2025 Pre-Season Linebacker Position Rankings
middle linebacker:
1. Tyson Hoffman 🏺- I know, last year he was submitted as a 1st Team All-Star at Outside Backer. But I think he’s going to play more inside this year with some DBs having to play OLB. Either way, he is the best overall LB in the league any way ya slice it. He did cut his glorious golden locks though, so we will see if he can keep it up. Prob gonna suck without em’.
2. Andrew Schneider 🐂- A really solid player that benefits statistically from his team. Cole forcing everyone inside, and Sasa eating double teams allows Schneider to fly around and rack up tackles (54 last season). He’s got that sick in the head, foaming at the mouth, tenacity you want from your MLB. I really like him as a player.
3. Wyatt Anderson 🐺- This guy is here because of production. I don’t know that I believe he’s the 3rd best, but his numbers do speak for themselves. 50 tackles, 4.5 Sacks, 2 FR. He also blocked 2 kicks. How do you deny that? Oh, and he starts on offense too. Dudes a gamer, I gotta give him that.
4. Tom Graff 🔱- Maybe the most talented dude on the list, but he didn’t play last couple years. Back outta retirement sportin’ the Trident. Last time he did that was 2022 where he threw down a modest 68 tackles and 4 sacks. He’s the best blitzer in the league. Let’s show em’ ya still got it before we proclaim ya best in the biz.
5. Dillon Kellar 🐅- A lil’ noticeable drop off from the Top 4, the next 5-6 guys are all pretty even. Kellar is the Sabers best LB they say. 37 tackles and 4 Sacks last year.
6. Kaedan Anderson 🐅- This dude was a stud a couple years ago with the DBacks. We were really impressed by him at the All-Star game as well. Spent the offseason flirting with a few teams, and ended up a Saber. I think he has the potential to be the best one on the team if he’s still true to form. I’m not even sure if he lives in Boise though, so availability may be hit & miss.
7. Miguel Simental ⛏️- Another old head Digger back outta retirement. Miggy was the man a few years back. He didn’t get younger, and I have no idea what kind of shape he’s in, but I can’t wait to see. Cuz he was always the leader of a very stout Digger defense.
8. Francisco Castro 🐅- Sabers tackle leader last season at 40. I think what we’re continuing to learn here is that the Sabers are really deep at just about every position. There will be battles, and some guys will be butthurt about playing time, but that’s life in the fast lane. Castro is a good ball player.
9. Tala Legalu 🐂- Kinda torn on this guy. Everything in me wants to rate him higher. He should be higher right? Big hitter on a great Dors defense. He just isn’t available to play very often. He’s barely on the stat sheets. Eye test wants him higher, production says he should be much much lower.
10. Colton Crawford 🔱- We’re really excited for Colton. He starred on the old Trojan-Knights back in 2021. He’s been out of the game for a few years, but he looks real good in practice. I think he’s going to have a huge year in a very LB friendly system. But let’s prove it before we get ahead of ourselves.
11. Leo Gonzalez 🏺- Such a talented guy, but when’s the last time he finished a season. Last year alone he was on 3 different teams. Now this year a 4th. For now. Has the skill set, maybe just needs to humble himself a bit and buy into a system. I actually think the Aztecs are the perfect fit for him to try and do that. If he can’t stick there, I fear it may be his last shot in the ICFL. Who am I kidding, the Griffins will take anyone based on who they signed last night. 🙄
12. Isaiah Jacobsen 🪄- I thought this guy was going to be a star in our league when he joined (Aztecs I think?). There was hype, but he just never really found himself on the field. I’m not sure if he got beat out, or what intangibles were going on. He’s a Griffin now, touted as the leader of their defense. It’s a good fresh start for him. They posted he played at BSU in their player announcement, but I haven’t been able to find that online. Maybe they just meant he attended BSU. Clarification?
13. Austin Baird ✈️- Was the 4th leading tackler on the Warhawks last year. But both of the Top 2 guys are gone. So logic says there will be a lot more opportunities to go around without Roach eating up everyone. The Warhawks are really high on him, but I think we’ve learned the Warhawks are a lil’ too high on all of their own guys to finish 2-6.
14. Jesse Gilbreath 🏺- Was a stat beast 2 years ago, fell completely off the ICFL universe last year. Went from 50+ tackles to like 17 in not that much less playing time. Just wasn’t all that productive when he was out there. He’s in the gym. He looks like Tarzan. Last year, played a lil’ like Jane. But he’s done it before, so the potential is there. I do hope he replicates his 2023 production. He was good for the league.
