2027 Carlsbad LB Offered By SEC School, Honored By MaxPreps

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday was a memorable day for 2027 Carlsbad linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot-3, 215-pound McKibben, Prep Redzone New Mexico's No. 1 prospect for the 2027 class, was first recognized by MaxPreps as the 2025 Preseason Player of the Year in the Land of Enchantment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MaxPreps described McKibben as a “sideline-to-sideline linebacker.” He had 95 tackles, 11.5 TFL and 1 INT in 2024. McKibben hopes to lead the Cavemen to the Class 6A playoffs this campaign after they missed the postseason in 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early Monday evening, McKibben announced on social media Oklahoma had extended an offer during a conversation with OU linebackers coach Nate Dreiling (formerly the DC at New Mexico State). The Sooners are entering their second season in the SEC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKibben has also been offered by Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Iowa State, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Washington and Wisconsin. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKibben offers a rare combination of size, speed and strength. He possesses the height coaches crave at the linebacker and edge spots. He runs the 40 in 4.53 seconds. He finished third in the 220-pound class at the state powerlifting championships in April. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With two more high school football seasons ahead of him, McKibben will only get better, and more coveted. His list of Power 4 offers will surely grow over the next several months. He can start taking official visits next spring, per NCAA rules. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKibben is rated a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and Rivals. The latter ranks McKibben as the No. 158 prospect overall and the No. 9 LB nationally in the 2027 class. 247Sports ranks McKibben as the No. 190 prospect overall and the No. 12 LB in the 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After a great phone call with <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachNDreiling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachNDreiling</a> I'm blessed to receive an offer from <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OU_Football</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachVenables?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachVenables</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JayValai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JayValai</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachWes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachwes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachToddBates?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachToddBates</a> <a href="https://t.co/gzppvzZU5w">pic.twitter.com/gzppvzZU5w</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'] (@COLTONMCKIBBEN9) <a href="https://twitter.com/COLTONMCKIBBEN9/status/1949978239515971717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sophomore Season Stats:<br>95 Tackles<br>11.5 TFL's<br>2.5 Sacks<br>1 INT<a href="https://t.co/ZEmT4cxLZb">https://t.co/ZEmT4cxLZb</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='1248663' first='Colton' last='McKibben'] (@COLTONMCKIBBEN9) <a href="https://twitter.com/COLTONMCKIBBEN9/status/1868496518069866591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->