Western KY 26s to Watch: LB

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we approach the end 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 Western 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 being taken care of, here are some notable linebackers to watch in the class of 2026 in Western Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1211382"],"_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-68630afe661d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1211382' first='Montez' last='Trussell'] is one of the top linebackers in the entire state in his class. He has a ton of versatility, showing the ability to make an impact at both inside linebacker and outside off the edge. At inside linebacker, he is very reliable against the run. He explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Trussell led his team with 121 tackles and 27.5 tackles for loss in 15 games as a junior. When lining up off the edge, he has shown the speed and bend to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease to get to the quarterback, finishing this past season with 16 sacks. Trussell currently holds an offer from Georgetown (KY) and I expect more to come his way this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401705"],"_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-68630bc47604b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401705' first='Eli' last='Hampton'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out as a junior. He lines up at inside linebacker where he is very reliable against the run. Hampton does a great job of reading his keys then flowing to the ball with a sense of urgency, using his strength to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. He is a very reliable against tackler once he gets to the ball carrier, finishing his junior season with 104 tackles and three tackles for loss in 11 games. Hampton also finished this past season with one interception and scored a rushing touchdown on offense. Eli doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should have on their radar this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["335123"],"_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-68630cbd14fc8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='335123' first='Logan' last='Smith'] is another inside linebacker who continued to impress this past season. He is very dependable against the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly then use his speed to flow to the ball in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Smith does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle, leading his team with 96 tackles and five tackles for loss in 10 games as a junior. Logan also finished the year with one sack and an interception, and led his team in rushing with 161 carries for 757 yards and two touchdowns. Smith doesn't currently hold any offers but I can see some coming his way soon as he has received some college interest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1176926"],"_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-68630e0e95475"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1176926' first='Michael' last='Hammonds'] is a player who caught my attention with a solid junior year. Hammonds lines up at middle linebacker where he does a great job defending the run. He reads his keys quickly then explodes downhill to shoot his gap and meet the ball carrier. Once he meets the ball carrier, he does a great job of finishing the tackle and not allowing for extra yards to be made. Hammonds finished this past season with 67 tackles and five tackles for loss in 11 games. He also showed the ability to put pressure on the quarterback, finishing the year with 2.5 sacks. Michael doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player for college coaches to keep an eye on heading into his senior year. </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='1706057' first='Simon' last='Rickman']","_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":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"190","_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":"Murray","_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-68630e0e95542"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable 2026 linebacker to watch in Western Kentucky this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1706057' first='Simon' last='Rickman']. Rickman lines up at outside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of diagnosing the play quickly then using his speed to avoid blocks and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Simon led his team with 121 tackles as a junior along with three tackles for loss in 10 games. He also finished the year with 4.5 sacks. Rickman also made an impact on offense, carrying the ball 60 times for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and catching 19 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Simon doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->