There’s no Barrett Carter or Owen Pappoe, recent five-star linebackers to come out of Georgia high schools. The only five-star LB prospect this season is Malaki Starks, the Jefferson quarterback/safety who doesn’t play the position in high school.
Is it a down year for linebackers?
Hardly. All 10 of these have major Division I offers, and most were first-team all-state as juniors, the rest first-team all-region. Four have played in a state championship game, and all of their teams have advanced in the playoffs.
These are the newest members of GHSF Daily’s Georgia Power 100.
*Ty Anderson, Thomasville: Anderson (6-0, 210) has been an all-state player since he was a sophomore Region 1-2A defensive co-player of the year. In 2020, he had 89 solo tackles, 17 for losses. His college favorites appear to be Middle Tennessee and South Alabama.
*Zakye Barker, Norcross: Barker (5-11, 225) had 130 total tackles, 88 first hits, 42 assists and 31 hits behind the line in 2020, leading a Class 7A team to a 13-1 finish. He was a GACA all-state player and first-team all-Gwinnett County. Barker committed to East Carolina in July.
*Stevie Bracey, Lovett: Bracey (6-0, 220) is Lovett’s best pure linebacker prospect this century. He’s been honorable-mention AJC all-state the past two seasons. He had 51 solo tackles in 2020, when he was first-team all-region. He’s also a basketball player, and his grandfather played for the Hawks in the 1970s. Bracey committed to Virginia in May.
*Josh Josephs, North Cobb: Josephs (6-3, 215) had 100 tackles, five sacks and four interceptions for a 10-2 Class 7A team last season. He was first-team GACA all-state. A top-600 national prospect, similar to former North Cobb and current Auburn player Chandler Wooten, Josephs reportedly favors Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State and Tennessee as his college choices.
*E.J. Lightsey, Fitzgerald: Lightsey (6-2, 210) is a top-500 national recruit and Fitzgerald’s best defensive prospect this century. He was the GACA South defensive player of the year and first-team AJC all-state in 2020, when he made 111 tackles with 11 sacks for a 13-1 Class 2A runner-up. Lightsey’s reported college favorites are Georgia Tech and Florida.
*Daniel Martin, Marietta: Martin (6-2, 195) is a two-way player who had 51 receptions for 896 yards and 43 tackles last season on a rebuilding 3-8 Class 7A team. He had 12 tackles for losses on Marietta’s 2019 state championship team. He’s Marietta’s first consensus top-250 national LB prospect. Martin’s reported favorites are Vanderbilt, Florida State and Oregon.
*Malik Spencer, Buford: He’s a top-50 national safety prospect but plays linebacker for the defending Class 6A champion Wolves. In 2020, Spencer (6-2, 195) had 45 solo tackles, six sacks and five other tackles for losses. He was second-team all-Gwinnett County. Spencer committed to Michigan State in March.
*C.J. Washington, Cedartown: By a small margin, Washington (6-1, 215) is the state’s highest-rated senior LB prospect and Cedartown’s second-best prospect this century behind Nick Chubb. Washington is a top-150 national recruit who committed to Georgia in July of 2020. As a junior, he had 10 tackles for losses and six sacks and was first-team AJC and GACA all-state. He also played running back and ran for 698 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 9.6 yards per carry.
*Donovan Westmoreland, Griffin: Westmoreland (6-1, 210) is a top-400 national prospect who had 84 tackles, 12 sacks and 23 other tackles for losses in 2020, when he was an AJC and GACA first-team all-state performer. He committed to South Carolina in May.
*Jaron Willis, Lee County: Willis (6-2, 230) was a first-team GACA all-state pick in 2000, when he had 80 tackles, five sacks and 10 other tackles for losses for the Class 6A runner-up. He’s the highest-rated LB recruit in school history. Willis committed to Georgia Tech in May.
Coming Thursday: Defensive backs
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