Primetime 23 is a list of the top players to watch ahead of the 2018 football season.

Nick Ogden had over 100 tackles last season for Brookhaven Academy at the linebacker position, and going into his junior year Cougar head coach Ron Rushing expects that type of production to continue.

“Nick had a great year for us last season,” Rushing said of the linebacker. “We think he has the ability to be a great linebacker and we’re excited to have him back there.”

The Cougars return Ogden and Tanner Watts to the position, giving them a steady presence there.

Ogden said he’s excited about the upcoming season, and the linebacker has big goals.

“Last year we got a lot of experience, and that will help us going into this season,” Ogden said. “We have a lot of good players on both sides of the football, and we think we can do something special.”

Rushing said he was excited about all the potential the Cougars have at the linebacker position, and it will be key for them going in.

“We have three guys there that can really play and really tackle,” Rushing said. “We know that we can count on them to make plays and make the tackles when the play is there to be made. It’s critical to have good linebacker play.”

Ogden will be a driving force behind the success of the Cougar defense, and he is excited to embrace that challenge.

“Our goal is to win the state championship,” Ogden said. “We have to play really well to do that.”