Top 6 LBs in Guilford County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're moving quickly through our Triad Deep Dives, ranking the best players by position in Forsyth and Guilford Counties. So far, we've covered over 90 players in the two counties, and we should be over 100 by the end of this piece. Let's look at a deep linebacker group in Guilford County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best LBs in Guilford County</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Note: The ranked linebackers are listed in order from first to sixth. Other names in no particular order. Rankings reflect a combination of 2025 production and predicted 2026 impact.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>*Get $10 off any&nbsp;<a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2214/register/exposure-series-north-carolina">Prep Redzone Camp</a>&nbsp;with Promo Code WillHelms10 at checkout*</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Guilford County Deep Dives:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/deep-dive-top-6-qbs-in-guilford-county/">QBs</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-6-rbs-in-guilford-county/">RBs</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-5-wrs-in-guilford-county/">WRs</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-5-ol-in-guilford-county/">OL</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-7-edge-rushers-in-guilford-county/">Edge Rushers</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-6-interior-defensive-linemen-in-guilford-county/">IDLs</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["529092"],"_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-69e10896df599"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Since he's not the biggest linebacker you'll ever find, Harty has to rely on his instincts. He's honed that part of his game as well as anyone in the state. He seems to know where a play is going before it develops. In fact, sometimes he diagnoses the play before the snap. Then he attacks, and his closing speed is excellent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1857998"],"_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-69e10896df5ff"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When you watch Johnson's film, it's important to remember he's just a freshman. That's not because he makes freshman mistakes, but because it's easy to forget when you watch the free-flowing linebacker. He has good early size, and he can fly to the football when a running back breaks free. He has some room to grow as a pass defender, but his athleticism suggests that aspect of his game will come in time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1788198"],"_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-69e10896df646"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Obviously, I knew Horton would make one of these Deep Dives for the defensive side of the ball after also ranking as a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-5-wrs-in-guilford-county/">receiver</a>. But I didn't decide to put him in the linebacker rankings until about 15 minutes before writing this. He lines up everywhere defensively, and when I say everywhere, I mean <em>everywhere</em>. Is he an edge rusher? A deep dafety? Regardless of where he's lined up, he's a big play waiting to happen, thanks to his length, speed, and physical style of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["870039"],"_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-69e10896df688"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Poole is the true definition of a ball player, and he'll do whatever is asked of him to help the team. He played some linebacker, safety, and running back last season. We like him best at middle linebacker, where he was a balanced defender, playing well against the run and picking off three passes. We think he'll continue to develop, and we like what we've seen so far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2173570"],"_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-69e10896df6c8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Alls is a bit undersized, but he plays with a reckless abandon that allows him to successfully work inside with bigger players. He takes excellent angles, making plays sideline-to-sideline and limiting yardage. He'll often turn a potential five-yard gain into a three-yard gain thanks to geometry and sure tackling. That's an undervalued skill, and one we appreciate in his film. </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":"Xzavier Williams","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"180","_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":"Eastern Guilford","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-69e10896df76a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Williams keeps his weight down for wrestling, but he has the frame to add 15-20 pounds of good weight, should he ever decide to focus completely on football. He's a good mover who knows how to use his body and athleticism. He had 33 solo tackles, a pick, and a fumble recovery as a junior. He'll look to build on that as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Names To Know</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Damir Woolridge</strong> | Northeast Guilford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188798' first='Jedidiah' last='Abakah']</strong> | T.W. Andrews</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>It's camp season, and we're coming to Charlotte on May 1 for our PRZ Exposure Camp under the lights on a Friday night.&nbsp;<a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2214/register/exposure-series-north-carolina">Secure your spot</a>&nbsp;and use promo code WillHelms10 at checkout for $10 off. Think we missed someone? DM me on Twitter/X&nbsp;(<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>)&nbsp;with film.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->