2028 Prospect Watch: Charlotte-Area LBs

We're well into the offseason, and we're keeping things going ahead of spring workouts and summer practices. In a new series that will run concurrently with some of our other cornerstone content, like <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/deep-dive-union-county-wide-receivers/">county-by-county Deep Dives</a> (Matt Morrow is hitting the Charlotte area while I take the area around RDU) we're looking at what some of our 2028 players (both ranked and unranked) did as freshmen. We have more linebackers in our 2028 rankings than any other position, so here's part two of three. Monday, I looked at LBs at <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/2028-prospect-watch-small-school-lbs-to-know/">small schools around the state</a>. Here, I'm breaking down five linebackers from the Charlotte area.    Lockwood has a chance to end up as a top-five overall prospect in this class, and he proved why on the field in 2024. He's best as an off-ball linebacker, but made an impact as a blitzer too, with seven sacks as a freshman. He came close to hitting triple-digits in tackles and even without elite size, he plays like a future Power Four prospect. Let's see how he develops so we can figure out just how high his ceiling can be.     Harrigill's playing time and production took a huge turn for the better midway through the season and he finished the season as one of the hottest freshman players in the state. A guy who plays bigger than his size suggests, Harrigill is a strong run defender with pass-rushing upside as an outside linebacker for Parkwood.     Though he didn't have a ton of film, just playing a few snaps on varsity is a huge accomplishment for a freshman at Hough. Peterson has the body, speed, and strength to have a great career. He's a guy who could move up our boards if the production matches the upside. We're anxiously awaiting our next chance to evaluate Peterson.     A two-way player for Northwest Cabarrus, Troy got some varsity experience as a freshman, making a handful of plays on both sides of the ball. We're still not sure if he's going to find a better home at linebacker than running back, but we like his athleticism and upside at linebacker just a bit better.     Jones didn't play much on a loaded Providence Day defense, but we've seen him play as a middle school and came away impressed. He has great size for a freshman linebacker and is a true sideline-to-sideline guy. He has the speed and size combination to be a future standout at middle linebacker. All he needs to do is gain some more experience and playing time.    Want to make sure you're on our radar or raise your stock? Sign up for our <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/1488/register/combine-series-north-carolina">2025 Spring Combine</a> at Clayton High School on May 4. Use offer code ‘HelmsCombine25′ to get $10 off your registration. Prep Redzone and college scouts will be in attendance to evaluate prospects as they go through combine drills, position work, and 1-on-1s.

We're well into the offseason, and we're keeping things going ahead of spring workouts and summer practices. In a new series that will run concurrently with some of our other cornerstone content, like county-by-county Deep Dives (Matt Morrow is hitting the Charlotte area while I take the area around RDU) we're looking at what some of our 2028 players (both ranked and unranked) did as freshmen. We have more linebackers in our 2028 rankings than any other position, so here's part two of three. Monday, I looked at LBs at small schools around the state. Here, I'm breaking down five linebackers from the Charlotte area.