2026 Rankings: Linebackers Prepared For Bigger Spotlight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the 376 players currently ranked in our Class of 2026 rankings, 90 of them have linebacker in their official titles.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's right. Nearly one in four of the overall list are roaming the middle of their respective defenses or bouncing out to the edge. Clearly, this group has our attention.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By now, the names at the top of the positional block are well known.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray Collegiate's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473010' first='Michael' last='Boulware']</strong> is about to be starting for his fourth straight varsity season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwestern's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins'] </strong>has offers from all over the country.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Florence's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon']</strong> has been instrumental in back-to-back state championship appearances.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Chester's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley']</strong> has put up insane numbers each of the last two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But this large group of standouts is as deep as any position in the state. See for yourself.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2496","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2451","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6806a4504e380"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Carolina's colelction of linebackers is starting to earn its due from those with a wider lens. The numbers don't lie.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And as we go up and down the list, there are plenty of names to keep an eye on as we inch closer to the 2025 football season.&nbsp;Let's break down a few of them we're seeing taking on upward trends this spring. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267211' first='Gray' last='Patterson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394975' first='Joseph' last='Duey']</strong> Fort Mill</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Patterson's junior season was limited to a mere six games, and in his absence, Duey went off, hitting triple digits in tackles. Patterson has shown just now dangerous he can be in recent months, tearing up the Carolinas Coaches Combines. On the field together for a full season? The duo could form a top-notch tandem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025773' first='Romello' last='Patterson']</strong> West Florence&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Patterson isn't your typical linebacker, as he's also got a punt return for a touchdown on his 2024 resume. The outside backer can beat most tackles or tight ends on the edge, which means he's just as adept as taking on ball carriers trying to get there.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395004' first='Jase' last='Fair']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395000' first='Kamron' last='McGill']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395019' first='Tyre' last='Gaddy']</strong> Andrew Jackson </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The fun part of this trio is how flexible they are. Fair is more of a traditional linebacker, while McGill tends to cover the outside and Gaddy slips back into what most would consider more of a safety role. But put them together, and it's vital to know where each of them is on the field at all times.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592507' first='Luke' last='Young']</strong> Clinton&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As an understudy of sorts to his brother, Brett, last year, Young still put up 101 tackles during the Red Devils' Class 2A state championship run. That being the case, we're positive he can handle all the production needs this defense requires of him.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579733' first='Walker' last='Kelley']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592687' first='Jameerion' last='Oliver']</strong> TL Hanna</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kelley and Oliver give coach Jason Tone what any Class 5A coach would want out of his top two linebackers. Oliver is built like a brick house at 5-foot-10 and 225 pounds and had 93 tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks. Kelley, all 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds of him, had 49 stops, three tackles for loss and four sacks. Did we mention they had three combines interceptions?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1241751' first='Matthew' last='Payes']</strong> Wando</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payes will be one of the Warriors' few returning starters on this side of the ball, but he's got the chops to fill in a lot of the void. He finished his junior season with 86 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. He's 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and up for the rigors of Wando's schedule.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592408' first='Shaun' last='Graybill']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592621' first='Jordan' last='Hood']</strong> Woodruff</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolverines' roster as a whole gives its fans reason for plenty of hope in 2025. When it comes to Graybill and Hood, well, go ahead and mark those two names as ones that can provide plenty of excitement. They combined for 219 tackles and 34 tackles for loss as juniors.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592557' first='Michael' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1550509' first='CJ' last='Petri']</strong> Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson and Petri are feeding off each other in every positive way Indian Land wants them to in the months leading up their senior years. Both of them are north of 6 feet tall and hovering around 200 pounds. Johnson had 125 total tackles, while Petri put up 45 in just five games. Together, in a full season, and the Warriors' defense is looking like its defensive nucleus is just fine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592598' first='Cade' last='Spencer']</strong> Daniel&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spencer was never asked to play second fiddle to [player_tooltip player_id='1157945' first='Spencer' last='Conn'] while the latter put up just shy of 400 tackles the last three years. Now, Spencer - who had 102 tackles and 11.5 tackles of his own last fall - gets to be the middle of a defense led by a new head coach refined in getting the most out of linebackers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592597' first='Breone' last='Whitaker']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592601' first='Douglas' last='McCloud']</strong> Fairfield Central&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll wrap up this quick whip-around with a look at one last duo. Whitaker and McCloud teamed up for 206 tackles last fall, and that was with Whitaker missing a game. Everything on the Fairfield Central defense is based around speed, and these two helped usher in a nice batch of 2028s who got on the field around them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->