FCS fans may think it's too early to talk about recruiting, but with the early signing period that the NCAA instituted (for December), the world of FCS recruiting has accelerated and there are several programs that are already in double digits as far as class size. Today, we rank this year's list of FCS commitments who are projected to play as linebackers.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
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MCLAUGHLIN: Let's Add This To The FCS Schedule
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SCHEDULE: D-line (published); DBs (Friday, Oct. 5); LBs (Monday, Oct. 8), OL (Tuesday, Oct. 9), RBs (Wednesday, Oct. 10), WR/TEs (Thursday, Oct. 11), QBs (Friday, Oct. 12), Overall Top 150 (Monday, Oct. 15)
How do we come to the linebackers rankings below? It's a mixture of a couple of things:
- How do the ratings services see them at the time of the commitment? (because many FCS commitments lose their higher ranking status after they commit to this level)
- How many offers does this recruit possess? If a large quantity of college coaches are offering this individual, that holds clout — even over the star rankings.
- Who is offering? If a young man has Power Five Conference offers or multiple FBS offers, that's another key factor in what you see below.
So take a look at the Top FCS LB commitments so far. This is something we will follow through February 2019.
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LINEBACKERS
| RK | FCS SCHOOL | COMMIT | HOMETOWN | OTHER OPTIONS |
| 1 | JAMES MADISON | Julio Ayamel | Olney, MD | Kentucky – 15 total offers |
| 2 | FLORIDA A&M | Omari Fiffer | Jacksonville, FL | 3 P5s, 17 total |
| 3 | JAMES MADISON | Jalen Green | Olney, MD | Virginia – 6 total offers |
| 4 | NDSU | Luke Weerts | Batavia, IL | Kansas St., 6 FBS, 18 total |
| 5 | FURMAN | Jordan Veneziale(**) | Dallas, GA | 8 FBS, 25+ offers |
| 6 | JAMES MADISON | Rick D'Abreu | Chester, VA | 7 FBS offers, 15 total |
| 7 | MCNEESE | Christian Guillory | Lake Charles, LA | 3 FBS, 6 total offers |
| 8 | RICHMOND | Tristan Wheeler | Bethlehem, PA | 2 FBS offers, 17 total |
| 9 | YOUNGSTOWN ST. | Gianni Rizzo | Irwin, PA | 2 FBS, 15 total offers |
| 10 | MONTANA | Alex Hurlburt | Salem, OR | PWO Oregon & Oregon St., PSU |
| 11 | FURMAN | Bryce McCormick | Nashville, TN | 12 FCS offers |
| 12 | PRINCETON | Joe Bonczek | Richland, NJ | Air Force, 11 total offers |
| 13 | HARVARD | Brent Malone | San Antonio, TX | 2 FBS, 5 total offers |
| 14 | NDSU | Luke Dwyer | Zurich, IL | 2 FBS offers, 15 total |
| 15 | INDIANA STATE | Deon Pettiford | Indianapolis, IN | None |
| 16 | BROWN | Hogan Hatten | Scottsdale, AZ | Columbia, USD |
| 17 | WOFFORD | Jack Scroggs | Buford, GA | 5 FCS offers |
| 18 | DELAWARE | Chase McGowan | Stafford, VA | Army, 5 FCS offers |
| 19 | CHARLESTON SOUTH. | Kevon Hilliard | Cornelius, NC | 5 FBS offers, 10 total |
| 20 | WOFFORD | Irvin Mulligan | Beaufort, SC | Navy, Coastal Car., GWU |
| 21 | MCNEESE | Jake LaFleur | Sulphur, LA | La Tech, Tulsa, 4 FCS offers |
| 22 | SDSU | Payton Shafer | Cottage Grove, MN | 2 FBS offers |
| 23 | KENNESAW STATE | Jeremy Dees | Evergreen, AL | Air Force, 9 total FCS offers |
| 24 | SDSU | Thomas Motzko | Highland Park, IL | Air Force, 7 FCS offers |
| 25 | HOLY CROSS | Jacob Dobbs | Warren, MI | 7 FCS offers |
| 26 | MERCER | Gavin Hughes | Rome, GA | Liberty |
| 27 | ALBANY | Garrett Bledsoe | Cincinnati, OH | 5 FCS offers |
| 28 | FURMAN | Jalen Miller | Duncan, SC | 7 FCS offers |
| 29 | ILLINOIS STATE | Jeremiah Jordan | Madison, WI | 6 MVFC offers |
| 30 | NDSU | Nicholas Kubitz | Dubuque, IA | 6 MVFC offers |
(**) – Recently decommitted
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