15. Ty Kleffner 🏺- Ya know, every year this guy gets shafted. Too good of a player to spend every game pullin’ splinters out of his ass. I know he wants to play more, and I think he should. But the culture there is good, and maybe he will find himself with more than 10 tackles this year? If anything, it just got even more crowded. Good luck! Cuz I actually really like the guy.
16. Josh Stewart ✈️- I realize how mean this is about to sound. And I don’t want it to, because he is a really nice guy. But again, the Warhawks will remind you he’s an Honorable mention All-Star. Leader of their defense. They’ll tell ya how talented of a player he is, starting every game at the position designed to get the most tackles, and finishing the season with 19 (just over 2 a game avg). The biggest difference between him and the guy above him is opportunity. Can only imagine what #’s 14 & 15 would do on this team with all those reps. But to each their own I guess. 🐸☕️
outside linebacker:
1. Logan Bowers 🐺- The reigning ICFL MVP, mainly due to his contributions at RB… and he might be better at LB. When the Alphas needed a stop, he was their guy. In the big games, he played more defense than offense. Pound for pound, best overall football player in the ICFL. I had him at #2 OLB behind Sower, but with him gone, everyone slides up a spot.
2. Antwan Leggett 🐂 - A truly underrated player. And I still can’t figure out how. He’s so tall, athletic, aware. He changes games. He takes away every passing lane. How are owners not paying attention to him? 4 INTs from him and took 1 back to the house. (How many frickin’ INTs the the Dors get last year? Did their Defense outscore half the leagues offenses?). Avoid this guy at all costs.
3. Donald White 🏺- An excellent blitzer off the edge, big hitter, and covers like a safety. Uber athletic, and a great teammate. Should prob play a lil’ more offense, but defensive skill set can’t be denied. He might also move inside with Tyson to make room at outside backer for his new best friend Peterman. Still so wild. 😂
27 tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 2 INT last year!
4. Arrion Leggett 🐂- The other Leggett brother. No real drop off from his brother, he just had half the tackles stats. Wait, he had 4 picks and a Def TD too? Wtf is happening here? Did the Matadors even need to play offense? Target him at your peril. Just as tall and fast as Twan. All of these Top 4 guys are game changers.
5. Ryan Corder 🐅- A new guy. Yeah, he’s ranked high. Potentially too high. But hear me out. He was the #12 overall recruit in the state of Idaho coming out of that dominant Meridian High State Champ defense. He then went to play at Idaho State University. This dude should take the league by storm. He has the pedigree. Only reason he isn’t higher, yet, is so he can prove it against adults.
6. Lucas Gottschall 🔱- The smartest of the bunch. He’s undersized, isn’t a huge hitter, and doesn’t move like he used to. But he’s not going to be out of position, and things that look open, aren’t. I often find myself at practice saying “that’s just fkn Lucas, that’ll be open in a game, nobody else will cover it like that.” 150+ tackles, and 14 picks (3 Def TD) in his career. Just always knows where to be. Rob used to refer to him as his favorite LB he ever coached (and he coached Troy Palamalu).
7. Chris Franco 🐺- Also plays RB, like Bower does, but Franco is a better player at RB. However, having a guy like Bower on the team allows Franco to do both. He’s just a great athlete & football guy. 42 tackles, 3 Sacks, and an INT last year. He also blocked 2 kicks. That’s a great stat line.
8. Ethan Sauer 🔱- Another solid, but aging BT OLB. Ethan has been here forever. He’s been a selfless teammate for years. It’s finally paid off for him, and looks like he will finally get his time in the sun. He’s not going to take a game over, but he’s not even close to a liability either. We like what we’re seeing from him this season.
9. Melvin Jacobs 🏺- Joe submitted this as his top new player to watch. He mentioned he’s “young/athletic/coachable.” Joe generally keeps his cards close to his chest like rosters are some crazy elite spy game, but the fact that he listed him as his top new guy on an ultra talented defense speaks volumes. Especially if he somehow starts. There’s already like 10 guys playing the back 7-8 positions. Excited to see.
10. Keegan Spengler 🐅- Super reliable, and admittedly underrated on my own part. I admit I judged him from his days on a terrible Warhawk defense. On the Sabers, he was a pretty solid football player. He doesn’t really look the part. But he did put up 32 tackles on a decent defense last season. So I eat crow.
