High-upside freshman LB with top-end recruiting pedigree and early special-teams flashes
Clatterbaugh entered Virginia Tech as a highly regarded 2025 linebacker recruit, with Rivals listing him as a four-star and On3 ranking him among the nation’s better LB prospects, and he showed early promise in 2025 by appearing in four games and recording three tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. His profile stands out more for his athletic upside and physicality than raw stat volume: he’s a strong, rangy linebacker-sized defender at about 6-2 and 243-245 pounds, and wrestling background notes add a toughness/finishing element. He looks like a good fit for a program that values developmental traits and special-teams impact first, with starting-caliber potential down the line.
