Good linebacker play is key for a 3-4 team, and the Lions think they landed some future stars in this spring's LB corps ... first team All-Staters Parks Peterson of Farmington and Tony Ritzman of Lenexa (Kan.) Shawnee Mission West will get plenty of early looks because of their playmaking ability ... one of the most highly decorated incoming freshmen is Mahomet, Ill., native Jon McComb, who earned 1st team All-Conference honors, and an invitation to the Illinois Shriner's All-Star Game, despite missing five games ... two of the most intriguing names in the entire LU freshman class are linebackers from the Bootheel: Tony Jones of East Prairie and Tyler Martin of Jackson ... Jones is an outstanding athlete who also entertained basketball and track scholarship offers, after leading the Southeast Missouri region with 132 tackles; Martin, a two-time 1st team All-SEMO North pick, is a big hitter with a great motor who missed almost all of his senior year with a knee injury ... Texan Alex Meraz played for an undefeated state championship team at Canadian HS, where he was the District MVP on defense ... Ryan Herda of Nevada (whose twin brother, Ronnie, also signed with LU as a quarterback) was the Southwest Conference Defensive MVP, and Blue Springs product Jordan Porter earned a reputation for toughness and intensity in Coach Kelly Donohoe's top program ... Parkway Central HS made it the state championship game with Chris Howard at middle linebacker, and Raytown South's Robert Reiff is an interesting sleeper because of his speed and playmaking.

As was the case on the offensive line, an abundance of young defensive linemen already in the Lion program limited the need to sign numbers there this spring. All four down linemen signed to play defense, though, are good athletes with big upside ... School of the Osage product Josh Kelley stood out on film because of his speed and athletic ability - he also posted over 900 rushing yards as a 260-lb. running back ... Lathrop's Travis Williams also played fullback for head coach Brad Colhour, and excelled at linebacker, where he earned 1st team All-KCI Conference honors before a foot injury shortened his season ... Elle Hyppolite, a Daytona Beach native, hails from the same part of Florida where the Lions have enjoyed great recruiting success over the last four years ... David Mashal, from St. Charles East HS in the Chicago area, is an intriguing sleeper prospect because of a senior injury and his athleticism.