2028 Rankings Update 3.0: LB

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2028","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2496","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69e951ec82f80"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we get deeper into the month of April, the 2026 high school football offseason is in full force and we are in the midst of a new round of Prep Redzone rankings updates in the state of Kentucky. The latest class to get an update is the class of 2028, with our new Top 125 dropping last week. Now that these rankings have been released, I have been taking some time to break them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line already taken care of, here are our top linebackers in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1174159"],"_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-69e951ec846b4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1174159' first='Thomas' last='Sizemore'] has clearly cemented himself as one of the top overall players in the state in his class. Sizemore is an athletic inside linebacker who sees the field well and uses his speed to close in on the ball carrier quickly before they can get much downhill momentum. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Sizemore finished his sophomore year with 74 tackles and four tackles for loss in 12 games. Thomas currently holds offers from Kentucky and Marshall, and I fully expect more to come his way this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638830"],"_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-69e9530213483"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1638830' first='Ben' last='Schlarman'] is a player who has quickly climbed up our radar over the past couple seasons. He lines up at outside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. Schlarman diagnoses the play quickly then uses his speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency to make the tackle. Ben finished this past season with 55 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 12 games. He has also proven to be reliable in coverage, coming away with an interception and returning it for a touchdown as a sophomore. Ben also scored a rushing touchdown this past season. Schlarman holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up heading into his junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1907207"],"_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-69e95302134d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1907207' first='Jess' last='Officer'] caught my attention with a strong sophomore season. He lines up at middle linebacker where he proved to be very effective against the run. Officer does a great job of reading his keys then flowing to the ball carrier quickly. He is a very reliable tackler in the open field once he gets to the ball carrier, finishing his sophomore year with a team-high 100 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 10 games. Officer also came away with one interception this past season. Jess has received a good amount of college interest and I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing some offers flow in for him soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1288478"],"_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-69e9556551c7b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1288478' first='Maddox' last='Hawkins'] has played a huge role in the Taylor County defense in his first two seasons of high school football. Hawkins lines up at outside linebacker where he causes a ton of disruption against the run. He is explosive out of his stance and uses his speed to burst into the backfield and make the tackle before the opposing offensive line has a chance to block him. Hawkins finished his sophomore year with 63 tackles and 15 tackles for loss in 11 games. He also recorded 4.5 sacks this past season and recovered two fumbles, returning one of them for a touchdown. Maddox is a player who I expect a lot of college coaches to have their eyes on as he prepares for his junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638815"],"_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-69e9556551cc2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five linebackers in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1638815' first='JJ' last='Keyes']. Keyes lines up at outside linebacker where he is a very reliable run stopper. He does a great job of reading the play then using his length and strength to his advantage to stack/shed blocks with ease. Once he sheds the block, Keyes has shown the ability to use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. JJ finished his sophomore season with 48 tackles and eight tackles for loss in 12 games. He also recorded one sack and several quarterback pressures as a sophomore. JJ has received some college interest and I expect him to be on the radar of a lot of coaches heading into his junior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->