Army Incoming- Linebackers

ARMYSPORTS.com continues to preview this year’s incoming freshman class by position. Led by Captain Stephen Anderson, the Black Knight linebackers were a very productive unit. However one of the major concerns at linebacker is the lack of depth. Unlike other positions, no underclassmen emerged during spring practice.

With three seniors on the two-deep depth chart graduating after the upcoming season the Black Knights need to upgrade the position. Fortunately there seems to be a number of incoming linebacker recruits that look like they can develop into productive players.

At the United State Military Academy Prep School Casey Brewer, from Florida, had a productive season. Miller a 6-foot-2, 210 pound linebacker is a big effort player with a terrific motor. Brewer had a huge day in a loss against the Lafayette junior varsity team recording two sacks and seven tackles.

Marcus McInerney was originally recruited as a slot back but played linebacker at USMAPS. Marcus was known to fans who follow Army recruiting as Marcus Dixon from Stamford, Connecticut but McInerney decided to change his name. By midseason most prep school followers were asking who this guy is. The position switch worked well as Marcus emerged as a tackling machine. McInerney led the team in tackles against Milford Academy and posted 8 tackles against Stevens Tech. With his 4.48 speed McInerney showed range versus the run and he's athletic enough to get depth on his pass drops in coverage.

Colby Miller (6-1, 205) is reminiscence of Stephen Anderson in terms of personality if not size or talent. The fiery Miller had a number of inspired performances at USMAPS. Against Lafayette junior varsity Miller had 5 tackles and one quarterback hurry. Miller had a huge impact versus Milford academy when he recorded 4 tackles, 2 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. In a blowout loss against South Alabama he posted six tackles. Colby is an aggressive physical defender who reads well and flies to ball.

Corey Watts is a very active, hustling linebacker who throws himself around with reckless abandon. Watts, the brother of Army sophomore linebacker Zach Watts, is a physical player who attacks ball carriers. Against Lafayette junior varsity, Watts contributed three tackles and one quarterback hurry. He is a hard hitter but occasionally is undisciplined and breaks down and misses tackles. Corey is a big time competitor with a special teams all-out type of personality. Another USMAPS product in the mix is Alfred Fields. Fields, a Florida native, is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and was an all-conference linebacker at Suncoast high school.

The Black Knights have six linebackers arriving direct. Ryan McCollum is a talented 6-foot-1, 230 linebacker from Warren, Ohio who can play inside or outside. McCollum has 4.6 speed. Ryan is very active, aggressive and is a big hitter who lays the lumber. McCollum is an excellent open field tackler and is very quick to read and react.

Hayden Trippett (5-11, 228) is a physical player from Tempe, Arizona. He was the Class 4A Division I Desert Sky Region Defensive Player of the Year, despite missing two games with a fractured right hand. Hayden led his team with 95 tackles and produced 2 1/2 sacks. He finished as the school's third all-time leader in total tackles.

Reggie Nesbit is a very talented athlete from Indiana who can project to a number of positions. Nesbit (6-2, 190) is fast and can pursue. His senior season he had 119 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. He also played tight end and scored 9 touchdowns on 32 catches his senior year.

Mitch McKearn didn't have far to go when he committed to West Point. His father is a Colonel assigned to West Point as the brigade tactical officer. Mark McKearn was a tight end for Army. The 6-foot-3, 215 pound McKearn played his high school football locally at James I. O'Neill.

Next: A look at the incoming Army defensive backs