2028 linebacker Cooper Kerbo Cooper Kerbo LB Mangum | 2028 State OK is an absolute monster and we’re fired up to see what he does with his junior season this fall. Last year, Kerbo firmly established himself as one of the top small school linebackers in the state. He finished with just under 150 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and four sacks. This was after his freshman season, when he would have over 130 tackles. We’re not sure what Mangum’s school record is for career tackles but we assume that Kerbo could absolutely smash that by the time he’s done. He’s a big reason why we think that this Mangum defense is going to be really stout throughout the 2026 football season.

(2025 All State Honorable Mention)

Mangum linebacker Cooper Kerbo Cooper Kerbo LB Mangum | 2028 State OK is one of those prospects that might be flying under the radar because of where he plays but you cannot ignore the production. Kerbo has been an absolute tackling machine since stepping on the field as a freshman. Kerbo finished with over 100 tackles during his freshman season and then backed it up and exceeded his production last season. He’s on pace to shatter the school record for tackles in a career and he could end up being the top tackler in the state’s 2028 class when it’s all said and done. Kerbo and the rest of the Tigers have their sights set on making a deep run in the playoffs. Week in and week out, Kerbo is one of the more productive defenders in the state.

Sophomore linebacker Cooper Kerbo Cooper Kerbo LB Mangum | 2028 State OK wasted very little time getting on our radar during his freshman season. Kerbo was not someone that we knew about around this time last year but it didn’t take long to figure out he was a name to know moving forward. Last season, he would lead the Tigers with 133 tackles and it wasn’t particularly close between him and second place. Simply put, he was a tackling machine for Mangum in 2024. We don’t have the stats for every defensive freshman from a year ago but we’d be surprised if any 2028 prospect had more tackles than Kerbo last fall. He’s firmly on our radar and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does for an encore this fall. 

(2024 All State Honorable Mention)

We’ve probably written this a handful of times over the last 12 months but here’s another example of the impressive youth movement going on in Mangum right now. They have several sophomores and freshmen that are worth noting but linebacker Cooper Kerbo Cooper Kerbo LB Mangum | 2028 State OK is playing at a very high level so far. The freshman is leading the team in tackles and what’s impressive is that second place is not particularly close. Kerbo is averaging right at ten tackles per game with 50 on the season and 30 of those tackles have been solo. If you took just his solo tackles and tossed his assisted, he’d still be one tackle off the lead for the team.