EJ Kerley Jr. brings a compact, physical middle-linebacker profile to Samford
In the 2026 season, EJ Kerley Jr. is a freshman linebacker for Samford listed at 5-10 and 235 pounds, with a background as a three-year varsity middle linebacker at Spain Park High School, where he finished with 322 career tackles[10][15]. His calling card is easy to spot: downhill toughness, a strong tackle count pedigree, and the kind of boxy, thump-first build that fits an inside LB role[10][11]. He’s still early in his college career, so the key question is translation and development, but if you want a linebacker who likely plays with contact-first intent and a ready-made tackling mentality, he’s the type worth monitoring[1][10].
