The 10 Greatest TXHSFB Linebackers of All Time

A disclaimer before we begin: This is an extremely fun but totally impossible task. There are about 30 guys who don’t just have a case to be in the top 10, but you have every right to be actively mad that they weren’t included in the top 10. And if you are, be sure to take all complaints to the Dave Campbell’s social media pages. Tell them Carter Yates’s absurd, borderline-irresponsible list sent you.

Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Quarterbacks.
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Running Backs
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Wide Receivers
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Offensive Linemen
Check out our list of the Top 10 TXHSFB Defensive Linemen

Note: These rankings are based on high school career alone.

Honorable Mention

Baron Browning, Kennedale (2013-16):  U.S. Army All-American who helped Kennedale to deepest playoff run in program history in 2016. Third-team All-Big Ten selection at Ohio State.

Joe Greene, Temple Dunbar (1962-65): NFL Hall of Famer and one of the most iconic defensive tackles in NFL history as part of Pittsburgh's 'Steel Curtain' defense.

Anthony Hill, Denton Ryan (2019-22):  All-American, Five-star, state champion at Denton Ryan, Two-time All-American linebacker at Texas

Malik Jefferson, Mesquite Poteet (2011-14): Two-time All-State and Butkus Award winner as nation's top linebacker at Mesquite Poteet, Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year at Texas.

Cory Redding, Galena Park North Shore (1995-98): USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, All-American defensive lineman at Texas, 13-year NFL career 

Gabe Rivera, San Antonio Jefferson (1975-78): All-American and two-time All-District at San Antonio Jefferson. Dubbed "Señor Sack" at Texas Tech after setting the school record for most single-season tackles by a defensive tackle. 

Mike Singletary, Houston Worthing (1974-77): NFL Hall of Fame linebacker for the Chicago Bears and two-time First Team All-American at Baylor. 

10. Dick "Night Train" Lane, Austin Anderson 1943-46

The first time anyone got hit by the “Night Train” was in an Austin, Texas, pool hall in the 1930s. A young Richard Lane used to play pool for money. Except, one time, a guy he’d just beaten tried to run out the door. So Lane threw the cue ball and hit him upside the head. He was known as “Cue Ball” for the rest of his youth. By the time his football career was finished, he’d be known by another, more famous, name.

That career began at Austin Anderson High School in the Prairie View Interscholastic League, where Lane led the Trojans to a state championship in 1944. He also excelled in track and basketball. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

After graduating from Austin Anderson, Lane moved to Iowa and played Negro League Baseball before serving four years in the Army. After retiring from the service, Lane walked into the Los Angeles Rams office with some newspaper clippings from his days on the Fort Hood Army football team and Anderson High School and asked for a tryout. 

Lane set the NFL record with 14 interceptions in the 1952 NFL season, and still ranks third in league history with 68 career interceptions. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he was just as scary in run defense as he was against the pass. His signature tackle – wrapping his arms around a ball carrier’s neck and throwing them down – was so devastating that it became a facemask penalty. Lane was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 73. 

9. Zach Thomas, White Deer/Pampa 1988-91

When Zach Thomas was a toddler, a truck driver backed over his head when he didn’t notice Zach playing near one of the rear tires. Thomas emerged alive – albeit with tire marks on his head and a broken arm. That was the first instance the world found out what a tough S.O.B. this guy was. 

Zach and his brother, Bart, led Class 1A White Deer to the 1988 Class 1A State Championship. After Zach’s sophomore year – and Bart’s graduation – he moved to Pampa and earned back-to-back All-State honors. As a senior, he was a two-way force with 158 tackles, six sacks, and five forced fumbles to go with 928 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Despite his accolades, Thomas’s size limited him to two scholarship offers out of Pampa. He ultimately chose Texas Tech over Oklahoma State – and blossomed into the best linebacker in school history. Thomas was a two-time All-American and back-to-back Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He also unofficially set a team record by breaking his facemask three times while making a tackle.

Again overlooked coming out of college, Thomas was selected in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft and immediately won Rookie of the Year. That performance was only a sign of things to come. Thomas made five All-Pro teams in 13 NFL seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

8. Tommy Nobis, San Antonio Jefferson 1958-61

When Tommy Nobis was in high school, he used to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day, ride two different school buses, and even walk to San Antonio Jefferson High School. This was despite another school being just a couple of blocks away. Nobis wanted to play for Jefferson coach Pat Shannon and the Mustangs football program. 

