With 2025 officially in the books after Super Bowl XL, it’s time to start thinking about and covering the upcoming 2026 high school football season.

To kick off our coverage, I’d like to introduce High School Football America readers to Gabriel Lundy, who will be covering the top Georgia high school football players in the Class of 2027 over the next several weeks. Gabriel, who played linebacker at North Paulding (Georgia), will be giving fans his take on who they should keep their eyes on in 2026.

Being a former linebacker himself, his first breakdown will be the best linebackers in the state.

Who will be the next NFL great like Roquan Smith (Macon County) or Earnest Jones IV (Ware County), who was a key part of the Seattle Seahawks dominating Super Bowl defense? Below is Gabriel’s Top 5 LB’s.

Georgia High School Linebackers, Class of 2027

No. 1 Ja’Bios Smith, Swainsboro HS, 6-3, 200

Smith is an extremely long and rugged linebacker who completely stands out against the competition in Class 2A. Around 200 pounds, he has the frame to tack on more weight to his 6-3 height while keeping his athleticism. As someone who’s seen him play multiple games in person, one of his biggest strengths is his ability to move swiftly to diagnose a play and shoot the gaps.

 A 4-star prospect, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings, Smith is ranked as a Top 100 player nationally (No. 98) and the No. 15 player in the state. 

Ja’Bios has multiple Power 4 schools trying to earn his pledge. He has nearly two dozen college scholarship offers after recording 72 total tackles with eight going for loss. On the offensive side of the ball, Smith averaged 6.0 yards per carry the rock with 12 touchdowns.

No. 2 Greg Batson, Lee County HS, 6-1, 210

A typical stand up, in the box linebacker who is a do it all player at his position. Batson’s got the length and nastiness to play downhill and stop the run, and the feet and agility to also be effective in pass coverage. He’s also excellent at stacking opposing guards and centers and finding the ball. His football IQ and instincts are off the charts.

Baston burst on to the scene two years ago when he recorded 100 tackles as a sophmore. 32 of those tackles were for loss.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Batson is ranked as the No. 307 nationally. The 4-star prospect, who is considered the 20th best LB in America, has already given his verbal commitment to Florida State.

No. 3 Cole Crawford, Cartersville HS, 6-3, 225

Crawford looks like he could come in and make an immediate impact at the next level. He’s depicted as being more of an outside linebacker with great sideline-to-sideline speed and pursuit. Very good speed with size. He’s a two-way starter. As the team’s tight end, he’s seen repeatedly out running opposing team’s defensive backs. Also plays with a mean streak.

In the 247 Composite Rankings, he narrowly misses out on being a Top 300 player nationally, (No. 301) but he’s the No. 19 overall linebacker recruit. He currently holds 14 college scholarship offers, including one from the Georgia Bulldogs, he’s favorite team growing up.

No. 4 Jake Godfree, North Gwinnett, 5-11, 220

With what he lacks in prototypical linebacker size, Godfree makes up for in physicality — good eyes and a quick trigger. He is a player that pulling guards have nightmares about. He excelled on one of Georgia’s elite team in 2025, and was often the best player on the field.

He led North Gwinnett with 141 tackles with 18 TFL’s.

Godfree is incredibly technically sound. Whether it be driving his feet through tackles or shooting the correct gap, or leveraging the receiver the right way as they run through the middle. With 40 college scholarship offers, he has more Power 4 offers than anyone else on this list.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Godfree is ranked the No. 406 recruit overall in the class and the 33rd best linebacker nationally.

No. 5 Joakim Gouda, South Paulding 6-2, 225

Gouda possesses an outstanding frame. He already looks like he could impact any team at the next level coming out of high school. Closer to 6-3, he is skilled as a pass rusher and as a stand up in the box linebacker. Pass coverage needs work, especially his lateral mobility, but if he gets his hands on you there is little to no escape. Gouda is also an excellent blitzer.

At this point, he’s kind of an under the radar, but already has 29 offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Georgia. According the the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Gouda is a Top 800 player nationally and the No. 59 linebacker. However, do not be shocked if we see a bump in his rankings as the year goes on.