Position Preview: Linebackers

RICHMOND, Va. – The Falcons enter the 2026 season with seniors Romelo Perry, Jayce Bigelow and Chris Green forming an experienced core in the middle of the defense. Together, they give defensive coordinator Justin Waddey a group that has played significant varsity football, understands the system and has grown from simply relying on athletic ability to recognizing what offenses are trying to do before the ball is snapped.

That development has been one of the biggest differences Waddey has noticed during camp.

“They all have a little extra pep in their steps so far in camp,” Waddey said. “Going into their senior years they are doing better at reading their keys vs. just playing football.”

Linebacker Coach Shatae McEachin

The Falcons will need that experience after losing one of the most accomplished linebackers from last season’s defense, but Huguenot believes the veterans returning to the room are prepared to take on greater responsibility.

Moving Forward Without Dabney

Huguenot entered the offseason knowing it would have to replace Markel Dabney, who is now at Michigan.

Dabney started three seasons at Huguenot after also starting as a freshman at Life Christian Academy under members of the current Falcons staff. His departure removes an experienced player from the middle of the defense, but it does not leave Huguenot without veterans.

Huguenot alum Markel Dabney

Perry enters his senior season as a four-year starter.

Bigelow is entering his third season as a starter.

Green returns for his second year as a starter.

That experience gives Waddey a foundation to build around rather than forcing the Falcons to completely reconstruct the position.

The expectation now is for those returning players to take another step, both in their individual play and in how they lead the defense around them.

Bigelow Finds His Voice

Senior Jayce Bigelow has already established himself as one of Huguenot’s most disruptive defenders.

His 27 tackles for loss in 2025 set a Huguenot single-season record, and his ability to play both linebacker and defensive end gives Waddey flexibility when building fronts and pressure packages.

Senior Linebacker Jayce Bigelow

But Bigelow’s growth entering his senior season has not been limited to what happens after the snap.

“Jayce Bigelow has stepped up as a vocal leader for us,” Waddey said.

That leadership was evident throughout the preseason.

Bigelow delivered one of Huguenot’s most memorable defensive moments of the Benefit Game against Hermitage when he made a massive hit on the opening drive that brought much of the crowd to its feet. Afterward, Bigelow explained that the coaching staff had challenged him to establish the tone early.

That ability to bring energy to the defense has become an important part of his role.

Now committed to North Carolina Central, Bigelow enters his final Huguenot season with the experience to understand when the defense needs more than a playmaker.

Sometimes it needs a voice.

Perry Continues to Lead by Example

If Bigelow has become one of the more vocal leaders of the defense, Romelo Perry provides a different style.

“Romelo Perry has continued his lead by example attitude that we have come to expect from him,” Waddey said.

That approach has been built over four seasons as a varsity starter.

Senior Linebacker Romelo Perry

Perry has consistently been one of Huguenot’s most productive defenders, including a 119-tackle season in 2024 that ranks among the best single-season totals in program history. He followed that with 19 tackles for loss in 2025.

The senior and Marshall commit brings physicality to the middle of the defense and has become one of the players younger Falcons can watch to understand the standard expected from the position.

His experience also allows him to play faster because fewer situations are unfamiliar.

For Waddey, that knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable as Huguenot’s older players begin helping teach the younger ones around them.

Green Provides Stability in the Middle

Senior Chris Green gives Huguenot another experienced presence at linebacker.

Green returns as a second-year starter after establishing himself as a dependable middle linebacker last season. His toughness, instincts and reliability as a tackler provide stability between several of Huguenot’s more versatile defensive pieces.

Senior Linebacker Chris Green

His college recruitment has also continued to grow.

Green holds offers from Rhode Island, Roanoke College and Christopher Newport, with the CNU opportunity arriving during the preseason.

While Perry and Bigelow have been varsity fixtures for several seasons, Green’s continued development gives the Falcons a third senior linebacker with starting experience.

That matters for a defense that wants its veterans to recognize formations, communicate responsibilities and get younger players aligned before the snap.

Reading Instead of Reacting

One of the biggest changes Waddey has seen in the veteran linebackers is how they process the game.

Early in their careers, athleticism could carry them through mistakes.

Now the expectation is different.

Waddey wants them reading keys, understanding blocking schemes and recognizing which plays belong to them rather than simply chasing the football.

That development has been reinforced by linebacker coaches Shatae McEachin and Montell Jones.

Linebacker Coach Montell Jones

“They really have been teaching them to read their keys,” Waddey said. “Early on in their careers they were just flying around and making plays. Thanks to them they understand their keys and what plays are theirs to make.”

For Huguenot, that should allow the defense to play faster without becoming reckless.

The goal is not simply to get 11 players running toward the football. It is to have 11 players understanding why they are going there.

Experience Becomes an Advantage

Huguenot’s linebacker room is not starting over.

Perry, Bigelow and Green have already played in rivalry games, district championship races and postseason environments. They understand Waddey’s defense, know what the coaching staff expects and have experienced the consequences when small mistakes become big plays.

Defense vs Hermitage

Now they are being asked to use those experiences differently.

The older players are no longer just responsible for knowing their own assignments.

They are becoming teachers.

That fits a larger theme Waddey has seen throughout the defense this preseason: veterans retaining what they have learned over the previous several seasons and passing it down to the next group.

For the linebackers, that process is especially important because so much of the defense runs through their communication and recognition.

A Veteran Core With More to Prove

Huguenot enters the season with a linebacker group built around experience, but experience alone will not determine how good the unit becomes.

Perry brings four years of starting experience and a lead-by-example approach.

Bigelow brings disruption, versatility and an increasingly vocal presence.

Green provides toughness and stability in the middle.

Behind all of it is a coaching emphasis from McEachin, Jones and Waddey on playing with greater understanding.

The veterans have already proven they can make plays.

The next step is making the right plays more consistently.

And for a Huguenot defense with high expectations in 2026, the linebackers will be expected to help set that standard.