5A All-State Team: Defense Edition
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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…
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Continue ReadingContinuing 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.
1st Team
DL Connor Murphy Connor Murphy 6'3" | 230 lbs | DL Glenbard South | 2022 State IL 22’ Glenbard South Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Trevon Jordan Trevon Jordan 6'5" | 240 lbs | DL Sterling | 2021 IL 21’ Sterling Twitter
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 Michael Gaughan Michael Gaughan 6'0" | 200 lbs | LB St. Rita | 2021 IL 21’ St Rita Twitter
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 Jeremy Gelino Jeremy Gelino 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB Glenbard South | 2021 IL 21’ Glenbard South Twitter
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 Quin Wieties Quin Wieties 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Fenwick | 2022 State IL 22’ Fenwick Twitter
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 Jahmar Daniel Jahmar Daniel 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Marian Catholic | 2021 IL 21’ Marian Catholic Twitter
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 Devean Washington Devean Washington 6'1" | 195 lbs | DB Joliet Catholic | 2021 IL 21’ Joliet Catholic Academy Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Joeron Hill Joeron Hill 6'3" | 170 lbs | DB Kankakee | 2021 IL 21’ Kankakee Twitter
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 Jabril Williams Jabril Williams 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Joliet Catholic | 2021 IL 21’ Joliet Catholic Academy Twitter
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 Jacque Walls Jacque Walls 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Fenwick | 2022 State IL 22’ Fenwick Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Reese Edwards Reese Edwards 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Sacred Heart Griffin | 2021 IL 21’ Sacred Heart Griffin Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Aaron Wofford Aaron Wofford 6'1" | 165 lbs | DB St. Laurence | 2021 IL 21’ St Laurence Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Twitter
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 Sam Scullion 22’ Glenbard South Twitter
DL Kendall Thomas 21’ Marian Catholic Twitter
DL Devrion Young 22’ MacArthur Twitter
LB Djabril McNabb 22’ St Rita Twitter
LB Joe Savaiano Joe Savaiano 6'0" | 210 lbs | LB Payton Prep | 2021 IL 21’ Walter Payton College Prep
LB Will Bowlby Will Bowlby 6'5" | 200 lbs | LB Carbondale | 2021 IL 21’ Carbondale Twitter
CB Cedric Rhodes 21’ Mascoutah Twitter
CB Jalen Mcbride 21’ Montini Catholic Twitter
S Kael Ryan 23’ Sterling Twitter
S Matt Walsh 21’ Evergreen Park
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.
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