2026 Stock Watch: Linebackers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we enter the 2024 high school football offseason, we have been releasing our rankings updates in the state of Kentucky. This past month has been dedicated to the class of 2026 and there has been a lot of movement as well as impressive new additions being added. Over the past couple weeks, I have focused on the top five players at each position so now I wanted to focus on some key players at each position that landed outside the top five that I believe people should be paying close attention to. With that being said, I have a “Stock Watch” series highlighting each position in the 2026 class. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line already taken care of, here are some 2026 linebackers to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1175788"],"_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_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1175788' first='Karsten' last='Busch'] is a linebacker that jumped onto my radar with a strong sophomore season. Busch lines up at inside linebacker where he is very effective when asked to blitz in passing situations. He does a great job of timing his blitz perfectly to burst through his gap untouched. Busch finished this past season with three sacks and several quarterback pressures in 12 games. He also showed the ability to come downhill and stop the run, finishing the year with 45 tackles and four tackles for loss. Busch also came away with one interception which he returned for a touchdown and caught one touchdown pass this past season. Karsten doesn't currently hold any offers but has received some college interest and should be a player to keep an eye on heading into his junior year.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1099757"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1099757' first='Cage' last='Fannin'] is another linebacker in this class that caught my attention this past season. Fannin lines up mainly at outside linebacker but has also shown the ability to play inside the box when asked to. He is very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read his keys and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Fannin finished this past season with 49 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 10 games. He also showed the ability to make plays against the pass, both in coverage and as a rusher, finishing the season with one interception which he returned for a touchdown and 0.5 sacks. Cage doesn't currently hold any offers but is definitely a player that college coaches should keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["401697"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='401697' first='Cooper' last='Mobley'] is a player that has been on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out this past season. Mobley lines up at inside linebacker where he is very reliable against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing downhill quickly to get to the ball carrier and make the tackle. Cooper finished his sophomore year with 86 tackles and one tackle for loss in 11 games. He also came away with one interception and ran the ball 37 times for 109 yards and a touchdown this past season. Mobley doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["283959"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='283959' first='Chapman' last='Russell'] is another linebacker that has been on my radar for a while now and continued to show promise this past season. Russell lines up at outside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading the play and has great closing speed, coming downhill in a hurry to get to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier he does a great job of running his feet through contact to finish the tackle quickly. He finished this past season with 37 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 15 games. Chapman doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on as his role in the CAL defense continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1176976"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"The final linebacker on my 2026 “Stock Watch” list is [player_tooltip player_id='1176976' first='Ahmari' last='Alexander']. Alexander lines up at outside linebacker where he is very disruptive against the run. He explodes out of his stance and is able to use his strength to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of finishing the tackle and not allowing for extra yards to be gained. Alexander finished his sophomore season with 32 tackles and three tackles for loss in eight games. Ahmari doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e1331cd0614"} /-->