2027 Linebackers Deep Dive: Rankings New Additions

Gunter checks into our rankings as a top 15 player at his position and is one of the more athletic and hard-hitting linebackers in his class across the state of California. He is a sideline to sideline player that has tremendous closing speed and takes good angles in the open field while bringing a nice thump through contact. He shows he can effectively navigate through traffic to knife into the backfield and has a quick trigger in the run game. He has fluid hips in space and change of direction abilities in coverage while able to play both in the box or out on the edge as well. Heading into his Junior season, he is one of the top tacklers returning in the region and a next level prospect.     Wilson is a very active tackler and one of the top defenders in Southern California. He is extremely athletic for the linebacker position and has tremendous open field speed when closing, tackling abilities in space and has a natural feel for the ball. Pre-snap, he shows quick play recognition and processing and shows he can apply pressure up the middle or off the edge with natural pass rush abilities and bend. Wilson shows he can get off blocks against bigger blockers with a violent hand strike and is a good mix of both a plug-and-play linebacker with elite athleticism in coverage and making plays outside the tackles. He holds offers from Houston Christian, SMU, and Campbell.     Williams is a true edge defender and should find his home at outside linebacker in college. He has a explosive first step, variety of pass rush moves off the ball and is a natural bender that gets underneath bigger tackles. Williams is extremely athletic for the position and shows tremendous change of direction, a variety of counter pass rush moves when needed and can collapse the pocket quickly without wasted movement. He is a very technically sound and polished edge defender with elite movement abilities and will only continue to grow and pack on weight to his frame over the next two years. The Palos Verdes product holds one offer from Marshall and should see his stock continue to rise through his Junior season.     Williamson is one of the top outside linebackers in the state regardless of class and is coming off a breakout sophomore season for one of the top teams in the country. He moves extremely well in space and is a sure open field tackler that has closing speed in the flats and can make plays behind the line. He shows he can trigger in space, cover out of the backfield and is a violent player at the point of attack with pass rush abilities off the edge. He has been flying under the radar to this point, but should be picking up offers and see his stock rising through this off-season and his Junior year.     Howard is one of the more active 2027 defenders in the state and can play a variety of different positions on defense. He operates mostly from his strong safety/outside linebacker position and is a very effective run stopper that gets into the backfield and makes plays in open space. He's a big-time hitter in the box that comes downhill quickly and packs a punch through contact. He shows he can also apply pressure off the edge and make plays behind the line with well-timed blitzes and good hand usage when bending around the edge. He has a strong and compact frame and should find his home at outside linebacker in college.