Top 10 linebackers in the final 2025 On300 rankings

The 2025 recruiting cycle officially comes to a close in two days. Ahead of February’s National Signing Day, On3 has updated its player rankings for the final time. Included are several of the nation’s best linebackers.

Dallas Skyline’s Elijah Barnes jumped into five-star status for the first time in the final update, finishing as On3’s No. 1 linebacker in the country.

Below are the top 10 linebackers in the class:

1. Elijah Barnes — Texas

School: Dallas (Texas) Skyline
On300 Ranking: No. 32 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “True mike linebacker with a coveted combination of size, speed, physicality and effort level at the position. Measured in at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds prior to his senior year. Has plus length with 32.25-inch arms. A strong athlete and one of the faster top linebackers in the 2025 cycle with a 10.96-secon 100 meter mark at 230 pounds. The outstanding size-speed combo shows up on Friday nights. A menace when working downhill. Flows to the ball at high speed and closes quickly. Finishes with physicality, typically tackling with good form. Length aids in his tackling ability. Disruptive as a blitzer and pass rusher. Finishes plays behind the line of scrimmage at a high rate. Looks to diagnose and key well. Motor runs hot. Makes a bunch of second effort plays and runs sideline to sideline. Very productive as a senior, tallying 110 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and an interception while playing strong competition. Has the makings of a future defensive captain and signal caller. A bit of a straight line mover who can improve his fluidity while dropping into space. The physical traits and play personality point to a projectable skill set in college and ultimately the pro level.”

2. Zaydrius Rainey-Sale — Washington

School: Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel
On300 Ranking: No. 37 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “Zaydrius Rainey-Sale is one of our favorite linebacker prospects in 2025 and we wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up being the top draft pick from the position when things are all said and done. Rainey-Sale showed a bunch of improvement as a senior. He has very good size, around 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, plus length, he’s a very good athlete and is one of the few true two-way playmakers among the linebacker prospects, checking the box of what tends to be a fairly strong indicator at the position. He was an outstanding wide receiver, catching double-digit touchdowns as a senior. You see the coordination and athleticism on defense. He has high-level range while dropping into coverage, he picked off four passes as a senior, returned some for touchdowns and just has a natural comfort while moving in space, to go with his physicality as a run defender. Rainey-Sale is one of the youngest prospects in the cycle, he won’t turn 18 years old until November. There’s a ton of upside here for him to continue improving and developing. He’s already one of the best linebackers in the country. I feel like we could look up in a couple years and feel like our ranking maybe wasn’t even high enough. A huge in-state pull for Washington and Jedd Fisch.”

3. Riley Pettijohn — Ohio State

School: McKinney (Texas)
On300 Ranking: No. 54 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Supremely athletic linebacker with a high developmental upside. Measured in at around 6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds prior to his senior season. Has a muscled build with little body fat. A top athlete at the position. Turned in a scintillating 10.77 second mark in the 100 meters as a junior. Stars on one of the top high school defenses in the state of Texas. Runs very well on the field, showing high level speed in space. Capable of tracking down plays from sideline to sideline. Physical and works to avoid and fight through contact when flowing downhill. Has the athleticism to project as a strong coverage player and is comfortable playing in man and zone. Turned in a very productive junior season, tallying 125 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception and 5 pass breakups. Can improve his diagnosing speed along with play strength and pop as a tackler. Younger for the cycle, turning 17 years-old in July prior to his junior season. One of the more physically-gifted linebackers in 2025 and looks like a top talent at the position in the cycle.”

4. Zayden Walker — Georgia

School: Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County
On300 Ranking: No. 60 NATL.

Scouting Summary: Scouting Summary: “Flashes a high-end combination of on-field athleticism and functional play strength. Lines up in both two and three-point stances off the edge. Shows noticeable first-step quickness off the snap. Very strong at the point of attack. Plays with excellent leverage and uses his strong lower body to move offensive linemen both as a bull rusher and run defender. Makes some eye-popping plays in pursuit, showcasing high-end athleticism in tracking down ball carriers from the back side. Doubles as a dangerous running back, using his athleticism and strength to pick up yards after contact. Helped his team to a state title appearance as a sophomore.”

