5A All-State Team: Defense Edition

Continuing the All-State defensive series we’re taking a look at 5A Football throughout the state of Illinois. I have gone through over 200 players to determine the first team, second team, and honorable mention. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 5A All-State Team – Defensive Edition. <hr /> 1st Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="20912" first="Connor" last="Murphy"] 22’ Glenbard South <a href="https://twitter.com/ConnorM42407009">Twitter</a> Mr. Murphy is from Glenbard South, he gets pressure on the QB and fills gaps in run support. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, gets in the backfield quickly, and has good use of hands at the point of attack. Mr. Murphy takes pursuit angles, doesn't give up on plays, and attacks with his aggressive playstyles. DL Rayveon Barger Hughes 21’ Sacred Heart Griffin <a href="https://twitter.com/BaegerHughes">Twitter</a> Mr. Hughes is from Sacred Heart Griffin, he gets off of blocks to make the tackle and doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He has good use of hands at the point of attack, fills gaps in run support and he controls the gaps well by getting after it. DL [player_tooltip player_id="20302" first="Trevon" last="Jordan"] 21’ Sterling <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevonJordan10">Twitter</a> Mr. Jordan is from Sterling, he gets his hands up resulting in deflected passes as well as interceptions and gets pressure on the QB. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, fills gaps in run support, and does the dirty work in the trenches. Mr. Jordan doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield showcasing his effort. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20324" first="Michael" last="Gaughan"] 21’ St Rita <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelg1311">Twitter</a> Mr. Gaughan is from St Rita, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He stays with his man in coverage where he reads/reacts quickly for interceptions, attacks downhill, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Gaughan uses his closing speed to make open-field tackles and gets after it with his aggressive playstyle. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20325" first="Jeremy" last="Gelino"] 21’ Glenbard South <a href="https://twitter.com/GelinoJeremy">Twitter</a> Mr. Gelino is from Glenbard South, he makes open-field tackles and gets pressure on the QB. He fills holes in run support, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and covers sideline to sideline. Mr. Gelino reads/reacts quickly resulting in interceptions, meets the running back at the line of scrimmage, and takes pursuit angles all showcasing his attacking playstyle. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20915" first="Quin" last="Wieties"] 22’ Fenwick <a href="https://twitter.com/QWieties">Twitter</a> Mr. Wieties is from Fenwick, he gets off of blocks to make the tackle and fills holes in run support. He gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly with his good use of hands at the point of attack. Mr. Wieties takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets after it with his aggressive playstyle. CB [player_tooltip player_id="65543" first="Jahmar" last="Daniel"] 21’ Marian Catholic <a href="https://twitter.com/JahmarXDaniel">Twitter</a> Mr. Daniel is from Marian Catholic, he gets hands-on when pressing and makes open-field tackles. He stays with his man in coverage resulting in pass breakups as well as read/reacting to get interceptions. Mr. Daniel doesn't get broken off at the top of the route, gets off of the blocks to make the tackle, and attacks downhill. CB [player_tooltip player_id="20352" first="Devean" last="Washington"] 21’ Joliet Catholic Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/DeveanWashingt1">Twitter</a> Mr. Washington is from Joliet Catholic Academy, he makes open-field tackles and gets hands-on when pressing. He stays with his man in coverage resulting in pass breakups as well as interceptions, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Washington attacks downhill with his closing speed by planting his backfoot to attack the ballcarrier, and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. CB Darion Miller 21’ Sacred Heart Griffin <a href="https://twitter.com/darion_dm2">Twitter</a> Mr. Miller is from Sacred Heart Griffin, he makes open-field tackles and attacks downhill with his closing speed. He stays with his man in coverage resulting in pass breakups, jumps routes for interceptions, and attacks downhill by planting his backfoot to attack the ballcarrier. Mr. Miller doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and has quick acceleration to pair with it. S [player_tooltip player_id="65537" first="Joeron" last="Hill"] 21’ Kankakee <a href="https://twitter.com/joeronhill">Twitter</a> Mr. Hill is from Kankakee, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB off the edge blitz. He stays with his man in coverage resulting in passes being broken up, reads/reacts for interceptions, and attacks downhill. Mr. Hill makes open-field tackles using his closing speed, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and is a deadly return man as well. S [player_tooltip player_id="20346" first="Jabril" last="Williams"] 21’ Joliet Catholic Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/JabrilWilliam15">Twitter</a> Mr. Williams is from Joliet Catholic Academy, he stays with his man in coverage breaking passes up as well as interceptions and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. He makes open-field tackles, attacks downhill, and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. Mr. Williams doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, is a deadly return man that reads his blocks well, and has quick acceleration to top it off. S [player_tooltip player_id="20877" first="Jacque" last="Walls"] 22’ Fenwick <a href="https://twitter.com/WindycityWalls">Twitter</a> Mr. Walls is from Fenwick, he gets off of blocks to make the tackle and makes open-field tackles. He attacks downhill, covers sideline to sideline with his closing speed, and stays with his man in coverage resulting in passes being deflected. Mr. Walls also isn't afraid to lower his shoulder showcasing his hard-hitting ability and he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. 