From Mason DeLoach to Jacob Knox, The Jackson Sun ranked the top linebackers for the 2024 Tennessee high school football season in the Jackson area.
Jackson Sun
TSSAA high school football is almost back in the Jackson area.
Over the offseason, The Jackson Sun is ranking returning players by position group. It's time to rank the linebackers.
Here are the top 10 returning linebackers for the 2024 TSSAA football season. Stats were accumulated by coaches' submissions and from MaxPreps.
Best Tennessee high school football LBs in Jackson area for 2024
No. 1 Mason DeLoach
Ripley | 5-10, 165 | Sr.
Why chosen: DeLoach landed a spot on the All-West Tennessee team in 2023 with a staggering 157 tackles to lead the Tigers. He had two sacks and a blocked punt.
No. 2 Jacob Knox
Crockett County | 5-10, 215 | Jr.
Why chosen: Knox made 106 tackles (72 solo) last season for the Cavaliers with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Knox was a member of the All-West Tennessee second team in 2023.
No. 3 Jack Camper
Riverside | 5-10, 168 | Sr.
Why chosen: Camper was a staple as an outside linebacker for the Panthers last season, making 103 tackles, 10 for loss and four pass breakups to lead the Panthers to their first TSSAA Class 2A state championship in school history.
No. 4 Avery McCormick
Adamsville | 6-3, 210 | Sr.
Why chosen: McCormick made 90 tackles for the Cardinals last year with 17 for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named the Region 6-2A linebacker of the year.
No. 5 Jayland Eckford
JCM | 6-2, 200 | So.
Why chosen: Eckford was stellar last season for the Cougars with 63 tackles, nine for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles.
No. 6 Zarius Brown
JCM | 6-0, 196 | Jr.
Why chosen: Brown was another force for the Cougar defense with 62 tackles and two sacks and could be a big lift for a JCM team still finding its footing in playing region football.
No. 7 Eli Craig
Jackson Christian | 5-9, 158 | Sr.
Why chosen: Craig was responsible for 60 tackles for the Eagles’ defense in 2023 and was named an All-State player and a member of the TSSAA Division II-A West All-Region team.
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No. 8 BJ Evans
Haywood | 6-0, 205 | Jr.
Why chosen: Evans was solid last season for the Tomcats, making 47 tackles (32 solo) in 10 games with two sacks and an interception. Coach Josh Puckett said Evans will be the Tomcats’ middle linebacker and call the defense on the field this season.
No. 9 Simeon Graham
South Side | 6-4, 210 | Jr.
Why chosen: Graham is an explosive linebacker, one of the first to the ball on almost every defensive play. With a full offseason to prepare with head coach Lester Narcisse, Graham and the Hawks may be in a better place defensively than in 2023.
No. 10 Landon Brown
McKenzie | 5-11, 165 | Sr.Why chosen: Brown helped anchor the Rebels’ defense last season, which propelled the team into the Class 1A state championship game and come up just one score shy of repeating as state champions.
Austin Chastain is a sports writer covering West Tennessee high schools. Reach him by email atachastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.
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