12 Southwest Florida linebackers to watch in 2024

The linebacker is the heart and soul of a defense and this group of hard hitters are among the best in Southwest Florida

Immokalee linebacker Juan Cuevas (23) tackles a Venice ball carrier to the turf during a 2023 Southwest Florida high school football game. / MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY

They call the defense. They rack up tackles. They stuff the run and drop into coverage. Linebackers do it all, and there are plenty of them in Southwest Florida who do it well.

Here's a look at the top returning linebackers in the Collier, Lee and Charlotte county area this high school football season (in alphabetical order):

Micah Anderson, Bishop Verot: He was a sophomore on a stacked defense last season, and he still led the Vikings with 76 tackles. The 6-foot, 205-pounder also added 2.5 sacks.

Dylan Baer, Community School of Naples: The Seahawks move the versatile Baer (5-10, 195) all over the field. He responded by leading the team with six sacks to go with 48 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

Juan Cuevas, Immokalee: Just a sophomore last year, Cuevas led the Indians with 108 tackles in 11 games. He also added two sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Anthony Harris, Island Coast: Harris (5-9, 195) had a strong 2023 season. He led the Gators, and maybe all of Southwest Florida, with 154 tackles. Harris also had 21 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Orville Jackson, Riverdale: Jackson (5-11, 210) constantly found himself around the ball as a junior. In addition to a team-high 65 tackles, he had three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, a blocked punt, two pass breakups, and he returned an interception for a touchdown.

Trent Maloney, First Baptist: A fluid 6-1 and 185 pounds, Maloney piled up 129 tackles last season (11.7 per game). He added 7.5 tackles for loss.

Dylan Moore-Rytlewski, Cypress Lake: Another one of the area's top ballhawks, Moore-Rytlewski (5-10, 225) led his team with 138 tackles in 2023. He also had 15 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.

Vladimir Raphael, Naples: Raphael (6-0, 190) is the top returning tackler for a defense that's routinely one of the state's best. He had 78 takedowns a year ago to go with nine tackles for loss and four sacks.

Rashad Taylor, South Fort Myers: The 6-1, 215-pound middle linebacker made a name for himself last season. He led South with 101 tackles, including 28 for loss, and six sacks.

South Fort Myers linebacker Rashad Taylor wraps a sack in a contest against Barron Collier in 2023. / Ricardo Rolon/USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA

Ethan Thomas, Evangelical Christian: Thomas (5-10, 180) was a terror on opposing offenses last year. He led the Sentinels in tackles (77), tackles for loss (25), and sacks (12). He was among the area leaders in sacks.

Reese Van Gemert, Community School of Naples: Another player who broke out as a sophomore, Van Gemert (6-0, 205) had 33 tackles, six for loss, four sacks and four pass breakups at Barron Collier last year. He transferred to CSN in the offseason.

Christian Weber, North Fort Myers: As a sophomore in 2023, Weber led one of the area's top defenses in tackles. He had 87, plus six sacks and a fumble return touchdown. Weber (5-10, 190) even added a rushing TD.