2nd Team DL Jason Farnham 22’ Sterling <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonFarnham3">Twitter</a> Mr. Farnham is from Sterling, he fills gaps in run support and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He gets in the backfield quickly, gets pressure on the QB, and gets his hands up resulting in passes being deflected. Mr. Farnham has the strength to pancake offensive lineman, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and gets after it. DL Willie Norwood 21’ Kankakee <a href="https://twitter.com/WillieNorwood8">Twitter</a> Mr. Norwood is from Kankakee, he gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly. He fills holes in run support, has good use of hands at the point of attack, and has closing speed. Not only this, Mr. Norwood also blows up plays by getting after it with his aggressive playstyle. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20326" first="Reese" last="Edwards"] 21’ Sacred Heart Griffin <a href="https://twitter.com/reesecyclone13">Twitter</a> Mr. Edwards is from Sacred Heart Griffin, he makes open-field tackles and gets pressure on the QB. He attacks downhill with his closing speed, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and reads/reacts for interceptions. Mr. Edwards takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, has quick acceleration, and gets after it. LB Michael Torres 22’ Evergreen Park <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeyTorres04">Twitter</a> Mr. Torres is from Evergreen Park, he fills holes in run support and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He makes open-field tackles, gets pressure on the QB, and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. Mr. Torres takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield by not giving up on the play. LB Anthony Kasper 21’ Joliet Catholic Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/Dingers643">Twitter</a> Mr. Kasper is from Joliet Catholic Academy, he fills holes in run support and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He stays with his man in coverage, reads/reacts for interceptions, and makes open-field tackles. Mr. Kasper has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, attacks downhill, and deflects passes. CB Brayden Hall 22’ St Rita <a href="https://twitter.com/Upnextbjay">Twitter</a> Mr. Hall is from St Rita, he fills holes in run support and gets hands-on when pressing. He stays with his man in coverage resulting in passes being deflected, reads/reacts for interceptions, and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. Mr. Hall has the closing speed to attacks downhill and makes open-field tackles. CB [player_tooltip player_id="20342" first="Aaron" last="Wofford"] 21’ St Laurence <a href="https://twitter.com/SupremeAtg">Twitter</a> Mr. Wofford is from St Laurence, he makes open-field tackles and stays with his man in coverage resulting in pass deflections. He makes open-field tackles, attacks downhill with closing speed, and covers sideline to sideline. Mr. Wofford doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. S Nick Latino 21’ Boylan Catholic Mr. Latino is from Boylan Catholic, he makes open-field tackles and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. He attacks downhill, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and fills holes in run support. Mr. Latino takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and has quick acceleration which comes to light in the return man as well. S Frank Schmitt 21’ St Rita <a href="https://twitter.com/Fschmitt15">Twitter</a> Mr. Schmitt is from St Rita, he gets pressure on the QB and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He fills holes in runs support, has closing speed, and reads/reacts for interceptions. Mr. Schmitt doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets after it with his attacking playstyle. S Malachi Hood 22’ Joliet Catholic Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/Malachiloading">Twitter</a> Mr. Hood is from Joliet Catholic Academy, he gets pressure on the QB off the blitz and makes open-field tackles. He re-routes receiver's well, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and fills holes in run support. Mr. Hood attacks downhill with closing speed, deflects passes in coverage, and doesn't give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. Honorable Mention DL [player_tooltip player_id="118768" first="Sam" last="Scullion"] 22’ Glenbard South <a href="https://twitter.com/SamScullion4">Twitter</a> DL Kendall Thomas 21’ Marian Catholic <a href="https://twitter.com/bigken114">Twitter</a> DL Devrion Young 22’ MacArthur <a href="https://twitter.com/DevrionY">Twitter</a> LB Djabril McNabb 22’ St Rita <a href="https://twitter.com/DjabrilM">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="65501" first="Joe" last="Savaiano"] 21’ Walter Payton College Prep LB [player_tooltip player_id="65523" first="Will" last="Bowlby"] 21’ Carbondale <a href="https://twitter.com/WillBowlby">Twitter</a> CB Cedric Rhodes 21’ Mascoutah <a href="https://twitter.com/cedricrhodes12">Twitter</a> CB Jalen Mcbride 21’ Montini Catholic <a href="https://twitter.com/JM2xx">Twitter</a> S Kael Ryan 23’ Sterling <a href="https://twitter.com/KaelRyan6">Twitter</a> S Matt Walsh 21’ Evergreen Park <hr /> There is an abundance of talented athletes in 5A Football throughout the state of Illinois. That being said, this is your 5A Football All-State Team Defensive Edition. I wish all of the seniors the best on their journey after they graduate high school. There’s still work left to do for the juniors and sophomores, and I’m excited to watch you all compete. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.