The Sporting News’ preview for California’s 2025 high school football season rolls on with a look at the state’s top 20 linebackers.
Following the top 20 are the names of 10 more LBs who were heavily considered for a top-20 ranking. With only 30 players mentioned, there are future Division 1 college players who are current high school standouts who didn’t even make the cut – that’s how deep the talent pool is.
The primary criteria are production and team success relative to strength of schedule, awards for the 2024 season from other sources, and recruiting rankings/accolades.
For two-way stars, contributions on offense may be noted but were not factored into the selections.
1. Dash Fifita, Santa Margarita – Sr.
One of the toughest pound-for-pound defensive players in California and probably the whole nation. Fifita, a 3-star Arizona commit, won DPOY last year in the nation’s toughest league as a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior linebacker with 100 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception against arguably the most difficult schedule in high school football.
2. Shaun Scott, Mater Dei – Sr.
The 4-star USC commit was second on the national champion with 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and two interceptions as a junior. Scott might project better as an EDGE than a pure OLB going forward and could just easily make the defensive line list instead of linebackers. His other 22 offers included Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Penn State, Texas, and Tennessee.
3. Jonathan McKinley Jr., Corona Centennial – Sr.
The most productive defensive player for one of high school football’s top programs, McKinley was the Big West League (Upper) Defensive Player of the Year with 10.5 sacks, 21 QB-hurries, 57 tackles, and a pick. Fluid between OLB and rush end, he’s a 3-star Cal…
Source link : https://www.sportingnews.com/us/us-high-school/football/news/top-linebackers-california-high-school-football-2025/479d0caf822cd340ae3cb256
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Publish date : 2025-08-07 03:26:00
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