Spring Stock-Risers: 2027 LB Report

We're approaching the end of our 2027 class updates, and we've come to the 2027 linebacker stock-risers. These six players raised their recruiting stock, impressed in camp, or got another loom on film, impressing us enough to move them up the rankings in an update largely dedicated to adding new players.   These six LB stock-risers are moving up our rankings board. What do you need to know about them?   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 LB Stock-Risers</h2>    Barb has been on our radar for a long, long time, dating back to his performances at Prep Redzone Next camps in the early 2020s, but he's recently taken another step in his development. He's a bigger linebacker who can move and his size allows him to get after the quarterback. He has some untapped potential, but the talent and athleticism are there.     Already one of our favorite linebackers in the state, Finnerty continues to impress this spring. He has size, speed, and production that have impressed us enough to continue to inch him up our rankings. We're still waiting to see if he can blow up on the recruiting trail this summer, but he's a guy we like more than his consensus recruiting interest.     Sandler is turning into one of the great strength-speed guys in the state, with a 4.7 40, 4.28 shuttle, and impressive weight room numbers. He's well into the 1000-club with his 315-pound bench, 280-pound power clean, and 450-pound squat. That strength shows up on film as he routinely takes on bigger blockers to blow up running plays. I expect big things from him as a junior.     Culicerto lives around the football and in the backfield. He's put on some weight, which should only help him continue to blow up plays in the backfield, something he did often last year, with 26 tackles for loss. He's at his best when the lights are brightest, with one of the great individual performances of the year in a close playoff loss to Northern Guilford, with three takeaways and three tackles for loss.     Wicker really impressed me when I dove into the film of several guys from Middle Creek. Wicker picked up his game as the season went on and was fantastic in conference play, making 64 tackles in his final five games. He's a bit undersized, but moves extremely well, allowing him to always be in the right position to make plays.     Shaw is a versatile player, contributing on both sides of the ball, but he competed at our Prep Redzone Combine as a linebacker and that's his highest-upside position. He's a stocky run-stopper with plenty of strength to fight offensive linemen in running lanes. He doesn't get enough credit for his sideline-to-sideline ability, something that really stands out on film.

We're approaching the end of our 2027 class updates, and we've come to the 2027 linebacker stock-risers. These six players raised their recruiting stock, impressed in camp, or got another loom on film, impressing us enough to move them up the rankings in an update largely dedicated to adding new players.