January New Additions: 2027 LBs

We're in the midst of our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/updated-2027-north-carolina-rankings/">2027 Rankings Update</a>, and we're looking at every new player in the group. So, we're going position by position to tell fans everything they need to know about the newly-ranked players. Here, we have plenty of new 2027 linebackers to evaluate.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">New 2027 Linebackers</h2>    From a long line of athletes in Cleveland County, Hollifield has plus instincts at linebacker, and the athleticism and short-area burst to act on them. He's a bigger linebacker who can work through the wash in the box to make plays in the running game, but he also has the speed to chase down plays from the back side.     Weycker tore his Achilles in 2024, but he came back better than ever in 2025. His combination of size, speed, and instincts makes him a sleeper to end up on an FBS roster. I'm interested to see what type of athletic numbers he can put up this offseason after basically jumping straight from rehab into the season last year. Turn on the film, and you'll see a guy who already looks college-ready.     A two-way player, Fortenberry is a bit of a linebacker-edge tweener. He usually lines up off the ball, but he'll get in a two-point stance and rush the passer off the edge as well. He has excellent size and movement skills, and he's relentless in pursuit of both running backs and when he's rushing the quarterback.     Propst plays both downhill and fires off the ball—two things that you have to do to earn playing time in Starmount's aggressive defense. He loves to hit and always seems to wrap up, rarely missing tackles. The rising senior has good size, and he's one of several returning starters on a Starmount defense that suffocated several schools in conference play.     Riddle has already gained plenty of weight, and that should help supplement his impressive film. He's a true middle linebacker who loves to hit and has plenty of turnover production—forcing three fumbles and picking off two passes in 2025. He's an excellent blitzer and breaks down to make tackles well, rarely missing.     Adams took a massive step forward while playing with a bunch of talented players on one of the best teams in 8A. He plays decisively and gets to the spot in a hurry, resulting in plenty of tackles for loss and a few sacks. Adams will look to add a bit more weight this offseason, but he has great play strength and we're impressed with his movement skills.     As we were evaluating some other players on Fuquay-Varina's defense, Yount kept popping on film as a guy who plays much bigger than his listed height and weight. Even on others' film, he always seems to be around the ball, even on plays in which he doesn't register a tackle. He's a multi-sport athlete, and we like his athletic upside.     A true middle linebacker in the midst of a class that has far more outside backers, Boysel stands out for his ability to simply make plays. He plays close to the line of scrimmage, but rarely gets stuck in the wash, and has the speed and zone awareness to get plenty of depth in his drops. He had two picks, three sacks, and three fumble recoveries in 2025, and he'll look to add some weight heading into his senior season, which should help him improve his stock.     Despite being listed as a linebacker, Edwards is at his best when he's able to flex outside and cover players in the slot against spread offenses playing a lot of 11 personnel. That's a skill set that teams need more now than they ever have, and Edwards is right at home when asked to play man coverage. He's strong against the screen game, and receivers and tight ends struggle to block him one-on-one. This season, he grew as a run defender and will take some momentum into his senior year.     Hickory's offense got most of the attention in 2025, but a young, athletic defense is what could have the Red Tornadoes taking a step forward in 2026. King is a high-upside, undersized linebacker who thrives in pass coverage. He has the speed to get sideline to sideline, and he's physical enough to make plays between the hashes, too.     A two-way player, McDaniel actually had his biggest impact on the offensive side of the ball, with over 750 scrimmage yards as a running back. But we think his highest upside is on the defensive side of the ball, where he racked up 46 tackles. He's an athletic defender who plays a hybrid safety/linebacker role, thriving in pass coverage. We expect him to put on a bit more weight and wouldn't be surprised if he played as an every-down linebacker as a senior.     Wilson comes from an athletic family and has great size for a rising senior linebacker. He plays both ways and was also effective at running back, where he ran for over 500 yards this season. His offensive skill set shows up defensively, as he has great coverage skills and ball production, picking off three passes. But he can also get downhill against the run and make tackles near the line of scrimmage.    There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2027 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription. Want to be evaluated? Send me your film! <a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a> on Twitter/X.

We're in the midst of our 2027 Rankings Update, and we're looking at every new player in the group. So, we're going position by position to tell fans everything they need to know about the newly-ranked players. Here, we have plenty of new 2027 linebackers to evaluate.