Behind the Rankings: 2023 Defensive Backs

<!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">With the 2023 high school football season arriving very soon, our initial rankings for the class of 2023 have been officially published for the state of Kentucky. Over the past couple weeks, I have gone into detail on how the rankings at each position came to be. In this article, I will turn my attention to the play makers on the back end of the defense. The state of Kentucky is filled with a lot of impressive defensive backs in the class of 2023 that will play at the next level but these are the ones that stood out the most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_62f3028fe43b4","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["386923"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='386923' first='Isaiah' last='Kenney'] is yet another high caliber prospect on the Frederick Douglass football team. While everyone might know his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='386898' first='Ty' last='Bryant'] a little better, Kenney is a very talented safety. The first thing that stood out to me when watching Kenney's film is his ability to cover ground quickly. Once the ball is in the air, he uses his speed to react and make plays from the opposite hash. This helps him to be able to bait the opposing quarterback by making him think that he isn't in a position to make a play. He does a great job of reading route concepts and the quarterback and reacting to the play quickly. Kenney comes downhill in a hurry once the ball has been thrown and shows the ability to break on the ball to break up the pass. He is also a very reliable tackler in the open field that has shown the physicality to knock the ball loose. Isaiah currently holds one offer from Kentucky and I expect more to come as he has true Division I talent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["386928"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='386928' first='Augustin' last='Nyembo'] is one of many college prospects on this year's Bowling Green football team. He is an athletic cornerback that has great reaction skills. Nyembo does a great job of timing the pass to be able to break on the ball to make a play. If the ball is caught, Nyembo is a very physical tackler. He has the power in his hits to jar the ball loose to create incompletions and fumbles. His presence as a tackler makes receivers think twice before catching the ball with him coming downhill. Nyembo has the speed and high motor to run down ball carriers from the opposite side of the field on long runs. He also provides positional versatility as he has seen snaps at safety as well. Augustin currently holds an offer from Butler but I expect more to come as he has received quite a bit of college interest.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["331696"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='331696' first='Jaden' last='Minkins'] is coming off an impressive junior season in which he finished with 37 total tackles, one forced fumble, ten pass breakups, and four interceptions. He lines up on the outside at corner and is very impressive in man coverage. Minkins shows a great ability to open up his hips and run with wide receivers to mirror their routes. Once the ball is thrown, he does a great job of breaking in front of the receiver to come away with the interception. He also shows reliability in zone coverage, showing the ability to read route combinations and put himself in position to make plays. Minkins has great ball skills, showing the ability to  catch the ball at the highest point and to have the concentration to stay with the ball when it is batted around. He is also a very physical tackler in the open field with the ability to force fumbles and make his presence felt with his hits. Jaden doesn't currently hold any offers but I believe that he should be on college football radars as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["386924"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='386924' first='Amare' last='Townsend'] has stood out to me throughout this off-season as a prototypical free safety. He has tremendous ball skills with the ability to react and come downhill to break up passes, and the athleticism to go up and come up with interceptions in jump ball situations. Townsend has also shown that he can come down and guard slot receivers in man coverage, using his speed and athleticism to open up and run with them in the deep passing game. Against the run, Townsend shows the ability to read the play and come downhill in a hurry to provide support. Once he gets to the ball, he does a great job of running his feet on contact to secure the tackle. Amare is committed to continue his football and academic career at Southeast Missouri State and should find a key role for them.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["145776"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='145776' first='Corion' last='Gilbert'] is an athletic cornerback that has jumped onto my radar recently. He lines up on the outside and shows the ability to open up and run with receivers in man coverage. Once the ball is in the air, Gilbert does a great job of getting his head turned at the right time to fight through the receiver's hands to break up the pass. When the ball is caught on a short pass, he does a great job of coming downhill as soon as the ball is caught and finishing the tackle with a ton of force. Gilbert also has shown special teams value as a gunner with the ability to come down and make tackles in the open field. Corion currently holds one Division II offer from the University of Charleston and I expect more to come as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4><strong>Best of the Rest (Players included in Top 150):</strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6.</strong>&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357930' first='Cameron' last='Wooten']</strong>| 6'0", 180 lbs.| Trinity High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7. [player_tooltip player_id='386926' first='Evan' last='Brown']</strong>| 6'0", 16o lbs.| Lexington Christian Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8. [player_tooltip player_id='386927' first='Tyler' last='Boggs']</strong>| 5'11", 180 lbs.| Saint Xavier High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>9. Jalen</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Alfonso</strong>| 6'0", 170 lbs.| North Hardin High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>10. [player_tooltip player_id='287579' first='Zachary' last='Clark']</strong>| 6'2", 180 lbs.| Owensboro High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>11. [player_tooltip player_id='331697' first='Lennox' last='Jackson']</strong>| 5'10", 185 lbs.| Ballard High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>12. [player_tooltip player_id='355231' first='Marcus' last='Floyd']</strong>| 5'9", 160 lbs.| Bourbon County High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>13. [player_tooltip player_id='386929' first='Wyatt' last='Fowler']</strong>| 6'4", 210 lbs.| South Oldham High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->