Sophomore Spotlight: Scouting top 2027 linebackers

It’s never too early to begin looking at the next stars of college football, so welcome to the Sophomore Spotlight. Each week Rivals national data analyst Austin Cochran will highlight a number of prospects from each position who made our initial 2027 Rivals250.

We continue this week looking at linebackers.

Player comp: Drue Tranquill

Crawford is a two-sport athlete who looks to be just as promising a prospect at tight end as he is at linebacker. The four-star prospect is a good athlete and a smart, instinctual player. He showcases great lateral movement and an elite ability to work his way through the garbage to make a play. Crawford is stout against the run and a very sure tackler.

Crawford has offers from Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State, among others. He has also taken visits to Georgia and Auburn this season.

Player comp: Tremaine Edmunds

Epps breaks the mold of the modern day linebacker. His size and length are very rare for a box linebacker and offers a very unique matchup and skill set. Epps is a very good athlete who makes plays all over the field. He has a good trigger ability and quickness to get downfield in a hurry and make plays in the backfield. He’s a very good blitzer both up the middle and off the edge. Epps has so many tools to work with and is an extremely exciting prospect, but needs to continue to get stronger and play more aggressively.

At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Epps is a first-off-the-bus type of prospect, and has naturally drawn a lot of attention. He has 17 total offers with Texas, Tennessee and Penn State being among the most prominent programs on his list. He has also taken visits to UCLA and Texas this season.

Player comp: Isaiah Simmons

Henderson is a freak athlete who plays everywhere on the field. He has the athleticism and skill set to play linebacker, edge rusher or possibly even safety. He has great speed and elite length to be a menace off the edge and also lock down receivers on the outside. The four-star prospect is a very strong player who is a great tackler with some serious pop.

A Swiss Army Knife type of defender, Kaden has received a lot of attention so far. He has 20 total offers, including tenders from Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon. He has also visited Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson this season, and plans on visiting Alabama this weekend.

Player comp: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

McGaskin is a great, all-around linebacker. The four-star prospect is great against the run, with plus speed and trigger ability. He comes downhill with authority and really lays the wood on opponents. He has great eyes and reads the play extremely well, and is an excellent blitzer both off the edge and up the middle. McGaskin also does a good job in the passing game, dropping into zone, filling passing lanes and reading the quarterback’s eyes.

McGaskin is the perfect modern day strongside linebacker. His speed, power and IQ has made him a top target for a lot of teams. So far he has 22 total offers with LSU, Florida State and Ohio State among the most recent. He has also visited Florida State twice this year to check out the Seminoles. McGaskin is definitely a name to watch closely these next couple years.

Player comp: Bobby Okereke

Williams is an athletic and physical inside linebacker. He’s a great blitzer. He times his run perfectly and has good speed to get in the quarterback’s lap in a hurry. He has good eyes, reads the backfield very well and has a great trigger to come downhill and make plays as well as lateral movement ability to make plays on the edges. The four-star prospect has strength and does a good job taking on and shedding would-be blockers at the point of attack.

Strong inside linebackers are always the heart and soul of any defense, and he looks to be the next one up. Williams has 17 total offers including Colorado, Oregon and SMU. He has also taken a visit this season to SMU.