2025 Trib HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the linebackers

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, August 17, 2025 | 4:42 PM

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TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top linebackers for the 2025 season.

1. Reston Lehman

Peters Township

Senior, 6-3, 225

The first-team all-conference outside linebacker was crucial to a defense that held opponents to 10.7 points per game last season. The Indians won the WPIAL Class 5A title in 2023 and reached the final again last year. The Pitt recruit had 17 tackles for a loss and four sacks among his 37 tackles a year ago, plus three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Rivals.com rates him as a four-star college prospect and ranks him 29th nationally among linebacker recruits in the 2026 class. Nearly three dozen colleges offered him a scholarship, including 22 from Power 4 schools. Among his other options were Penn State and West Virginia, along with Arizona, Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.

Watch Reston Lehman highlights

2. Colsen Gatten

Central Catholic

Senior, 6-2, 210

Gatten’s versatility at linebacker helped the Vikings win a WPIAL Class 6A title last season. The Duke recruit made 51 tackles, including six tackles for a loss, but also forced three fumbles, intercepted three passes and scored a defensive touchdown on a pick-6. Coaches voted Gatten to the all-conference first team. The three-star Rivals prospect is ranked 85th nationally among senior linebackers. He committed to Duke over offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Arizona, Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, SMU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.

Watch Colsen Gatten highlights

3. Daiveon Taylor

Moon

Senior, 6-2, 220

Moon is Taylor’s third school in three years, and he played well everywhere he’s been. Last year at Aliquippa, the standout pass rusher had seven sacks among his 50 tackles. The Kent State recruit also has played some defensive end over the years, but he will occupy a linebacker spot at Moon. Parkway coaches voted him first-team all-conference at outside linebacker last year following two all-conference seasons at Bishop Canevin. He committed to Kent State in April. He previously was a West Virginia recruit. Rivals ranks the three-star prospect 136th among senior linebackers.

Watch Daiveon Taylor highlights

4. Zykir “Ziggy” Moore

Woodland Hills

Senior, 6-2, 215

The Wolverines didn’t get to see Moore play on Friday nights last fall after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the team’s opener. The N.C. State commit already has established himself as a WPIAL standout with an all-conference sophomore season. That year, he made 99 tackles, including 15 tackles for a loss. He added 13 touchdowns as the team’s top rusher in 2023. Rivals rates him as a three-star prospect and 139th among senior linebackers. He had more than 20 college offers and committed to the Wolfpack over Boston College, Toledo, Syracuse and UConn.

Watch Zykir Moore highlights

5. Roman Thompson

Central Catholic

Junior, 6-1, 210

Thompson made a team-high 101 tackles, including 60 solo stops for a Vikings defense that reached the Class 6A state final last season. He had three sacks among his 16 tackles for a loss, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass. He was named first-team all-conference as a sophomore. Also a standout wrestler, Thompson has a 71-8 record in the past two years on the mat. Last season, he placed third in the state Class 3A tournament at 215 pounds. Akron, Buffalo, Howard, Kent State and Toledo have offered him football scholarships.

Watch Roman Thompson highlights

One to watch

Brandon Murphy

Clairton

Sophomore, 6-1, 180

Murphy had a team-high nine sacks as a freshman and ranked fourth in tackles, earning second-team all-conference honors in Class A at linebacker. He already lists college offers from Pitt, Penn State, Kentucky, Syracuse and Wisconsin, among others. His seven touchdowns last season included a fumble return and two punt returns.

Watch Brandon Murphy highlights

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Position breakdowns

QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | DE | LB | CB | S | K

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic, Clairton, Moon, Peters Township, Woodland Hills