I talked to my varsity coach about how I will contribute to the team next season. And he said that I will be put as a defensive Lineman on JV next year, which will be my sophomore year.

However, I think that i'm the smallest lineman on the entire program. I weigh between 180 and 188 pounds and am about 5'9 tall. (Almost towards 5'10.)

The question is, am I small compare to other average sophomore linemen?

From watching a lot of HS football, it varies. I have seen JV kids that are on D who are big and muscular. Most of the time they are from the big schools around Sacramento. I have seen some of our kids that do not look like much from the stands but up close they are beast! As for you, I would think that is a tad undersized, but I may be wrong. Just hit the weight room and you will be ok

Depends on what you do. A small Defensive End or Noseguard can do wonders in highschool. So long as you are quick and know your priorities.

I started two years as a smaller Defensive End/Guard/Noseguard in JV. So long as you can get off the ball, bypass the O-line and such you will be fine. Definitely make sure you are as disproportionately strong for your size as you can. It gives a major advantage against big linemen. Especially the surprise factor. Was how I was successful my Freshmen and Sophomore year as a linemen. 5'9 and 188lbs was pretty good size for a freshmen or Sophomore iirc though. I am a little lighter and 3 inches taller now. Yet I am considered tall where I am from.(Hawaii)

But to answer your question more directly, you are small for a defensive tackle and at best midsize for a D-End or Noseguard.

I see. So should I try to avoid blocking the lineman and just manuever around the line of Scrimmage?

I remember last season (Freshman year) I was a back up D-lineman. But still got a lot of playing time. (During 4th quarter and sometimes end of third.) I remember when I tried to block other lineman, I often failed. Yet when I did blitz pass, I do end up going pass the O-line with no trouble and ended up pressuring the QB. (Even getting a sack one time too.) Though I was barely above 160 pounds and was probably slightler shorter.

I've been hitting weights. I went from 160ish to the 180s within a few months.

Use your disadvantage to your advantage. Your smaller, but quicker. You can go under the arms of the blockers. Learn leverage, martial arts that teaches throws can help with that. (I forget which one specializes in that). You just need to get the big guy off balance to get past him to the QB.

I did used your advice to an extent my Freshmen year. It did worked most of the time. So i'll probably stick to that unless my JV coach has a problem with that for whatever reason.

Also, (To Albino.) how would I be midsized for a Nose Guard? I only played Football for a year so far, but I would think that they would only put the strongest D-lineman against the Center.

My friend was the smallest player on the team and he played nose guard. He got more sacks and tackles than anyone else on the team, so you should be fine.

As far as what you should do, that's up to the coaches. You'll be asked to do different things on different downs. Heck, we were running defensive plays back in 6th grade, so I'm sure your role will be pretty defined on the JV. You'll run stunts, maybe be asked to take up on extra blocker so the linebacker can make a play, or rush the QB.

Your size is fine as a sophomore. Understand leverage, lift, and enjoy the heck out of it. I was a Defensive Back 20+ years ago and still miss it. Have fun!

Ain't nothin a little gym + protein powder can't fix