Summer football preview: Linebackers
When it comes to positions filled with quality players, linebacker should be one of the strongest this fall in Southland high school football.
Continuing a look at players to watch this summer, all you need to do is attend a St. John Bosco workout to see top linebackers.
First there’s Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, a 6-foot-3, 226-pound senior with agility, strength and great instincts. He committed to Notre Dame on Sunday. Then there’s senior Khmori House, who roams the field looking to hit players carrying the ball. There’s also Jordan Lockhart. All three are headed to big-time college programs.
In a football preview series on players to watch for the 2023 high school season in Southern California, defensive linemen and defensive ends are critical.
Mater Dei’s Nasir Wyatt recorded 13 sacks as an outside linebacker last season as a sophomore.
Junior Noah Mikhail of Bonita was in on 112 tackles as a sophomore and is regarded as among the best in the nation.
Kamar Mothudi was a standout middle linebacker at Campbell Hall who has transferred to Los Alamitos and recently committed to Oregon.
Dylan Williams of Long Beach Poly, committed to Oregon, has been one of the best for two seasons.
Sadiq Henry of King/Drew is a basketball player continuing to blossom as a football player.
Laguna Beach’s Ryner Swanson and Glendora’s Decker DeGraaf are the top returning tight ends in Southland high school football.
Jackson Sievers of Capistrano Valley has Ivy League grades and is a physical inside linebacker who can cover receivers.
Toby Manheim of Palisades made first-team All-City as a junior.
Kaleb McCutcheon of Los Alamitos was a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection, along with Orange Lutheran’s Talanoa Ili , who
was a freshman standout last season. Venilaite Wolfgramm of Inglewood helped his team reach the Division 2 final as a sophomore.
Rocco Burdett of Cypress had 69 solo tackles for a 13-1 team last season at middle linebacker.
Weston Port of San Juan Hills is a junior who has already proven he’s a standout tackler after two successful varsity seasons.
Offensive linemen are big, strong and critical to making an offense succeed. Here’s who to keep an eye on this summer in high school football.
Preston Jernegan of St. Francis is a tackling machine at middle linebacker with Princeton grades.
Stacy Bey, a transfer from Bishop Amat, figures to be a standout at Rancho Cucamonga.
Noah Faapito of Bishop Amat is a returning first-team all-Mission League selection as a sophomore. Richie Munoz of Bishop Amat is the team’s top returning player, where he contributes as a quarterback, running back, receiver, linebacker and defensive back.
Eddie Plaza led defending City champion Birmingham as a sophomore with 16 tackles for losses and 121 overall.
Junior Mark Iheanachor of Narbonne recorded 62 tackles as a sophomore and had three interceptions.
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