Carson-Newman Football Position Previews: The Linebackers
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the third part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' linebackers with help from Caleb Goins.
VIDEO: Coaches in Cars Getting Coffee – Caleb Goins
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the third part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' linebackers with help from Caleb Goins.
Carson-Newman does lose the team's leading from 2024 in All-Mountain Division linebacker Christian Hicks, but the team's second-leading and third-leading tacklers from 2024 were also linebackers and also return.
Mekhi Brown and Cruz Temple have combined to start 26 career games for C-N.
"They are they are unbelievable people first and foremost," Goins said, "They're good guys. They do the right thing and stuff like that. But obviously the on-field piece of it - speaks for itself."
Both players made the SAC's preseason players to watch list.
Brown followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign in the league by earning All-Mountain Division honors for a second straight year. He finished second on the team in both tackles, with 63, and tackles for loss with 10. Brown also had 5.5 sacks, the fourth-most in the league.
"Mekhi, he's athletic. He's tall; he's long; he's strong," Goins said. "He can do everything you ask physically, and then some that you can't teach. That's what makes him really special."
Brown had three sacks in the SAC title game against Wingate (Nov. 16) – tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history. Brown had three eight-tackle days at Catawba (Sept. 28) and in back-to-back weeks to close the regular season against Tusculum (Nov. 9) and Wingate (Nov. 16).
Temple finished third on the team in tackles at his linebacker spot. He tallied 61 stops on the year with 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
"Cruz, he's a missile - a cruise missile," Goins said. "He's physical man. He tackles. He's always in the right spot. He's an unbelievable leader in the weight room. He was here all summer."
He also recovered a fumble. Temple tallied a career-best 10 tackles in the SAC title game against Wingate (Sept. 21). He also had 1.5 sacks against the Bulldogs. Temple started in six of the 12 games that he played.
Joining Temple and Brown is Terry Lemon, who appeared in eight games in his freshman season.
"Terry is at an unbelievable pace right now to be one of the top linebackers in the league," Goins said. "He has phenomenal footwork. He has phenomenal striking abilities. He's emerging as a leader. He's got a voice in the room. I'm really looking forward to Terry Lemon."
Lemon appeared in eight games, making 14 tackles with a sack as a reserve linebacker. He had four tackles, including three solo stops at Mars Hill (Oct. 12). He tallied his sack in his first career game against Wingate (Sept. 21).
Other veterans who add significant depth are Isaac Bohleber, Storm Livesay and Jimi Olarinde.
"Academic all-district, and you know, sometimes it doesn't translate to football," Goins said. "Isaac's intellect translates to football. So we moved him from outside linebacker to inside and I think that, you know, it is perfect for what he is right now physically. He had an unbelievable spring and is just way further ahead than we anticipated him being."
Bohleber appeared in all 12 games with one start for C-N at linebacker. He registered three tackles on the year, primarily on special teams. Livesay appeared in all 12 games for C-N as a reserve Fox end. He had 19 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack. He also blocked a punt and forced a fumble. Livesay had a career-best four tackles at Tusculum (Nov. 9). He forced his fumble at Emory & Henry (Oct. 26). Livesay blocked a punt against Reinhardt (Aug. 29) resulting in a recovery in the end zone by Fortune Woods for a score.
Olarinde appeared in all 12 games for C-N. He made 17 tackles as a reserve Fox end with 2.5 sacks and a pick six. He returned an interception 17 yards for a score against Tusculum (Nov. 9). Olarinde had a tackle in all but one week of the season with a high watermark of three against Barton (Oct. 5). He tallied solo sacks against the Bulldogs and Anderson (Nov. 2).
Goins also points to redshirt freshman Jaylon Sandefer as someone who C-N can count on.
"Sandefer brings Mekhi 2.0 energy," Goins said. "He's like the exact same height. He's got the exact same haircut. Pretty sure they got a tattoo on the same arm. I mean, they are literally identical. It's pretty wild to compare them. He's still a little young and we're trying to bring him along as far as the mental side of the game, but, you know, unbelievable from a physical standpoint."
Sandefer redshirted after appearing in three games. He was impactful in his limited time on the field, tallying four tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage and a sack. He also forced a fumble. He played in the final three weeks of the regular season. He had two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble at Tusculum (Nov. 9).
The Eagles also add in significant transfers in Chabot College's Freddy Moala and Mississippi College's Brady Weatherly.
Moala tallied 75 tackles with 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles for the Chatbot Gladiators. Weatherly was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year after a standout 2024 freshman season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder ranked third among team leaders with 41 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Appearing in 10 games, Weatherly averaged 2.7 unassisted tackles per game and contributed two pass break-ups, making a significant impact on defense.
Carson-Newman's position previews continue Tuesday with the specialists.