11. Naveen Brown 🔱- Man, this one kinda hurts to put way down here. One of my favorite pickups this off-season. Grabbed him from a local flag league. Came to all the offseason stuff and was so impressive. I was getting really excited about him… until he needed a small offseason surgery. We do expect him to play this year, but not untill the back half of the season. Assuming he does make it out there, dudes gonna show some people how to play OLB.
12. Zach Lowen 🏺- The only other guy the Aztecs submitted as a new player to watch. And again, Joe was super descriptive. He said he’s “young/athletic/coachable.” Lol. So, ya know… like… well… he was listed behind Jacobs. So that’s something.
13. Alexander Martinez 🐺- Said says this dude is a new baller to watch out for. Ex Digger/DBack. Said he plays a lot on both sides of the ball. Only reason I got him way down here, is cuz he says he will primarily be a TE.
14. Logan Sicilia 🐅- Man, he had such a big statistical season (49 tk 4.5 Sacks)… 2 years ago on a terrible Warhawk defense, playing a different position. I guess maybe the grass isn’t always greener. The Sabers moved him from the DL to LB and he put up less than half the tackles. If he can back back to his 2023 form, he will be in the Top 5.
15. Jon Rivas 🪄- I was trying to look this guy up, and I’m not sure if he played last year. I assume he’s part of the Rivas family (Alex/Andrew) from the Savage last year, now on the Griffins. So I just don’t know much other than his name/position/and team and that they said he’s their best one.
16. Rob Castleman ✈️- Defensive Coordinator for the Warhawks that has wanted to get back out on the field for some time now. Look, this isn’t an insult. He was a baller back in his day, he’s just on the wrong side of 50 now. And I dare any one of you to play at 50. It looks like he’s going to probably play the position that was manned by DMVP Garrison Roach last year. Rob obviously has the knowledge, it’s more a question of being able to perform it. And how much will him going onto the field cost his ability to effectively coach the defense. No matter what, can’t hate on a guy wanting to continue playing the game he loves! Live your dream brotha!
Linebacker roundup:
1. Matadors 🐂 (27) Schneider, Leggett, Leggett, Tala. I agree with this. They’re the best LB unit. Imagine if they still had Sower! Oh, yeah. That’s right, they won a Championship with ALL of their Samoans (including 3 of these guys) missing. Dominant group!
2. Alphas 🐺 (22) Bowers, Anderson, Franco, Martinez. Pretty damn good group. All of them are really talented. They aren’t quite as protected by the DL and DB’s as the Dors are. But the Alphas will have a damn good defense!
3. Sabers 🐅 (21) Kellar, Corder, Anderson, Castro, Spengler. Super deep group (just like the DB’s). Sabers have nobody in the Top 4 at either spot. But their depth dominated the 5-10 spots. These guys will be much improved from last year.
4. Aztecs 🏺(19) Hoffman, White, Gonzalez, Gilbreath, Kleffner. I opted to name the returning guys over the new ones. This is skewed a little, be cause it really depends where you fit guys. I counted Peterman a DB and Aztec DBs were a dominant group. If I had counted him a LB, they may still win DB, and move up in LB. Either way, this is a very top heavy group with the Top 2… and then the rest.
5. Black Tide 🔱 (16) Graff, Gottschall, Sauer, Crawford. It’s kind of a rebuilding group. Most of the long time stars are gone. BT has long relied on its backers, so some guys have some big shoes to fill. Better nut up, or shut up. Graff is the star, Gottschall the savvy vet. Need more than 2.
6. Diggers ⛏️ (4) Simental. Obviously carried by Miggy. This is a much closer gap between 5 & 6. I honestly just have no idea who the Diggers OLB are.
7. Warhawks ✈️ (0) Baird, Stewart, Castleman. Of the 3 teams that tied at the bottom with 0, these guys have the best of the lower tier LBs. None were Top 10, but at least they got mentioned.
8. Griffins 🪄(0) Jacobsen, Rivas. Another group I just don’t know enough about. People have told me both Jacobsen and Rivas should be higher, so they have a big chip on their shoulder. Talk is cheap though, so prove me wrong.
9. Guardians 🪽 (0) Still gonna get 60 dropped on em’ almost weekly. These guys don’t stop anybody. Sorry Guardians. But there’s over a decade of data here. Change the culture and show me, or here’s where you’ll stay.