Top linebacker signees in the 2025 class

All but one of the top 50 linebackers in the 2025 cycle — per the On3 Industry Ranking — have signed with a college program.

The 44 blue-chip signees at the position have dispersed across 27 schools. Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Iowa, Tennessee, Oregon, Penn State and Nebraska have each inked multiple four or five-star linebackers.

Below are where the top 10 linebacker prospects in the 2025 cycle signed earlier this month:

1. Zayden Walker — Georgia

School: Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 29 NATL.

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.”

2. Riley Pettijohn — Ohio State

School: McKinney (Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 46 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.”

3. Elijah Barnes — Texas

School: Dallas Skyline
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 56 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.”

4. Madden Faraimo — Notre Dame

School: San Diego JSerra Catholic
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 77 NATL.

Faraimo on his commitment: “Notre Dame is a faith-based school,” Faraimo told On3. “Faith is so important to me. That makes Notre Dame different from other schools. Then, Notre Dame has a proven track record of sending linebackers to the NFL. They have a great staff and I really enjoy being around their coaches. They are great people. I feel strongly about my relationships with Marcus Freeman and all of the coaches that recruited me. Notre Dame is a historic program and it offers a historic education.” 

5. Zaydrius Rainey-Sale – Washington

School: Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 95 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “Rainey-Sale made a big rise in the rankings due to his play as a senior. A two-way player for his high school team, he filled the stat sheet on both sides of the ball, showing range and physicality on defense, along with athleticism as a wide receiver. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds with impressive athletic metrics, Rainey-Sale has the physical traits to come in and see early playing time. The Huskies could use that kind of athleticism at the linebacker position next year as they’re set to lose their two leading tacklers from the 2024 season. Even though Rainey-Sale is one of the younger prospects in the entire 2025 cycle, he could be forced to grow up quickly as a true freshman next season at Washington.”

6. Charles Ross — LSU

School: Houston North Shore
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 97 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “Charles Ross is certainly one of the fastest prospects in the 2025 cycle. The Houston native’s speed looked truly elite both on the track and in the combine setting during the spring. He stands 6-foot-0.25, 198 pounds and boasts a 10.36-second 100 meters (5th place at state finals), as well as a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the UC Report’s Houston camp (fastest nationally).”

7. Matai Tagoa’i — USC

School: San Clemente (Calif.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 98 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.”

8. Noah Mikhail — Texas A&M

School: La Verne (Calif.) Bonita
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 125 NATL.

Mikhail on his commitment: “The biggest difference for me was where I felt comfortable and happy, and I think that’s what really separated Texas A&M from the other schools,” Mikhail told On3. “Opportunities, development and fit are also huge, but I think that was the difference maker.” 

“Coach Elko is a great defensive-minded head coach,” Mikhail said. “He’s really genuine and he’s an honest guy. He’ll find a way to get the best out of you, push you hard and coach you hard.” 

9. Bradley Gompers — Duke

School: Pittsburgh Central Catholic
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 128 NATL.

About Gompers: 6-foot-4.5, 215-pounder signed with Duke despite a fervent push from Michigan and Penn State down the stretch. Originally committed to the Blue Devils on June 16. Starred on both sides of the ball for Central Catholic. Collected 91 total tackles, five sacks and an interception as a senior while also hauling in 30 passes for 826 yards and 11 touchdowns.

10. Jaiden Braker — LSU

School: Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 129 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.