2023 Final Position Rankings: Athlete
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With a majority of the class of 2023 already committing or signing to college programs, I have released my final rankings for the class. As these rankings have been finalized, I have been breaking them down by position over the…
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Continue ReadingWith a majority of the class of 2023 already committing or signing to college programs, I have released my final rankings for the class. As these rankings have been finalized, I have been breaking them down by position over the past couple weeks. With both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball wrapped up, I will conclude my positional rankings breakdowns with players that get the job done in multiple positions. With that being said, here are our final “Athlete” rankings for the class of 2023 in Kentucky.
Not only is Ty Bryant Ty Bryant 6’1″ | 190 lbs | ATH Frederick Douglass | 2023 State KY the top ATH in the class of 2023, he is also our second ranked overall player in the state of Kentucky. Bryant had a tremendous senior year, helping lead Frederick Douglass to their first 5A State Championship victory. While his stats or deceiving due to limited snaps in blowout victories throughout the season, Bryant produced at a high rate when on the field. On defense, Bryant lined up at safety and finished the year with 22 tackles, three tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two interceptions. He is a ballhawk on the back end of the secondary, reading the quarterback and covering a ton of ground to make a play on the ball. Bryant times his breaks perfectly to defend the pass before the receiver has a chance to catch it. He also does a great job against the run, filling the lane and making tackles in the open field. Bryant also played a key role on offense at running back, showing great vision with the ability to run away from the defense and make defenders miss in the open field. He finished the season with 64 carries for 498 yards and 12 touchdown. Bryant also proved to be a dangerous play maker on special teams, returning three punts for touchdowns this season. His play in the 5A State Championship Game earned him MVP honors. Bryant is committed to Kentucky where I see him becoming a key part of their secondary.
After moving to the Northern Kentucky area from Florida, Antonio Robinson Antonio Robinson 5’10” | 180 lbs | ATH Beechwood | 2023 State KY made an immediate impact at Beechwood. He shined the brightest on defense at corner, finishing the season with two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Robinson has the ability to lock down his receiver in man coverage, showing the ability to stay in their hip pocket and mirror their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, he shows the ability to break in front of the receiver to make a play on the ball. He is also a very reliable tackler in the open field and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Robinson also played a key role on offense at receiver, finishing the year with 41 receptions for 588 yards and seven touchdowns. He used his speed to run by defensive backs in the deep passing game and showed the ability to turn short passes and screens into big plays after the catch. Robinson also scored one rushing touchdown and returned one kickoff for a touchdown this season. Antonio is committed to Wake Forest where I see him becoming a key play maker for them.
Cristian Conyer Cristian Conyer 6’1″ | 180 lbs | ATH South Warren | 2023 State KY is a player that came into this season high on our radar and continued to impress. On defense, Conyer is a lockdown corner that has shown the ability to thrive in both man and zone coverage. He does a great job of reading both the receivers and the quarterback, and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Conyer finished his senior year with 12 tackles and one interception in ten games. On offense, Conyer was a very dangerous receiver, using his speed to blow by defenders in the deep passing game and to run away from the defense after the catch. He finished the year with 26 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Cristian is committed to Tennessee where I can see him developing into a very productive player at the next level.
Kenyon Goodin Kenyon Goodin 6’3″ | 185 lbs | ATH Martha Layne Collins | 2023 State KY is a player that did a little bit of everything for Collins this season. On offense, he was their starting quarterback, completing 141/258 passes for 1,928 yards, 23 touchdowns , and only four interceptions. He has a very strong arm, showing the ability to lead his receivers down the field and hit them in stride. Goodin also has impressive pocket mobility, showing the ability to keep his eyes down the field while avoiding pressure to make throws on the run. He is also very dangerous as a runner, finishing the season with 205 carries for 1,225 yards and 18 touchdowns. Once he hits the open field, Goodin has the speed to run away from the defense and elusiveness to make defenders miss. He also played a key role on defense as a defensive back, finishing the season with 67 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. Goodin is committed to Army where I can see him thriving in that offensive system.
Highlights
Wrapping up our 2023 athlete rankings in the state of Kentucky is Woodford County’s Aden Nelson Aden Nelson 6’2″ | 185 lbs | ATH Woodford County | 2023 State KY . He played a key role in his team’s success this year, producing in all three phases of the game. On offense, Nelson lined up at receiver and finished the year with 41 receptions for 743 yards and ten touchdowns. He has the speed to run by defensive backs in the deep passing game but is also very dangerous after the catch, showing the speed to run away from the defense, elusiveness to make defenders miss, and strength to break tackles in the open field. Nelson also ran the ball 16 times for 314 yards and four touchdowns and threw one touchdown pass. On defense, Nelson moved all over the secondary as a defensive back, finishing the year with 56 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three interceptions. He has the ball skills to break on the pass and make plays on the ball with perfect timing but is also a very physical defender. Nelson has shown the ability to come downhill and make tackles against the run and also make physical hits in the passing game to knock the ball loose from receivers. He also played a key role on special teams, returning one punt for a touchdown this season. Aden is committed to West Virginia where I see him having the ability to play on either side of the ball.
Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 200):
6. Lofton Howard Lofton Howard 6'5" | 210 lbs | ATH Greenwood | 2023 State KY (Greenwood)
7. Daisjaun Mercer Daisjaun Mercer 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH Hopkinsville | 2023 State KY (Hopkinsville)
8. Mitchell Berger Mitchell Berger 5'11" | 190 lbs | ATH Beechwood | 2023 State KY (Beechwood)
9. Damin Green Damin Green 5'10" | 180 lbs | ATH Bryan Station | 2023 State KY (Bryan Station)
10. Peyton Ledford Peyton Ledford 6'3" | 250 lbs | ATH Franklin County | 2023 State KY (Franklin County)
11. Jayden West Jayden West 6'3" | 165 lbs | ATH Madison Central | 2023 State KY (Madison Central)
12. Gavin Copenhaver Gavin Copenhaver 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Christian Academy Of Louisville | 2023 State KY (Christian Academy of Louisville)
13. Kris Hughes Kris Hughes 6'0" | ATH Union County | 2023 State KY (Union County)
14. Max Johnson Max Johnson 6'0" | 170 lbs | ATH Hazard | 2023 State KY (Hazard)
15. Kaden Gardner Kaden Gardner 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Ryle | 2023 State KY (Ryle)
16. Cole Colony Cole Colony ATH Lexington Dunbar | 2023 State KY (Dunbar)
17. Decker Renfrow Decker Renfrow ATH Daviess County | 2023 State KY (Daviess County)
18. Evan Brown Evan Brown 6'0" | 160 lbs | ATH Lexington Christian Academy | 2023 State KY (Lexington Christian Academy)
19. Cameron Combs Cameron Combs 6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH Corbin | 2023 State KY (Corbin)
20. Charlie Noon Charlie Noon 6'2" | 180 lbs | ATH Highlands | 2023 State KY (Highlands)
21. Jakobe Biggerstaff Jakobe Biggerstaff 6'2" | 165 lbs | ATH Paul Laurence Dunbar | 2023 State KY (Dunbar)
22. Jerry Kpehe Jerry Kpehe 5'8" | 150 lbs | ATH Doss | 2023 State KY (Doss)
23. Preston Stacy Preston Stacy 6'1" | 205 lbs | ATH Woodford County | 2023 State KY (Woodford County)
24. Gilead Galloway Gilead Galloway 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Franklin County | 2023 State KY (Franklin County)
25. Camron Brogan Camron Brogan 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH Bullitt East | 2023 State KY (Bullitt East)
26. Jaxson Rice Jaxson Rice 6'1" | 160 lbs | ATH Ludlow | 2023 State KY (Ludlow)
27. Tyler Ballard Tyler Ballard 5'11" | 210 lbs | ATH Louisville Holy Cross | 2023 State KY (Louisville Holy Cross)
28. Austin Howard Austin Howard 6'1" | 185 lbs | ATH Lewis County | 2023 State KY (Lewis County)
29. Luke Runyon Luke Runyon 5'7" | 165 lbs | ATH Newport Central Catholic | 2023 State KY (Newport Central Catholic)
30. Wyatt Blythe Wyatt Blythe 6'1" | 155 lbs | ATH Metcalfe County | 2023 State KY (Metcalfe County)
31. Maison Hibbard Maison Hibbard 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Southwestern | 2023 State KY (Southwestern)
32. Isaiah Ghee Isaiah Ghee 6'0" | 160 lbs | ATH Warren East | 2023 State KY (Warren East)
33. Brady Sanders Brady Sanders 5'10" | 200 lbs | ATH Mason County | 2023 State KY (Mason County)
34. Shannon Tonge Shannon Tonge 5'10" | 150 lbs | ATH Bardstown | 2023 State KY (Bardstown)
35. Brody Hunt Brody Hunt 5'11" | 165 lbs | ATH Butler County | 2023 State KY (Butler County)
36. Jacob Lacefield Jacob Lacefield 6'1" | 210 lbs | ATH Meade County | 2023 State KY (Meade County)
37. Terrell Henry Terrell Henry 6'3" | 185 lbs | ATH Mason County | 2023 State KY (Mason County)
38. Maddox Mink Maddox Mink 6'1" | 215 lbs | ATH Southwestern | 2023 State KY (Southwestern)
39. Noah Chapman Noah Chapman 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Paul Laurence Dunbar | 2023 State KY (Dunbar)
40. Josh Thornton Josh Thornton 6'3" | 240 lbs | ATH Boyd County | 2023 State KY (Boyd County)
41. Mason Lawson Mason Lawson 6'2" | 195 lbs | ATH Johnson Central | 2023 State KY (Johnson Central)
42. Cade Sullivan Cade Sullivan 5'9" | 170 lbs | ATH Madison Southern | 2023 State KY (Madison Southern)
43. Braeden Waddle Braeden Waddle 5'10" | 205 lbs | ATH Estill County | 2023 State KY (Estill County)
44. Dalton Stone Dalton Stone 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH Boyle County | 2023 State KY (Boyle County)
45. Zack Claudio Zack Claudio 5'9" | 165 lbs | ATH Franklin County | 2023 State KY (Franklin County)
46. Larry Carter Larry Carter 6'2" | 155 lbs | ATH Frankfort | 2023 State KY (Frankfort)