Rivals Rankings Week: Storylines To Follow With Top 2026 Linebackers

This preliminary Rivals250 expanded the rankings from 100. Within the expanded rankings, there have been three linebackers who made their debuts inside the top-100 prospects within the nation.

Cellular (Ala.) exterior linebacker Shadarius Toodle has the very best debut of the trio, being slotted because the No. 50 total prospect within the class. Down the record was Houston (Texas) Mayde Creek exterior linebacker Kosi Okpala at No. 91 and Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial inside linebacker Tai’Yon King at No. 98.

With their debuts inside the highest 100, I’m very intrigued to see their improvement. All three nonetheless have untapped potential that we’ll see break via sooner or later. These three might show to be high quality early evaluations.

There are two linebackers ranked inside the highest 10, each exterior linebackers. Loganville (Ga.) five-star Tyler Atkinson is ranked because the No. 5 total prospect whereas Cellular (Ala.) four-star Anthony Jones is ranked because the No. 8 prospect. Jones is the primary prospect ranked exterior the five-stars.

Each prospects possess an identical athletic profile at 6-foot-2 and 203 kilos (Atkinson) and 6-3, 205 (Jones). Additionally they posted related manufacturing as sophomores with 10 sacks every. Watching their development towards one another will probably be a enjoyable storyline over the subsequent two years. They’ll push one another for the No. 1 linebacker spot.

There are some very spectacular linebacker prospects which have emerged within the early levels of the 2026 class, so I’m not fearful in regards to the high quality of the prospects we have now ranked at the moment. It’s the amount that has me within the place, particularly at inside linebacker.

Within the final 5 recruiting lessons, there was a mean of 5 inside linebackers ranked inside the highest 100. Within the preliminary Rivals250 of the 2026 class, there are simply two inside linebackers within the high 100, and neither is inside the highest half of the group. To go together with this, there are solely seven inside linebackers within the full 250 at the moment.

So, the query is … have prospects on the place simply not developed fairly but to really undertaking as inside linebackers or is there merely a scarcity of expertise on the place on this class? There’ll probably be exterior linebacker and security prospects who add mass and ultimately develop into the mould for the place. However, as of proper now, the within ‘backer place is missing in numbers.

When looking on the linebacker place within the 2026 class, one of many first issues I observed was the quantity of prospects popping out of the state of Alabama. Of 20 complete linebackers ranked contained in the Rivals250, 4 of them come from the Yellowhammer State, that means 20 % of the nationally ranked group. Within the 2025 class, there are 30 linebackers ranked contained in the Rivals250 and solely two of them come from Alabama, simply 6 % of the full group.

Alabama routinely has a formidable crop of prospects and because it stands proper now, the linebackers would be the headlining place.