20 best linebackers in the nation during the 2023 high school football regular season

These 20 tackling machines have put up big stats this fall

From five-star talents to underrated up-and-comers, athletes across the country have blossomed over the course of the 2023 high school football regular season.

With the playoffs fast approaching in several states, SBLive Sports set out to find the best offensive and defensive players in the nation this fall. We already highlighted quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and defensive linemen/edge rushers and are now moving on to linebackers.

Here are 20 linebackers who are piling up tons of tackles during the 2023 high school football regular season.

Note: All stats are current through Oct. 9.

Jack Bleier, sr., Basha (Arizona)

A leader for Basha’s stout defense, Bleier is averaging 10 tackles per game as a senior. He also has seven tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and 13 quarterback hurries. 

Syncere Brackett, sr., Centennial (California)

The top tackler for California power Corona Centennial, Brackett is averaging 8.2 tackles per game this season. The sturdy 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior holds a Division I offer from Stony Brook and is receiving interest from several other schools. 

Davin Brewton, sr., Red Bank Catholic (New Jersey)

Brewton is an athletic linebacker who is averaging 13.5 tackles per game as a senior. The Pittsburgh commit has 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries and has returned and interception and a fumble to the end zone. 

DJ Caffey, sr., Chilton County (Alabama)

A sideline-to-sideline linebacker, Caffey is averaging 15 tackles per game this fall with three sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, an interception and a forced fumble. In an early-season loss to Helena, Caffey recorded 24 total tackles. 

Aaron Chiles, sr., Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland)

Chiles averaged seven tackles per game as a junior and is up to 10.5 this season for Our Lady of Good Counsel. A four-star recruit, Chiles committed to Florida over the summer. 

Samadrae Hawkins, sr., Cocoa (Florida)

Hawkins isn’t the tallest linebacker at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, but the senior has been a tackling machine over the past three years. Hawkins has 347 career tackles and is averaging nearly 11 per game this fall. 

Ty Jackson, jr., Seminole Ridge (Florida)

A varsity starter since his freshman season, Jackson averages 12.8 tackles per game for his career, including 14.8 this year. Florida, Florida State and Tennessee are among Jackson’s college suitors. 

Braxton Jones, sr., Nacogdoches (Texas)

One of the top tacklers in Texas, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Jones is averaging 15.7 tackles per game as a senior with four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. His Division I offers include Louisiana Tech and UTSA. 

Jasen Kelly, sr., Whitmer (Ohio)

Kelly has piled up 16 tackles for loss this season and is averaging 11.9 total tackles per game. Kelly holds more than a dozen Division I offers, including Iowa State, Kentucky and West Virginia. 

Davhon Keys, sr., Aledo (Texas)

Keys is averaging more than 10 tackles per game as a senior with two sacks, six quarterback hurries and a pair of interceptions. The 247Sports composite four-star recruit is committed to LSU. 

Ezekiel Marcelin, jr., Miami Central (Florida)

Marcelin is a 247Sports composite four-star prospect whose offers include Auburn, Florida State and Michigan. A three-year varsity player, Marcelin is averaging 12.7 tackles per game as a junior. 

Nick Pace, sr., Colquitt County (Georgia)

Pace can play nearly any secondary and linebacker position on Colquitt County’s defense, but the senior really excels as a middle backer. He is averaging 11.3 tackles per game this season with a pair of sacks. 

Hank Puckett, sr., Bixby (Oklahoma)

A rock in the middle of Class 6A state power Bixby’s defense, Puckett plays both ways at tight end and linebacker. He is averaging nine tackles per game with three sacks, nine quarterback hurries and an interception. 

Quinton Reese, sr., Ramsay (Alabama)

Reese is averaging 15 tackles per game with 18 tackles for loss this season. The Alabama commit also has a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown. 

Shea Robertson, sr., Coeur d’Alene (Idaho)

Robertson, an Eastern Washington commit, is a two-way standout for Coeur d’Alene at linebacker and tight end. The senior is averaging 12.1 tackles per game this fall and also has 13 catches for 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns on offense. 

Zach Smith, sr., Northridge (Utah)

One of the most productive linebackers in Utah, Smith is averaging 14.5 tackles per game as a senior with three sacks and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. He has also forced three fumbles and recovered one. 

Anthony Speca, sr., Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pennsylvania)

Speca could be the next great linebacker to come out of the state of Pennsylvania. A 247Sports composite four-star Penn State commit, Speca is averaging 8.4 tackles per game this season with 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. 

Christian Thatcher, jr., Arbor View (Nevada)

A three-year varsity starter, Thatcher is averaging 12 tackles per game as a junior. The four-star junior is one of the most coveted linebacker prospects in the country with offers from Oklahoma, Oregon and USC, among others. 

Dylan Williams, sr., Long Beach Poly (California)

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Williams is a rangy linebacker who is averaging 9.3 tackles per game this season. The four-star prospect committed to Oregon back in July. 

Ashton Woods, sr., Walton (Georgia)

Woods is a physical specimen at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. The North Carolina commit is averaging 10.5 tackles per game as a senior with four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. 

 (Samadrae Hawkins, left, photo by Craig Bailey)

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports