2026 Rankings Newcomers: Linebackers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Redzone North Carolina recently updated their Class of 2026 Rankings, and several players were added to the rankings after strong junior seasons! This article will focus on selected linebackers added to this ranking update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1600483"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-678dafa32aa43"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lorquis is a player I just recently discovered while studying the 2026 class, and he's definitely an under-the-radar prospect for now. But he had over 100 tackles for North Stanly last season - 111 to be exact - along with four sacks. Lorquis is an inside linebacker, and he does a good job diagnosing the inside running game and shows good quickness in tracking down perimeter runs. On his sacks, Lorquis does a good job of blitzing from depth. I think some exposure to colleges will help him from a recruiting perspective. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1600437"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-678dafa32aa9d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">JohnMichael jumped on my radar when I saw him live last season. I think he tackles well in space, has good overall speed, and he can play in pass coverage and not be a liability. I placed him on the waitlist because I would like to see the jump he makes this offseason and his production increase to a level reflective of his physical skills and talents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1453245"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-678dafa32aae9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To start out, in researching we found that Lynwood was named his conference's defensive player of the year, so we kept on digging. What we found was Lynwood had 124 total tackles on the season, with 13 tackles for loss and 4 sacks - impressive production. On film, Lynwood plays with very good speed, with the ability to run plays down going away from him in the running game. Lynwood is also a very good tackler in space. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1600424"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-678dafa32ab2c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jaylen was a highly productive player for Cleveland last season with a good physical frame that should interest college coaches. 92 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks is some impressive work for a very good team that won a lot of games last year. On top of that, having 7 forced fumbles is reflective of his excellent tackling ability between the lines. Jaylen has a long frame and can excel outside the box as well in zone coverage. Jaylen has some college interest, and he should be a player who should see offers come his way with a strong offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1543812"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-678dafa32ab6e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Camereon was named his conference's defensive player of the year, so that encouraged us to take a deeper look into him. The production is very impressive - 144 total tackles with 25 tackles for loss and 6 sacks on the season. When you take a look at the highlights, Camereon does a great job of reading and diagnosing plays quickly and gets to the football with excellent quickness. Camereon tackles well in space, and I don't say this often, but he can be a sideline-to-sideline inside linebacker. It doesn't look like he has a lot of recruiting attention, but he may start to see some if he has a strong offseason and camp season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also added to our 2026 Linebacker Rankings:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1600427' first='Lathan' last='Feemster'] - Kings Mountain</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1600436' first='Michael' last='McGill'] - North Mecklenburg </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1572073' first='Elijah' last='Clayton'] - Union Pines</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1600415' first='Colton' last='Bogan'] - Providence </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1537784' first='Cameron' last='Johnson'] - SE Halifax </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->