5. Kellen Wiley — Miami

School: Tampa (Fla.) Armwood
On300 Ranking: No. 74 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “Kellen Wiley saw a massive spike in his recruitment and rankings as a senior after transferring from Hillsboro High School to Tampa area powerhouse Seffner Armwood. Wiley is one of the more physically-imposing linebackers in this cycle. He’s over 6-foot-3, around 215 pounds with 34-plus inch arms. He is hyper-physical. An enforcer at the second level of the defense, blows up ball carriers on contact, really plays with a hunting mentality. Moves well at his size, is very comfortable playing in space. After tracking Wiley as a senior, it’s not a surprise to see that he was coveted by Miami, Texas and other programs.”

6. Carson Cooney — Iowa

School: Oswego (Ill.)
On300 Ranking: No. 103 NATL.

Analyst’s Take: “A hard-hitting 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker, Carson Cooney is bringing his talents to Iowa City in the Class of 2025 and will be enrolling early with the Hawkeyes. “As a senior, Cooney racked up 67 tackles, three sacks, and scored four defensive touchdowns as he led Oswego High School to a 10-1 record this past season.”

7. Kaleb Burns — Baylor

School: Houston (Texas) Cy Falls
On300 Ranking: No. 105 NATL.

Under Armour All-America Top Performer: “Baylor signee Kaleb Burns had the most flashes of linebackers during the week of practice. We saw the top-100 prospect run stride-for-stride with wide receivers multiple times throughout the week. Burns’ versatility was on full display. He’s comfortable in space, dangerous as a blitzer, and can play in the box as a run defender.”

8. Ty Jackson — Florida

School: Loxahatchee (Fla.) Seminole Ridge
On300 Ranking: No. 108 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Instinctual, athletic linebacker with the skill set to excel in defending modern offenses. Measured in at 6-foot-1.25, 197 pounds with 32-inch arms and 9.25 inch hands prior at the On3 Elite Series prior to his senior season. A sensational high school football player. Has the makings of a well-rounded linebacker. Highly instinctual. Keys and diagnoses quickly. Comfortable working in space and coverage. Had two pick-sixes as a junior. Shows outstanding play speed, with the ability to run sideline-to-sideline. Highly physical. De-cleats ball-carriers with his striking power. Effective at sifting through trafficking when defending the run. Gets skinny and bursts into the backfield to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Tallied 135 tackles, two interceptions and five forced fumbles as a junior. A three-phase playmaker for his high school. Took back multiple kickoffs for touchdowns. Also shows his athleticism as a receiver. Has the speed to take a screen pass to the house from 75 yards out. Athleticism is validated in the combine setting. Will need to continue adding weight and does not have the biggest frame. A touch older for the class, turning 18 years-old in May of his junior season. A total football player with the skills, athleticism and physical mindset to be a top linebacker at the college level and beyond.”

9. Matai Tagoa’i — USC

School: San Clemente (Calif.)
On300 Ranking: No. 110 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “Tagoa’i’s film has always been one of the strongest out of the off-ball backers in the 2025 recruiting cycle. However, one of the bigger questions with Tagoa’i was size and if he was able to retain his movement skills after adding necessary mass throughout his frame. This offseason we were able to see Tagoa’i in person and we can confirm he looks the part of a next level inside backer. So going into this season, we wanted to make sure the movement skills have not lessened since adding the necessary mass and they certainly have not. He still has tremendous twitch and the ability to close that makes him a menace on the defensive side of the ball.”

10. Jaiden Braker — LSU

School: Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett
On300 Ranking: No. 123 NATL.

About Braker: 6-foot-2.5, 210-pounder signed with LSU after flipping to the Tigers from South Carolina on July 31. Saw his stock rise as a senior, thanks in-part to a campaign that saw 59 total tackles across 10 games for South Gwinnett this fall. He’s one of five blue-chip linebackers in LSU’s 2025 class.