Union’s Kordal Hinton Kordal Hinton 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Union | 2024 NJ was a wrecking machine in 2023. With elite quickness from the linebacker position, Kordal was able to bring the ball carrier to the ground 136 times this fall. Kordal is extremely quick, able to pounce as soon as the ball is snapped. He will meet the runner in the hole to deliver a big hit, or if they are heading to the outside, he will run after them relentlessly to make a play.

With 133 tackles last season, rational sense would figure Hinton’s statistics would only regress to the mean. This, however, is not the case for the leader of Union’s defense. In four games thus far, Hinton leads the state with 61 tackles. Amazingly, 42 of those tackles have been solo tackles and he has 3 tackles for loss to as well. Hinton is getting an opportunity to tote the rock a bit more this season, going for 280 yards and 3 scores on 31 carries this season.

Another player who was all over the field, Union’s senior linebacker came up big on both sides of the ball in an overtime win at Bridgewater-Raritan. Hinton gobbled up ball carriers all night long as he was credited with a gaudy 21 tackles – 15 of which were solo tackles and 1 was for a loss. Serving as a running back on offense, the Fightin’ Farmer rushed for 132 yards on 12 carries while scoring twice; he pitched in with 1 reception for 19 yards as well.

Kordal Hinton Kordal Hinton 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Union | 2024 NJ is the last player on this list and the second player honing from Union. Another defensive stud, Kordal played linebacker and consistently delivered punishing blows to ball carriers. Bringing them to the ground 133 times last season, you can see why teams may want to scheme away from him. He played the middle linebacker position and was able to blow up plays before they got started. He is not afraid to lower his shoulder and take on the full force of a blocker so he can get to the runner or disrupt the play. And being fast on his feet, Kordal has the speed to catch QBs by surprise and also force runners to the outside. A speedster at the linebacker position, look for Kordal to create more headaches this fall.