A Step Ahead: Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Football Recruiting Blog

Class of 2008: Some Elite Linebackers (Part III)

Jon Major LB 6'4 215 4.50 Parker Ponderosa Colorado

Major is among the top LB prospects in the nation and some have him rated as the top overall prospect in Colorado…….As a junior, he earned Second Team Class 5A All-State honors from the Rocky Mountain News and Honorable Mention from the Denver Post despite playing in just 7 games due to a sprained ankle. In those games he tallied 107 tackles, 15 TFL, 3 forced fumbles and 1 INT………As a sophomore, he earned All-Conference honors after registering 108 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries and 1 INT….…..With his great frame and speed he probably projects as an outside linebacker even though he stood out at MLB as a junior…..Really packs a punch when he meets the defender, showing fine speed and a knack for finding the ball beforehand. Does a great job in attacking the line and an even better job in pursuing from sideline-to-sideline…….Impressive on the 2006 combine circuit (great 4.58 forty and 4.1 shuttle)……..34-inch vertical, 290 bench, 425 squat, 300 power clean…..3.7 core GPA and 28 pre-ACT…….Nice bloodlines as his father, Ken, was an All-American TE at Rice and played some in the NFL. He is currently an assistant at Ponderosa…..As of early February he had received offers from Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Tulsa, Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington State, Colorado State, Oklahoma and Utah.


Duane Maddox LB 6'0 222 4.60 Shelby Crest North Carolina

Maddox has emerged as one of the top overall prospects in North Carolina and one of the nation’s better linebackers……….From the same program that sent prep AA LB Brandon Spikes to Florida last year…….On film , he shows great aggressiveness and really lays the wood on defenders. He’s very effective in lateral pursuit, gets over trash and can move from sideline-to-sideline. Does a nice job of warding off blockers and filling the hole…….By the end of 2006 he had offers from Florida, North Carolina and N.C. State.


Eric LeGrand LB/RB 6'3 230 4.65 Colonia New Jersey

LeGrand is one of the top prospects in New Jersey and among the better linebackers in the nation……Named Third Team All-State by the Newark Star Ledger and AP as a junior……As a junior he recorded 150 tackles and rushed for 807 yards playing fullback...........As a sophomore he tallied 109 tackles and 4 sacks while rushing for 1,084 yards on 180 carries after moving from FB to TB………….Brought up to the varsity for the teams final three regular season games as a freshman and recorded 45 tackles……He first made a name for himself with outstanding combine performances as a freshman…..Remarkable strength, benching 430 pounds, squatting 700 pounds and power cleaning 405 pounds…….A ferocious head-hunter from his MLB position, combining exceptional power with fine athleticism and speed. Is very physical and does a great job of filling the hole and dragging down ball carriers………Solid student…….Team leader. Was elected a team captain as a junior………Rutgers was the first school to offer.


Sean Spence LB/DB 6'1 195 Miami Northwestern Florida

Spence is one of the nation’s top linebackers……He is part of the most talented group of juniors in the nation at Miami Northwestern High. He helped lead his team to the state Class 6A title and an unbeaten record in 2006 and earned First Team Class 6A All-State honors and was also selected by the Miami Herald as First Team All-Dade County…………As a junior he registered 160 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INTs and a fumble recovery……..As a sophomore he was a Second Team Class 6A All-State selection and First Team All-Dade County. He had 96 tackles to lead the team …….Very quick (4.37 combine shuttle as a soph) and athletic (33-inch vertical), but he will need to get bigger and stronger (225 bench, 380 squat) to play linebacker in college. He could also project as a strong safety due to his outstanding quickness, instincts and hitting ability…….Really flows to the ball, combing the field from all sides and showing tremendous pursuit skills…….Won the linebacker award at the 2006 Miami summer camp and was also very impressive at the Rutgers camp……..Rutgers was the first school to offer.


Vincent Williams LB/TE 6'0 206 4.79 Davenport Ridge Florida

Williams is one of the top prospects in Florida and among the best linebackers in the nation……….Two-way prep star at LB and FB but will be a LB in college…….As a junior he was named Third Team Class 3A All-State and the Winter Haven News Defensive Player of the Year after recording 121 tackles, 22 TFL, 9 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and carrying the ball 72 times for 605 yards and 4 TDs………….As a sophomore he registered 78 tackles, 26 TFL, and 16 sacks in earning All-County honors………Very impressive on the combine circuit (4.77 forty, 4.31 shuttle, 34-inch vertical, 26 bench reps)…….Really passes the look test with his well-chiseled frame…….Has outstanding athletic ability………Also very impressive at the 2006 Florida State summer camp…….On film, he’s very explosive off the ball and is especially effective in filling the hole and getting into the offensive backfield. Not the largest linebacker but has excellent strength for his size (320 bench, great 545 squat) and is very physical in taking on blockers and wrapping up ball carriers……….In early January Florida was the first school to offer him.

posted by Jim Stefani @ 7:16 PM