A nice young man came to the door selling fundraiser stuff for the football team. He said he was a linebacker, and my wife later said he looked a bit small for that. Her high school had giant, fat kids playing LB but I don’t remember my school’s LBs being much bigger than this kid.
We’re thinking he was about 5’9", 170 lbs. What would you say is “national average”?
My son was a varsity linebacker in HS. He stood 5’9" and weighed 170 lbs.
It’s really going to depend on the talent pool available. After all, the kid didn’t say he was a starting linebacker, did he?
In China, yes.
I played LB (and sometimes Nose Guard, depending on defensive set) at about 130, but I didn’t start.
Played linebacker and free safety waaaaaaayyyyyyy back when. Was 6’2"/170. Son was a linebacker not quite as long ago. At the time he was 6’0/155. Made all-county.
In high school it’s more about toughness and speed and less about bulk. Teams that play a 3/4 defense have more options to use smaller, faster linebackers in passing situations.
The two in my government class this year are about 6 foot and maybe 180.
Big fat kids in HS don’t always have the endurance to play football. The average player size is much smaller, especially in smaller high schools without a big student population.
5’9 170 lbs is exactly what I envision when I think of a typical HS outside linebacker. Inside backers can come shorter and stockier, or taller and skinnier but there’s less variance with the OLB’s - in my experience anyway.
Also, a 130 lb noseguard isn’t too surprising. We had a goal line package where we sent in this crazy 5’5 140 pound kid at NG and he shaded towards where the qb opens up to and just shoot the gap and just grab ankles. He was also a wrestler so he was strong and quick as hell. From what I hear from friends that went to other schools they’ve either done or seen similar packages. Anklebiters.
My high school routinely played in state championship games. I graduated in 1996. I believe there was one starter on the whole team over 200 lbs. Most of the guys were lanky (6’3 180ish) or shorter and built (5’8 175ish) but not massive.
I’d agree with this. By college, the guys should have the speed and toughness, and they can recruit bulk or put them in the weight room. In high school, you make due with who you have.
Still, size can vary greatly. I worked with a guy who was a 6’2/260 lbs. LB with 4.7 40 speed in high school. He said his college highlight was getting run over by Barry Sanders.
Moved to the Game Room.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Is it possible that your wife was thinking of “lineman” vs. “linebacker?”
Linebackers are generally smaller and faster than lineman.
It certainly depends on the size of the school, though…a tiny school will have less huge guys to pick from.
No school has giant, fat kids at LB. You wife is probably mistaken about her school. That said, 5’9" and 170 is a little on the short side for a LB in a larger, competitive region. (Though 170 is kind of heavy for 5’9") 6’0" at 190 is probably closer to the norm in suburban/urban environments were schools have 300+ kids per class.
Well, Trinity High School in Euless, TX is one of the biggest football factories in the state. Here’s their roster, with players’ sizes:
If an elite school like Euless Trinity has some linebackers who are “only” 185 pounds, it’s safe to say many lesser football programs have guys even smaller.
One more example- the strongest local high school team is Austin Westlake (they’re often state championship contenders).
Here’s their roster. Several of their linebackers are around 5’11" and 185 pounds.
That wouldn’t be nearly big enough for a college linebacker, but it’s plenty big enough at a well-regarded high school.
My kids go to a school that is on the small side, but tends to do well in football. They made the Florida state semi-finals last year in division 3 or 4A, out of 8, wiht 8 being the biggest schools. Here’s the size of last year’s linebackers.
LB 5-8 195 Sr.
LB 5-10 190 Jr.
LB 6-3 185 So.
LB 6-0 185 Sr.
LB 6-2 175 Jr.
LB 6-0 200 So.
LB 5-6 165 So.
LB 6-1 220 Sr.
LB 6-0 200 Sr.
LB 5-9 170 So.
That’s pretty big, actually and a lot of linebackers. Probably only three of those guys were on the field at the same time.
After sorting out those guys, I thought it would be interesting to go back through and see how many guys were over 200 lbs and what positions they played:
DL 6-2 225 Jr.
RB 5-8 205 Sr.
OL 6-2 255 Sr.
OL 5-11 210 So.
OL 6-3 275 Sr.
OL 6-0 285 Jr.
OL 6-1 265 Sr.
LB 6-0 200 So.
OL 6-2 240 Sr.
DL 6-4 220 Jr.
DL 6-2 260 So.
DL 6-2 260 So.
OL 6-3 315 Sr.
DL 6-0 210 Jr.
LB 6-1 220 Sr.
OL 5-11 210 So.
OL 6-1 220 Jr.
TE 6-2 205 Jr.
OL 6-3 270 Sr.
DL 6-2 290 Sr.
DL 6-2 240 Sr.
LB 6-0 200 Sr.