Eastern KY 26s to Watch: LB

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head deeper into the month of June, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, I wanted to take some time to highlight some incoming seniors in specific areas of the state of Kentucky. To continue these series, I have been taking the past week to highlight some incoming seniors at each position in Eastern Kentucky. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line already taken care of, here are some notable linebackers to watch in the class of 2026 in Eastern Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1562071"],"_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-685c6bd60a322"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1562071' first='Logan' last='Stumbo'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now and continued to impress as a junior. He lines up at inside linebacker where he is dominant against the run. Logan does a great job of reading the play then using his speed to flow to the ball carrier quickly. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable open field tackler, finishing this past season with a team-leading 158 tackles and 31 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also finished his junior year with two sacks and an interception. Stumbo doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player who college coaches should have on their radar heading into this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["283962"],"_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-685c6bd60a384"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='283962' first='Dalton' last='Matney'] is another inside linebacker who stood out to me this past season. Matney proved to be very reliable against the run as a junior, finishing the year with 80 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 12 games. He does a great job of reading his keys quickly then coming downhill in a hurry to get to the ball carrier. Dalton explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality once he gets to the ball carrier. He also finished this past season with 1.5 sacks. Matney is another player who deserves some attention from college coaches going into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971512"],"_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-685c6f44efb86"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971512' first='Caden' last='Caldwell'] is a player who caught my attention when evaluating junior year film. Caldwell lines up at inside linebacker where he is at his strongest against the run. Once he sees where the ball is going, Caden does a great job of using his speed to blow right by opposing offensive linemen to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. When offensive linemen are able to get their hands on him, he has also shown the strength to fight through blocks with ease. Caden finished this past season with 68 tackles and six tackles for loss in 11 games. He also made an impact on offense, running the ball 10 times for 73 yards. Caldwell doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to continue to watch this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1706065' first='Rayce' last='Lindon']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Hazard","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-685c6f44efc42"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable 2026 linebacker to watch in Eastern Kentucky this season is Rayce Linton. Rayce lines up at inside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. Linton explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to shoot into the gap before the opposing offensive linemen can react. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle, not allowing many extra yards to be gained. Linton finished his junior year with a team-high 127 tackles in 13 games. Rayce is a player who deserves some attention from college coaches heading into his senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->