We continue our position previews with a look at Liberty’s linebackers.
Previous:
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Corners
Special Teams
Liberty’s linebacker room has seemingly been a revolving door since the Flames made the move to the FBS. The program has had difficulty building the needed depth to compete at this level without relying upon grad transfers.
Coach Chadwell and his staff made the linebacker position its top priority in the offseason and acquired four transfers while also bringing in two freshmen from the high school ranks. Now, the coaching staff feels confident it has six capable linebackers.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “It’s been a very productive camp. They’ve built a room of competitive depth. I feel like there’s a there’s a lot of guys in the room that are going to be able to make an impact for our defense overall. I just feel like the room has grown. There’s more leadership. There’s a lot of experience in the room.”
Frontrunners
LB 0 Jerome Jolly, Jr. SR 5’11” 215
Jolly is suddenly now the veteran of the group. After beginning his career at safety and being a standout on special teams, he saw his production and playing time pick up on defense last season. Now, he’s hoping to step into more of a leadership role while still making a significant impact on the field.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “We’re expecting a lot out of him. He’s gonna have a big role. He’s an emotional leader for us and plays with a lot of passion. He makes a lot of plays. He’s a guy who’s not scared to shoot his shot and pull the trigger and make big plays. For him, it’s just gonna be a matter of maintaining the discipline and being consistently executing at a high level. Expect a lot out of him. He’s going to have a big role and definitely has improved this fall camp.”
LB 25 Joseph Carter JR 6’0″ 235
A former walkon, Carter emerged last year and could barely be kept off the field by the end of the season. He knows his assignments and rarely makes mistakes. He’s someone the newcomers can look to as they adjust to the team and the system.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “He’s a pro. He acts like a veteran out there. The guys follow him because he consistently does everything you ask a teammate to do. He’s a great teammate, first of all. And number two, he executes at a high level. When you can consistently do that and do your job, guys trust you, and he’s built that with this entire team. He’s not as vocal, so that’s something we’re trying to get him to do more, but he definitely has the respect and the ear of the entire team and people listen when he talks.”
Competition
LB 6 Teylor Jackson SR 6’1″ 225
Jackson comes to Liberty after transferring from East Carolina. He saw playing time in 41 career games for the Pirates, finishing with 83 career tackles. In 2023, he started all 12 games at Mike linebacker, finishing with 52 tackles, 1 sack, 4 pass breakups, 3 QB hurries, and a forced fumble. He could emerge as a starter for the Flames and one of the team’s top tacklers as Liberty looks to replace the loss of last year’s CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Tyren Dupree.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “He is intelligent. He already has picked up the defense. He’s already playing at a high level, making all the calls and checks that he needs to make in that Mike linebacker role.”
LB 9 Jahmar Brown SR 6’1″ 210
Brown transferred to Liberty from Coastal Carolina where he played both linebacker and safety. He’s similar to Jolly in his ability to drop back into coverage while also being able to play the run and near the line of scrimmage.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “Kind of a versatile jack of all trades. He can help you in multiple positions on defense. He’s a part of different packages as well as special teams, so he fills that role in a big way.”
LB 33 Aidan Vaughan R-SO 6’3″ 225
Vaughan joined Liberty in the spring, coming to Lynchburg after playing at Wisconsin. He played in one game over the past two seasons for the Badgers. He has turned heads of his coaches during camp and is fighting for playing time this season.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “Very smart, he plays linebacker with a high technique and skill set level. His pads are down, his footwork is clean. He’s just putting on weight and gaining getting some mass, but he’s going to be a big time player.”
LB 30 Ethan Crisp R-FR 6’3″ 220
Crisp transferred to Liberty from Vanderbilt where he redshirted during his true freshman season in 2023. He is pushing to be on the field this season at linebacker where he hopes to make an impact for the Flames.
LB Coach Josh Linam – “Another one of those guys who’s taller, longer, versatile, can play a little bit of Sam for us, and then be in the box a little bit as well.”
LB Coach Josh Linam on the linebackers coming out of camp – “We don’t know who’s going to take the field game one right now, but there’s six guys that I feel like we can rely on and that we can trust. We’ve got (six) guys that are above the line, so that means that they’ve got a green light to go in the game. When you have that, that just increases the competition, increases the urgency of guys to come to work every day and be focused. So that’s kind of raised the level of everybody in the room.”
Depth
LB 24 Kaidon Whidby FR 6’0″ 200
LB 34 Seneca Moore FR 6’2″ 215
LB 54 Caeden Callahan SO 6’0″ 225
LB 44 Barrett Newman R-FR 6’0″ 215
