Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2025 linebacker rankings

With the updated 2025 Rivals250 being unveiled Tuesday, it’s time to dive into the position rankings. The defensive position rankings are being released today and next up are the linebackers.

Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is going to be serious about academics when working through his recruitment as he has family connections to Notre Dame – since his brother played there and the Irish are recruiting him really hard – and he just booked an official visit in June to Stanford.

But those are not the only programs involved as the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout is also serious about Ohio State, Texas and many others pursuing him.

There could be a lot of movement through this recruiting cycle at linebacker but there’s no doubt Owusu-Boateng is special. He’s rocked up but not stiff at all, can play in space or downhill, can get sideline-to-sideline or put the hurt on a running back or quarterback trying to get to the edge.

If today’s linebacker needs to be physical and fast, then Owusu-Boateng definitely deserves top billing right now.

Noah Mikhail‘s visits: Alabama, Texas A&M, Oregon, Nebraska and Notre Dame will all get visits by mid-April but the last one to USC is the one to watch. The Trojans have been a front-runner for a long time and the La Verne (Calif.) Bonita standout has not hid that. Still, the others definitely interest him and will get a fair shot as he works through his busy visit schedule.

Darrell Johnson moving up: After a phenomenal junior season on both sides of the ball and a fantastic showing at the Under Armour Atlanta camp, Johnson has moved all the way up to No. 49 in the Rivals250. It might not be enough. Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee and UCF are highest now but the Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County standout is visiting Georgia soon and if/when the Bulldogs offer, everything could change.

Zayden Walker lock for Georgia?: The consensus thinking is that at some point Walker will commit to Georgia and he will have superstar potential with the Bulldogs. But why has it not happened yet? Florida State and South Carolina among many others are still trying with Walker (his teammate Jalewis Solomon signed with the Gamecocks last recruiting cycle) but the sense is that he’s absolutely Georgia’s to lose.

Tyler Lockhart blowing up: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and LSU are the four newest offers for the four-star linebacker from Winona, Miss., and it doesn’t get much better than that. After reviewing junior season film, which is very impressive, and seeing him in person, Lockhart has athleticism, length and a physical edge. He wore a Mississippi State shirt to a party over the weekend and the video sort of went viral. That’s when you know Lockhart hit the big-time.

1. Penn State: It’s early of course but the Nittany Lions are the only program with three significant linebacker commits in the 2025 class with DJ McClary, Alex Tatsch and Dayshaun Burnett, all four-stars, leading the way. It’s a phenomenal start for Penn State which already has 12 total commitments.

2. Miami: The commitment of Elijah Melendez was big for Miami because other powers throughout the Southeast and the country were after the hard-hitting four-star linebacker. He’s playing at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola but he’s originally from Colorado so a more national approach to recruiting could’ve happened. Melendez is taking visits so the Hurricanes still have some work but he’s a great start.

3. LSU: Keylan Moses grew up an LSU fan, he goes to school at Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab which is on LSU’s campus and he committed to the Tigers in November. His brother, Dylan, was a star linebacker years ago and while Moses plays inside, he’s a little longer and rangier than his brother – and maybe hits harder, too. LSU is off to a great start with Moses’ commitment and it should only build from here.

4. Texas A&M: There might not be a more jacked-up, physically-impressive linebacker in the 2025 class than Kelvion Riggins, the first linebacker to commit this recruiting cycle to coach Mike Elko and his staff. Tennessee and Georgia were the other ones to watch but once coach Jay Bateman moved over to the Aggies, the Forney, Texas, standout got locked up.

5. Auburn: A couple recruiting cycles ago, Auburn flipped five-star defensive end Keldric Faulk from Florida State. Now the Tigers have his brother, four-star linebacker Jakaleb Faulk committed, and the Seminoles are trying to flip him there. It’s probably unlikely that it happens and Auburn gets both Faulk brothers as the Tigers have landed one of the best in the class.