2022 EKU 7 on 7 Top Performers: Defense

<p style="font-size:15px">This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of watching some of the top high school football talent in the state of Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky University hosted a great tournament consisting of over 60 teams. There were a lot of hard fought games over the course of the day but at the end of the day, Highlands (Fort Thomas) left as champions. I was able to see a ton of great talent and college level prospects but for the sake of this article, I will be focusing on some players that I saw that stood out above the rest. After focusing on the offensive side of the ball in my last article, here are the defensive players that stood out to me the most on Saturday.</p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='386898' first='Ty' last='Bryant']| 2023 ATH| 6’1", 190 lbs.| Frederick Douglass</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">It came as no surprise to me that my fourth ranked player in the state made this list. While Bryant makes a ton of plays on both sides of the ball for the Broncos, he is at his best on defense. Ty plays safety where he is moved all over the secondary, mainly in a free safety type of role but does come down in the box and in the nickel as well. He is a great communicator on the back end of the defense and has tremendous route recognition skills. Bryant does a great job of reading the receivers and putting himself in position to make plays. He covers ground quickly when the ball is in the air which puts him at an advantage with the ability to bait opposing quarterbacks. Bryant is committed to stay home in Lexington to play at Kentucky and should be in the All-State and Mr. Kentucky conversations during his senior season. </p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">Myles Gentry| 2023 Defensive Back| 6’2", 170 lbs.| Male</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">A lesser known prospect that jumped onto my radar on Saturday was a long, athletic corner from Male High School (Louisville), Myles Gentry. Gentry lined up on the outside all day for Male and was very successful in press man coverage. I loved the physicality that he played with as he did a great job of jamming receivers at the top of their routes. He also showed his track speed as he was able to open his hips and run with receivers, staying in their hip pocket on deep balls. When the ball was thrown his way, Gentry showed the ability to get his head turned and go up to fight for the ball to break up the pass. He doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect them to come in his senior year as he will be in the spotlight playing for a prestigious program like Male.</p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='386926' first='Evan' last='Brown']| 2023 Defensive Back| 6’0", 160 lbs.| Lexington Christian Academy</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">[player_tooltip player_id='386926' first='Evan' last='Brown'] is a player that has been on my radar since the beginning of this off-season. While I loved what I saw on film from him, he impressed me even more in person. Brown played on both sides of the ball, seeing a ton of snaps at receiver, but defense is where he shines the brightest. He lined up on the outside at corner and locked down his side of the field. Brown does a great job of playing physical with opposing receivers at the top of their routes in press coverage and staying in their hip to mirror their routes. He also has tremendous ball skills, using his length and athleticism to go up and make a play on the ball when it is thrown his way. Brown currently holds an NAIA offer from Campbellsville University but I expect more to come as I believe he has the talent to play as high as the FCS level. </p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='231932' first='Jakobe' last='Biggerstaff']| 2023 ATH| 6’2", 175 lbs.| Paul Laurence Dunbar</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">Another defensive back from the Lexington area that I have been high on all summer is [player_tooltip player_id='231932' first='Jakobe' last='Biggerstaff'] from Dunbar. Like Brown, Biggerstaff also plays some receiver but he thrives the most on the defensive side of the ball. Jakobe is a long, athletic cornerback that plays well in both press man and zone coverage. In man, he does a great job of using his speed to turn and run with receivers, and does a great job of staying in their hip to mirror their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a great job of timing the throw to break on the ball and make a play. He also showed the ability to cover ground quickly, using his speed to make plays that when he looks to be out of the picture. It is still shocking to me that Biggerstaff only holds offers from Union College and Kentucky State as I believe he could be a very special player at the next level. </p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">Will Bivens| 2024 Linebacker| 6’3", 210 lbs.| Lexington Christian Academy</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">Another player that put himself on my radar on Saturday was the junior linebacker from LCA, Will Bivens. Bivens looked very comfortable in pass coverage, showing the ability to open up his hips and drop into his zone smoothly. He also did a great job of looking up receivers and communicating with his teammates. When the ball was thrown his way, he showed the ability to time the pass to break on the ball. Bivens also showed great ball skills, coming away with an interception in tournament play. He has yet to pick up an offer but is a player that college coaches should have on their radar over the next two seasons as he has the talent to play at the next level.</p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='324206' first='Cole' last='Colony']| 2023 ATH| 6’2, 180 lbs.| Paul Laurence Dunbar</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">While the secondary for Dunbar as a whole looked very impressive on Saturday, senior [player_tooltip player_id='324206' first='Cole' last='Colony'] stood out to me. Cole plays a variety of different roles for the Bulldogs, including quarterback and even some running back. However, safety is where he was at his best on Saturday. Colony showed a great ability to communicate on the back end of the defense and read route combinations. He was able to look up receivers and put himself in position to make plays on the ball. Once the ball was in the air, Colony showed that he can cover ground quickly and also showed off tremendous ball skills, coming away with four interceptions on the day. Colony currently holds a Division III offer from Centre College but I expect more to come as he has received a ton of college interest and has been taking advantage of visits and camp opportunities this summer. </p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='386754' first='Cayden' last='Allen']| 2023 Linebacker| 5’10", 230 lbs.| Great Crossing</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">Another defensive prospect that has been on my radar this summer but I have been interested to see play in person is linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='386754' first='Cayden' last='Allen'] from Great Crossing. Allen showed that he is the type of true leader you want for your defense at the middle linebacker position as he did a great job of making pre-snap reads and communicating with his teammates. He also looked very fluid in coverage, showing the ability to drop into his zone and look up receivers. When the ball was thrown near him, he did a great job of timing the pass to break and make a play on the ball. Allen doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect them to come soon as he has been receiving college interest and looks to be a key piece of a very talented Great Crossing football team.</p>   <h2 style="font-size:17px">[player_tooltip player_id='381927' first='Parker' last='Chaney']| 2024 ATH| 6’0, 180 lbs.| Lexington Christian Academy</h2>   <p style="font-size:15px">As you can tell from my list of top performers, Lexington Christian Academy has an abundance of talent this season. [player_tooltip player_id='381927' first='Parker' last='Chaney'] is another standout for the Eagles on both sides of the ball that should be getting some attention from college programs. While he had some impressive reps at receiver as well, Chaney stood out to me the most on defense. Chaney showed the ability to move all over the secondary but mainly played corner last season where he finished second in 2A with six interceptions. On Saturday, he continued to show off his tremendous ball skills. He showed a great ability to time the pass and break on the ball in a hurry. Once he broke on the ball, he showed that he has the hands and concentration to come away with interceptions. While he doesn’t currently hold any offers, Chaney is a name that will be on college football radars over the next two seasons as he is a very dynamic player on both sides of the ball. <br></p>

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of watching some of the top high school football talent in the state of Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky University hosted a great tournament consisting of over 60 teams. There were a lot of hard fought games over the course of the day but at the end of the day, Highlands (Fort Thomas) left as champions. I was able to see a ton of great talent and college level prospects but for the sake of this article, I will be focusing on some players that I saw that stood out above the rest. After focusing on the offensive side of the ball in my last article, here are the defensive players that stood out to me the most on Saturday.