2023 Final Position Rankings: Defensive Back
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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. I will now be wrapping up the defensive side of the ball with the top play makers on the back end of the defense in the 2023 class. With that being said, here are our final 2023 defensive back rankings in the state of Kentucky.
Isaiah Kenney Isaiah Kenney 5’11” | 180 lbs | DB Frederick Douglass | 2023 State KY came into the 2022 season as our top ranked defensive back and proved himself to be worthy of that ranking. Kenney played a huge role in Frederick Douglass’ 5A State Championship run, finishing the season with 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, and seven interceptions. He lined up at safety in a very talented Broncos’ secondary and did a great job of reading plays from the back end. Kenney has shown the ability to read both the quarterback and route combinations and cover ground quickly to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. He has tremendous ball skill, breaking on pass with perfect timing to catch interceptions in stride, returning two interceptions for touchdowns this season. Kenney has also proven himself to be reliable against the run game as he does a great job of reading the play, filling the running lane, and making tackles in the open field. Isaiah is committed to Findlay where I see him becoming a key piece of their secondary.
Jaden Minkins Jaden Minkins 5’11” | 175 lbs | DB Louisville Ballard | 2023 State KY is a defensive back that came into the season high on our radar and continued to impress. He had a very strong senior year, finishing with 33 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown. Minkins is a lockdown corner on the outside with great man coverage skills. He has shown the ability to open up and mirror receivers routes, staying in their hip pocket. When the ball is thrown his way, he times his breaks perfectly to knock down the pass or catch interceptions in stride, returning one interception for a touchdown this season. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, reading the play and getting to the ball in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Minkins also has tremendous value on special teams as he returned three punts for touchdowns this year. Jaden is committed to Louisville where I can see him developing into a solid player for them down the road.
Another senior defensive back from the Louisville area that stood out this season was Male’s Demetrius Dunlap Demetrius Dunlap 6’2″ | 185 lbs | DB Louisville Male | 2023 State KY . Although he only played in six games, Dunlap was very productive when on the field, finishing the year with 24 tackles, one fumble recovery and four interceptions. Dunlap played strong safety and was tremendous in pass coverage. He showed the ability to play zone coverage and also cover receivers out of the slot in man coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, Dunlap showed tremendous ball skills, reacting to the ball in the air and catching it at its highest point. After the interception, Dunlap showed the ability to take the ball the other way for big plays, returning two interceptions for touchdowns this season. He also showed a the ability to come downhill and fill the lane to provide support against the run. Dunlap holds offers from Kentucky Wesleyan, Wayne State, and Mercyhurst and I can see him developing into a very productive player at the next level.
Augustin Nyembo Augustin Nyembo 5’11” | 175 lbs | DB Bowling Green | 2023 State KY is another senior defensive back that came into the season high on our radar and continued to impress. He wrapped up his high school career on a high note, finishing with 82 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions. Nyembo is a physical corner that has also seen some snaps at safety during his high school career. He does a great job of reading the quarterback against the pass and breaking on the ball quickly to knock down the pass. Augustin is also a very physical tackler, showing the ability to make big hits in the open field against the run while also using his physicality to knock the ball loose from receivers. Nyembo doesn’t currently have any official offers that he’s reported but he has received some interest from college coaches and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.
Wrapping up our final defensive back rankings for the class of 2023 in Kentucky is DuPont Manual’s Julian Wallace Jr Julian Wallace Jr 5’10” | 170 lbs | DB DuPont Manual | 2023 State KY . Wallace had a strong senior year, finishing with 28 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions. He plays on the outside at corner and is very impressive in man coverage. Wallace does a great job of opening up and running with receivers to mirror their routes, staying in their hip pocket. When the ball is thrown his way, Wallace has shown the ability to break in front of the receiver to make a play on the ball. He also has the ball skills to go up and make a play on the ball at its highest point. Wallace is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and get to the ball quickly to make tackles in the open field. Julian is committed to Thomas More University where I see him developing into a very productive corner for their defense.
Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 200):
6. Adam Dunn Adam Dunn 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Highlands | 2023 State KY (Highlands)
7. Korrey Mattingly II Korrey Mattingly II 5'10" | 155 lbs | DB Louisville Male | 2023 State KY (Male)
8. Zachary Clark Zachary Clark 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB Owensboro | 2023 State KY (Owensboro)
9. Cameron Wooten Cameron Wooten 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Trinity | 2023 State KY (Trinity)
10. Tyler Boggs Tyler Boggs 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Louisville Saint Xavier | 2023 State KY (Saint Xavier)
11. Amare Townsend Amare Townsend 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB DuPont Manual | 2023 State KY (DuPont Manual)
12. Carson Craycraft Carson Craycraft 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Beechwood | 2023 State KY (Beechwood)
13. Bert Kibawa Bert Kibawa 5'11" | 150 lbs | DB Bowling Green | 2023 State KY (Bowling Green)
14. Corion Gilbert Corion Gilbert 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Pleasure Ridge Park | 2023 State KY (Pleasure Ridge Park)
15. Quincy Barber Quincy Barber 5'8" | 155 lbs | DB Newport | 2023 State KY (Newport)
16. Marcus Floyd Marcus Floyd 5'9" | 160 lbs | DB Bourbon County | 2023 State KY (Bourbon County)
17. Jalen Alfonso Jalen Alfonso 6'0" | DB North Hardin | 2023 State KY (North Hardin)
18. Trevor Beam Trevor Beam 5'9" | 145 lbs | DB Nelson County | 2023 State KY (Nelson County)
19. Andrew Watkins Andrew Watkins 5'10" | 145 lbs | DB Nicholas County | 2023 State KY (Nicholas County)
20. Jack Fitzgerald Jack Fitzgerald 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB Louisville Saint Xavier | 2023 State KY (Saint Xavier)
21. Lennox Jackson Lennox Jackson 5'10" | 185 lbs | DB Louisville Ballard | 2023 State KY (Ballard)