That discipline turned Nobis into one of the greatest linebackers in football history. His Hall of Fame career started at Jefferson. As a senior, he averaged 15 unassisted tackles per game. Dubbed “Big Red” by his shock of ginger hair by area sportswriters, Nobis took home big awards (All-District, All-City, All-State). He was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 1984 and is part of the All-Time TXHSFB Team.

Post TXHSFB Career:

Nobis was the only sophomore starter on the University of Texas’s 1963 National Championship Team. Legendary head coach Darrell K. Royal described him as “the finest two-way player I’ve ever seen.” Nobis averaged 20 tackles per game in his final two seasons, earning back-to-back All-American honors. He was also the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award winner as a senior.

Nobis was the first-ever draft choice by the expansion franchise Atlanta Falcons, going No. 1 overall in the 1966 NFL Draft. His 294 combined tackles as a rookie still stand as the franchise record – and it was only a sign of what was to come. Nobis made five Pro Bowls in 11 seasons. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 74.

7. Dat Nguyen, Rockport-Fulton 1990-93

The most decorated linebacker in Texas A&M history was born in an Arkansas refugee camp after 50 members of his family had fled the North Vietnamese Army in 1975. In other words, overcoming the odds by playing high-level DI football despite standing at 5-foot-10.5 was nothing.

Nguyen was a two-time All-State selection at small-school Rockport-Fulton in the Gulf Coast. As a junior in 1992, he led the Pirates to their first district championship in 20 years. Nguyen’s back-to-back district titles were the first in school history. While Nguyen’s explosiveness made him a fan favorite, it was his ability to dissect plays and take the correct angle that landed him on this list. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Nguyen briefly left Texas A&M’s two-a-day workouts as a true freshman in 1994, homesick and unsure of his place on the scout team as a linebacker. But after receiving advice from his high school coach, Bob Pryssen, he returned to College Station and began working out three times a day. He became the only Texas A&M player ever to lead the team in tackles all four seasons and still holds records for most career tackles (517) and most double-digit tackle games (30). 

Nguyen is the first Vietnamese-American to be drafted in the NFL and earn All-Pro honors. He played seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and led the team in tackles for three years.

6. Sergio Kindle, Woodrow Wilson 2002-05

Woodrow Wilson had made the playoffs just four times in 50 years before Sergio Kindle got to campus. Then, a 14-year-old built like a grown man showed up, immediately overcame head coach Bobby Estes’ rule that freshmen didn’t play on varsity, and took the team to four playoff appearances in four years.

Kindle was named the Parade’s Ironman as the best two-way player nationally, the only player in the state of Texas to earn All-State honors on offense and defense. Over his final three years for the Wildcats, Kindle recorded 411 tackles and 55 TFL, while rushing for 5,632 yards and 86 touchdowns. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Kindle, the Old Spice Redzone National Player of the Year, was as highly sought-after as Highland Park’s Matthew Stafford in the 2006 recruiting class. He chose the Texas Longhorns, fresh off a National Championship. Kindle was a two-time All-Big 12 selection as an outside linebacker and edge rusher. He capped his career with 2.5 sacks in the 2009 National Championship against Alabama.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Kindle in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. That summer, however, Kindle fell down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night while staying at a woman’s home in Austin, Texas. He suffered a skull fracture and was in a medically induced coma for two days. While he made a full recovery, he was never the same on the football field. Kindle now coaches defensive linemen at Woodrow Wilson High School. 

5. Lovie Smith, Big Sandy 1972-75

Before he won NFL Coach of the Year and stood on the sidelines for Super Bowl XLI, Lovie Smith was one of the best linebackers Texas high school football has ever seen. Smith was a three-time All-State middle linebacker for Big Sandy’s 1970s dynasty. The East Texas powerhouse won three consecutive state championships from 1973 to 1975. The 1975 Wildcats are one of the best high school teams of all time. Smith’s defense surrendered just 15 points the entire season, while an offense led by star running back David Overstreet scored a then-national record 824 points. Smith was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 2017.

Post TXHSFB Career: 

Smith was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in Big Sandy’s graduating class of 34 students. That proved prophetic. Smith was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference safety at the University of Tulsa. He started every game over three seasons, racking up 367 career tackles. Smith was inducted into the University of Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999.

Injuries prevented him from realizing his NFL dream – but got him started on an impactful coaching career sooner. He began his coaching career just as he’d done his playing career, serving as Big Sandy’s defensive coordinator in 1980. From 1983 to 1995, he was a defensive assistant for some of college football’s biggest brands: Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio State, just to name a few. Smith graduated to the NFL as a linebackers coach under Hall of Famer Tony Dungy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the defensive coordinator on the Super Bowl-appearing St. Louis Rams. 

