deny that he has been a force at the LB position. McDaniel is a guy who is known for getting tackles. You are not going to see him out there missing a lot of guys. He knows how to make contact and get football players to the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->