2025 Defensive Players to Lookout For

This class has a lot of guys who will make big things happen on defense. There are kids in 2025 who are already getting big time offers. A lot of defensive talent in this class that will create big names for themselves this year. Some in this article you may know already, but most of these guys have not been heard of yet. This season will be crucial for them in their recruiting. Cortez Thomas, DB, 6-2 180, Holmes Co Central Cortez played in a lot of different places for Holmes last year. When I watched his film I noticed he lined up at corner, safety and even linebacker some plays. Kid has a high motor and he loves being aggressive. He is definitely a defensive back, but seeing him in the box at LB let me know what type of DB he is. This is a guy who doesn’t mind contact at all. He probably looks for contact on the field. He was doing this last year as a freshman. He comes up and lays nice solid hits. He also knows how to break down and just get an ankle to bring the runner down. He is good in coverage as well. I think he is a guy we will see play safety in college. He still has some growing to do and will continue to get faster. Be ready to see his name get called a lot this season. Jarcoby Hopson, Jr, 6-2 205, DB, Lake Cormorant Here is a guy who knows how to sit back and play the safety position. This young man already has several D1 offers and he is only getting better as days go by. I love to watch this young man play the position. He does not let many passes get completed in his area. He sits back real smooth in his back pedal and attacks the ball with great timing. That seems easy, but young DBs can make it hard. This young man has great football IQ. He will do great things for Lake Cormorant this season. Having him in the secondary behind that front seven is going to really be an advantage for his team this year. He also doesn’t mind coming up making a few tackles. Kid has a very big frame and there is no telling what size he will be by the time he is a senior. This is a 2025 defensive guy you definitely want to keep up with. Corxavier Coleman, 5-9 170, DB, Louisville Corxavier had to step up and play some inside linebacker for Louisville as a freshman last season. That’s something you don’t see a lot coming from the always loaded Wildcats. He did a decent job and is expected to come back this season to play that same role again. Corxavier has been impressive this whole off-season. He learned a lot about coverage this summer during 7v7 and looks to be getting better with reacting and not guessing. Coach Jones does a great job of setting him up to make great plays when he inserts him into their blitz packages. He is still raw and has some growing to do. I think he can be a lot better in their zone defense. He sometimes takes bad angles when playing his position. It’s hard to tell what position he will play at the next level, but this kid will make a big name for himself coming from Louisville. He will be a playmaker on defense for them. He has that grit you want in your defensive guys. [player_tooltip player_id="350938" first="Andrew" last="Maddox"], 6-5 280, DL, Oak Grove [player_tooltip player_id="350938" first="Andrew" last="Maddox"] is a sophomore that has multiple D1 offers that he earned in his 9th grade year. He has a lot of size and is already a problem on the football field. He is a problem for offensive lineman at an early age. It’s scary to see how much better he can get. He also moves very well to be his age and size. He has a very wide wingspan that is going to be one of his biggest advantages throughout the rest of his football career. He does not have much film out, but you can bet your last this kid is going to make some noise. He needs to get those hands fighting more and remember to stay low coming off the line. He is a taller interior guy so he does not want to get in a bad habit of being high allowing OL to be victorious in the low man game. [player_tooltip player_id="350949" first="Ronnie" last="Blossom"], Jr, 6-3 225, DE, Warren Central Ronnie has been working very hard this summer. This is a kid who strives to get better every chance he gets. That’s why he is going to be a very big name in this class. His moves are very nasty and he works hard on his quickness. His quick feet and fast fighting hands will give him an advantage a lot when he is in the pass rush. He has a great combination of moves that he uses to get around tackles. He is lightning fast when he does his two step. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew how to salsa or tap dance. Kid is just that smooth with his feet off the line. He is an example of what you want in a defensive lineman at that age. He is definitely something that you can work with on the edge. It has been said a lot of times, but Ronnie is definitely a power 5 prospect. He is going to do big things in his football career. [player_tooltip player_id="350991" first="Caleb" last="Tillman"], 6-0 170, DB, Terry Caleb got some good playing time as a freshman last year. He was very instrumental on the Bulldog’s defense. Look for him to be back making plays for then again this year. He is a tall guy who will be playing in the middle of the secondary for Terry. First play on his film he is taking a pic back to the house for 80 plus yards. He does not just cover well. Do not let your QB make a bad throw with him having open space. He looks good back there at FS and he added on to his stat sheet early in his career. He also does not mind coming up to hit. That showed me a lot of heart from him as a freshman. Isn’t easy for a freshman to step to the high school level and instantly be so fearless. Caleb is very fearless on the field. I would love to see him snatch some more interceptions in the deep middle. He can go ahead and make a name for himself by taking the extra step to catch those pics. He is always in the right place just need to come down with the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="350936" first="Reginald" last="Vaughn"], 6-3 275, DL, St. Joe Catholic Reginald has a lot of size to use down in the trenches for St. Joe. This guy has been a big name since his pee wee days and he will continue to raise the stock for himself. He is an interior line guy who causes a lot of problems for his opponents. He can play the edge too. Watching his film I noticed he gets off blocks and makes tackles with ease. He dominates a lot and does not let many successful plays come from his vicinity. This kid will make a lot of noise this season. Look for him to put up a lot of numbers this year. I would like to see him get his hands more active. He also needs to become more explosive with his steps. Dajuan Culbert, 5-8 155, DB, Natchez I was very impressed when I ran across this kid’s film. He knows how to play the DB position. He has a very smooth back pedal and he breaks on the football very well. He comes out of Natchez so you already know he has a lot of speed. He is a guy that you don’t want to pick a pass off and have open space. He will take it to the house. This kid even steps up to make hits. He does not mind putting his shoulder in there for a tackle. He is going to be a guy to keep up with. The bigger he gets the more dominant he will be on Culbert Island. Bryson Wells, 5-11 190, LB, West Point It’s around that time for young Bryson to get in the trenches of 5A. He is a guy that has been showing up every time they need him in junior varsity. Now it is time for him to step up and get it in with the big boys. Bryson is a guy whose name has been ringing around the GTA for a long time. He is a guy that does not mind being a leader. He knows how to step up and make big plays. He can step back and play the zone coverage. Coach Herron will have him doing a lot of different things. Going to be interesting to see him progress on the field this year. Noel Estrada, 6-0 200, LB, St. Martin Noel will be starting for varsity this year for the first time. He looks good on film and it looks like he will have a good year. I haven’t seen him in person yet so my analysis on him isn’t too deep. From his film you can tell he knows how to fill the hole. He likes contact and has some nice size. He is somebody that I will be keeping up with this season.