Top 5 Franklin/Nash/Wilson County LBs

We've spent the month of March working our way through the best players by position in 11 counties around the Triangle. We evaluated over 150 offensive players in the first half of the month, and started the defensive position groups last week. Now, we're moving off the ball to look at the best linebackers in Franklin/Nash/Wilson County.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best Linebackers in Franklin/Nash/Wilson County</h2>   Editor's Note: The ranked linebackers are listed in order from first to fifth. Other names are in no particular order. Rankings reflect a combination of 2025 production and predicted 2026 impact.   Other Franklin/Nash/Wilson County Deep Dives: <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/franklin-nash-wilson-county-qb-deep-dive/">QBs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-7-rbs-in-franklin-nash-wilson-county/">RBs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-6-wrs-in-franklin-nash-wilson-county/">WRs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/deep-dive-top-10-tes-in-rdu/">RDU TEs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-6-ol-in-franklin-nash-wilson-county/">OL</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-5-idls-in-franklin-nash-wilson-county/">IDLs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-5-edge-rushers-in-franklin-nash-wilson-county/">Edge Rushers</a>    Harris was going to end up as the top name on a list during the Deep Dives series. The only question was whether that would be as a linebacker or as an edge rusher, where he played more as a sophomore. On a deeper defense, he moved off the ball on a more permanent basis this last offseason, and suddenly, all the potential turned into elite production. He's a judo champion, so you won't find any linebacker in the state better at using his hands than one of the leading tacklers in the state.     Cooper burst onto the scene as one of a few talented freshmen in the area, immediately making an impact during Hunt's run to the state championship. He can get downhill quickly, and he's far more decisive than you'd expect a freshman to be. He does that all without guessing wrong much at all, and that controlled aggressiveness as a decision-maker makes him difficult to keep away from the ball.     There aren't many multi-year starters across the state who made a bigger jump from year one to year two than Wade, who went from an early sophomore starter to a junior star. He can get sideline-to-sideline in a hurry, and he does more than just tackle (though he was the third-best tackler in the conference last season) with two interceptions as part of his impressive coverage skills.     Whitley not only earned a starting spot as a freshman, but he also immediately became one of best players on the Nash Central roster, finishing second on the team in tackles and recovering a fumble for the Bulldogs. Can he take that next step in 2026 as a sophomore?     Fike has several talented linebackers who could have snuck onto the list, but Devaughan is the guy who makes it, thanks in large part to his impressive coverage skills. He's a two-way player who began to make an impact on both sides of the ball and is a candidate to have a huge breakout season in 2026.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Names To Know</h2>   Avery Flowers | Nash Central   Devarian Archie | Fike   Jashod Jones | Fike   Jayden Warren | Hunt   This is the time of year when we have the most time to dive into film, re-evaluate prospects, and revisit past opinions about players across the state. Send your film on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>), so I can evaluate you. We'll continue Deep Dives over the next month before jumping into our spring rankings update.

We've spent the month of March working our way through the best players by position in 11 counties around the Triangle. We evaluated over 150 offensive players in the first half of the month, and started the defensive position groups last week. Now, we're moving off the ball to look at the best linebackers in Franklin/Nash/Wilson County.