Smith has served as a head coach for the Chicago Bears (2004-12), where he coached the team to a Super Bowl and won NFL Coach of the Year in 2005, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15), the University of Illinois (2016-20), and the Houston Texans (2022). 

4. Melvin Foster, Houston Yates 1983-86

Melvin Foster had 26 tackles in the 1985 Class 5A State Championship, which cemented Houston Yates as the greatest single TXHSFB team of all time. He was a Two-time All-State selection and USA Today All-American as a senior in 1986. That year, he tallied 180 tackles, eight interceptions, five sacks, and four blocked punts. He was inducted into the inaugural Houston ISD Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Post TXHSFB Career

Foster led the University of Iowa in tackles as a junior and senior, leading the team to a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl berth in 1990. 

Foster had a brief stay with the Dallas Cowboys, but found a lasting legacy as a Harris County Deputy Sheriff's Officer. He passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59 on March 26, 2026.

3. Steve Edmond, Daingerfield 2007-10

The scar on the bridge of Steve Edmond’s nose was the perfect embodiment of his dual personality: a small-town country boy who couldn’t handle the kickback of a shotgun, and one of the most fearsome linebackers TXHSFB has ever seen.

Edmond was the linchpin of Daingerfield’s three consecutive state championships from 2008-10. Over his final three seasons, Edmond notched 407 tackles, 71 TFL, 12 sacks, 7 INT, 16 forced fumbles, and 10 fumble recoveries. The Tigers, meanwhile, compiled a 44-3 record. Edmond was a two-time First Team All-State selection, a Prep All-American, and the TSWA Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Edmond played in 49 career games with 34 starts at the University of Texas, finishing just 23 tackles shy of the school’s all-time top 10. He was a three-time honorable mention All-Big 12 selection.

2. Jessie Armstead, Dallas Carter 1985-88

Jessie Armstead was the best player on Dallas Carter’s 1988 football team, one of the most famous high school teams ever assembled. The Cowboys won the Class 5A State Championship, knocking off the Odessa Permian team that inspired Friday Night Lights. Armstead was a SuperPrep National Player of the Year with 302 tackles, 18 sacks, eight fumble recoveries, and four interceptions … in one season.

Armstead was a three-time Parade Magazine All-American, winning the publication’s National Sophomore of the Year award. He earned two All-State designations and landed on the USA Today Top 25 Team. Armstead is enshrined in the TXHSFB Hall of Fame. 

Post TXHSFB Career:

Regarded by some as the top high school recruit in the nation, Armstead chose to play for Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Hurricanes. He almost flipped his commitment after Johnson left for the Dallas Cowboys, but remained loyal and was rewarded with National Championships in 1989 and 1991.

Armstead wasn’t drafted until the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft due to concerns about an ACL tear his sophomore year. He proved the injury worries null and void by never missing a game over an 11-year career. Armstead was a five-time Pro Bowler with the New York Giants from 1997-2001.

1. Derrick Johnson, Waco High 1997-00

Derrick Johnson’s performance against Tyler John Tyler in the 2000 Class 5A Playoffs is on the Mount Rushmore of Best Single Defensive Games in TXHSFB History. Tyler ran about 50 plays that night. Johnson tackled the ball carrier on 30 of them, forcing four fumbles along the way. 

It was the signature performance of a TXHSFB Hall of Fame career. Coached by the legendary John Tusa at Waco High, Johnson was a two-time All-State selection and two-time Parade All-American. Over his final two years of high school, Johnson racked up 327 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and 10 forced fumbles.

“Coach Tusa has had incredible defenses here, some of the best in the state,” Waco Tribune-Herald reporter John Werner said. “And he always put his best players on defense. I think Derrick was probably the best one he ever had. That’s saying a whole lot.”

Post TXHSFB Career:

Johnson was the top linebacker recruit in the state and played in the inaugural US Army All-American Bowl. He ultimately chose the Texas Longhorns and became a legendary figure on the Forty Acres. Johnson was a two-time First Team All-American. As a senior, he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defender and the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. Texas went 43-8 over his four-year career, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

Johnson was a first-round NFL Draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005. He donned the red and white for 13 years, earning four Pro Bowl nods, before retiring in 2018. Johnson is Kansas City’s franchise leader in career tackles with 1,262.