As The Enquirer continues to preview the best high school football players at each position in Greater Cincinnati, it’s time to take a look at the linebackers, who are often referred to as the quarterback of the defense.
This is a position group that graduated an insane amount of talent from the 2025 season. Now it’s time for a new group of young stars to prove themselves.
Here are the top linebackers in Greater Cincinnati high school football in 2026.
Make sure to vote for the top linebackers in the city in the poll at the bottom of the story. The poll will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 31. The USA Today Co. network is debuting a new polling service that allows readers to vote more often while protecting against fraudulent voting methods. User experience feedback can be sent to mlaughman@enquirer.com.
Judah Blair, Lakota West
Ranked as the No. 3 player in Ohio in 2028, according to 247Sports, Blair first made his name known when he broke the 100-meter dash school record as a freshman. Now he holds 19 Division I offers for football, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon. As a sophomore, he recorded 66 tackles (16.5 for loss), three sacks and an interception that he returned for a touchdown in a win over Hamilton. He was named to the Greater Miami Conference first team.
Pete Fortkamp, Elder
The junior was the Panthers’ second-leading tackler with 81 wrap-ups in 2025. Eight of those tackles were for loss and he had three sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and an interception. He was named to the Greater Catholic League-South first team and was an all-district honorable mention. He holds offers from Ohio University, Miami University, Marshall and Southern Miss.
Derrick Jeffries, Princeton
He is the second-leading returning tackler in the GMC. He had 100 tackles, including three games where he recorded double-digit tackles, and had one interception. He was one of 10 Vikings named to the GMC first team and currently has eight DI offers, mostly from Mid-American Conference schools.
Tyler Johnson-Huff, Wyoming
The Central Michigan University commit is the top returning tackler in the Cincinnati Hills League, making 132 tackles as a junior. He also had one interception last year as the Cowboys went 10-2. Johnson-Huff was named to the CHL and all-district first teams and DIV all-state third team.
Windon Lowe, Talawanda
While all the attention was on the Brave’s offense and running back Lance Cantrell in 2025 (They averaged 36.4 points per game), the defense did its part, holding eight opponents to 20 points or less. Lowe was a leader for that unit. The all-district first team and DIII All-Ohio second team selection led the way with 89 tackles, 12.5 for loss. He also had three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
Cash Myers, Covington Catholic
The Colonels have won multiple postseason games in each of the last three seasons. Myers will lead the defense as they look to keep that streak alive. As a sophomore, he led team with 112 tackles and forced and recovered one fumble. He was named to the second-team All-Northern Kentucky for defense and was voted to the DII all-star team by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association.
Jojo Pouncy, North College Hill
The University of Louisville commit transferred from Taft, following his head coach, Tyler Williams. The No. 23 player in Ohio for the class of 2027 was named to the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference second team and all-district second team after making 127 tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown.
Brad Roaden, Dixie Heights
Class 5A, District 5 could be one of the more unpredictable districts in Northern Kentucky and the state as a whole this season. It’s right there for the taking for the Colonels, who are looking for their first winning season since 2021. Last year, Roaden led the team with 80 tackles (10 for loss), four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named to the second-team defense All-Northern Kentucky and the DI all-star team, as voted by the NKFCA.
Lincoln Tomlinson, Lloyd Memorial
Tomlinson was a major player in the Juggernauts’ first undefeated regular season since 1995. He ran for 726 yards and 16 touchdowns but made just as much of an impact on defense. He led Lloyd with 149 tackles (16 for loss) and had 2.5 sacks. He was named to the first-team All-Northern Kentucky for defense and made the DIII all-star team.
Sam Whitcomb, McNicholas
He was the fourth-leading tackler in the Greater Catholic League-Coed last season with 92 tackles. His 1.5 sacks came in a win over Chaminade Julienne. He was named to the GCL-Coed and all-district first teams and All-Ohio third team.
Additional linebackers to watch in 2026
Jaden Allen, Shroder; Tra’vion Bailey, Hamilton; David Baldock, Harrison; Ryder Barrial, Goshen; Grayson Callahan, Lawrenceburg; Izak Campbell, La Salle; Owen Clary, CHCA; Jimi Cox, Highlands; Hans Erickson, MVCA; Andrew Fryer, Lakota West; Alex Galante, Ross; Noah Henry, New Miami; Cole Hoskins, Beechwood; Cory Kidd, Blanchester; Ryan Kreutz, Mariemont; Elias Lopez Torres, Dayton; Chase McCracken, East Central; Tanner Meadows, Little Miami; Colin Morris, Beechwood; Adam Pena, Western Brown; Hezekiah Powell, Purcell Marian; Axsel Rogers, Fairfield; Adam Schloemer, Turpin; Andrew Stofko, Moeller; Quinten Tischner, Bishop Brossart; Brody Turner, Elder; Topher Wachtel, Indian Hill; C.J. Warner, Deer Park; Dustin Wilson, Holy Cross
Vote for the top linebacker in Greater Cincinnati high school football
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vote for top linebacker in Greater Cincinnati high school football
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
