2023 Final Position Rankings: Linebacker

<!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">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 decided to break them down by position. After covering the offensive side of the ball last week, I will now turn my attention to the top defensive players in the class of 2023. With the defensive line already being covered, I will now focus on our final 2023 linebacker rankings for the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["145764"],"_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='145764' first='Carson' last='Wright'] is a player that we had on our radar coming into this season that completely shattered his expectations. He played a huge role in Pikeville's 1A State Championship run, finishing with 140 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Wright does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry against the run. He explodes out of his stance, showing the ability to shoot his gap before the offensive line can react. Wright also has shown the ability to flow to the ball, taking great angles to get to the ball carrier and make tackles in the open field. He is also very reliable in coverage, showing the ability to read routes and break on the ball to catch the interception in stride, returning his one interception for a touchdown. Wright is committed to Kentucky where I can see him eventually developing into a solid role player for their defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["386752"],"_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='386752' first='Aiden' last='Jones'] is a linebacker that was very high on our radar coming into this season that continued to impress during his senior year. He had a solid final season of high school football, finishing with 63 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Jones is a big, physical linebacker that does a great job of playing downhill and stopping the run. He has shown the ability to meet the ball carrier in the gap and explode through contact, not allowing for any extra yards to be gained. Jones has also shown the ability to rush the passer off the edge, using his speed and strength to beat opposing offensive tackles. Aiden is committed to Army where I see him having a very successful college career.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["386751"],"_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='386751' first='Brody' last='Wells'] is another linebacker that was high on our radar coming into his senior year that continued to impress. He had a strong final season at Corbin, finishing the year with 63 tackles and two tackles for loss. Wells played in an off-ball outside linebacker role and did a great job of defending the run. He showed the ability to read his keys quickly and react quickly to flow to the ball. Once he got to the ball carrier, he showed that he is a very reliable open field tackler. While he is good against the run, Wells is even more impressive against the pass. He showed the ability to drop into zone coverage and also run with receivers and tight ends in man coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, Wells showed the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to catch interceptions in stride, finishing the year with four interceptions and returning one of them for a touchdown. Brody is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I see him finding a key role on their defense.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["331694"],"_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":"Coming into this season, I had [player_tooltip player_id='331694' first='Gavin' last='Willis'] on my radar but he blew away his expectations and shot up our rankings quickly. He had an outstanding senior year, finishing with 189 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries. Willis showed a ton of versatility this season, showing the ability to play inside linebacker and off the edge as an outside linebacker. Against the run, he does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry. He bursts through the gap and meets the running back before the offensive line can react. Willis also has shown the ability to run all over the field to make tackles in the open field. As a pass rusher off the edge, Willis is able to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles. He also showed that he is reliable in pass coverage, finishing the year with an interception. Gavin is committed to Bucknell where I see him developing into a very productive player at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["287571"],"_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":"Wrapping up our final top five linebacker rankings, I have a player that has been high on my radar for a while now. [player_tooltip player_id='287571' first='Jeremiah' last='Goodwin'] continued to impress during his senior season, finishing with 57 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He lined up at outside linebacker and was dominant against both the run and the pass. Goodwin is a very dangerous pass rusher, showing an explosive first step and the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles. He also has the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. Against the run, Goodwin does a great job of reading the play and flowing to the ball to make tackles in the open field. He also has shown the ability to drive his blocker into the backfield to cause disruption. Jeremiah is committed to the University of Indianapolis where I see him developing into a key piece of their defense.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63eae3d4a36e5"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 200):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">6. [player_tooltip player_id='387784' first='Simon' last='Ghee'] (Warren East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">7. [player_tooltip player_id='386197' first='Hayden' last='Dawahare'] (Lexington Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">8. [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Kangakole' last='Jean Aime'] (Warren Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">9. [player_tooltip player_id='386761' first='Jaxon' last='Panariello'] (Saint Xavier)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">10. [player_tooltip player_id='386765' first='Josh' last='Bowling'] (Simon Kenton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">11. [player_tooltip player_id='386764' first='Xander' last='Early'] (Owensboro)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">12. [player_tooltip player_id='490004' first='Aveion' last='McAtee'] (Shawnee)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">13. [player_tooltip player_id='386929' first='Wyatt' last='Fowler'] (South Oldham)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">14. [player_tooltip player_id='489996' first='Layton' last='Abbott'] (Pulaski County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">15. [player_tooltip player_id='525610' first='Isaac' last='Blue'] (Daviess County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">16. [player_tooltip player_id='505843' first='Blake' last='Houchens'] (Green County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">17. [player_tooltip player_id='386753' first='Nikalos' last='Dixon'] (Bryan Station)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">18. [player_tooltip player_id='386756' first='Davis' last='Fant'] (Bowling Green)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">19. [player_tooltip player_id='386760' first='Elijah' last='Adams'] (Scott County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">20. [player_tooltip player_id='386767' first='Spencer' last='Bennington'] (Lexington Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">21. [player_tooltip player_id='386755' first='Devin' last='Derossett'] (Pikeville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">22. [player_tooltip player_id='599022' first='Luke' last='Ray'] (Pikeville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">23. [player_tooltip player_id='386759' first='Jake' last='Harmeyer'] (Cooper)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">24. [player_tooltip player_id='331702' first='Jamarques' last='Frank'] (Ballard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">25. [player_tooltip player_id='331699' first='Cameron' last='Norfleet'] (Ballard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">26. [player_tooltip player_id='599011' first='Zayne' last='Hammack'] (Corbin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">27. [player_tooltip player_id='386754' first='Cayden' last='Allen'] (Great Crossing)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">28. [player_tooltip player_id='386769' first='Zach' last='Watson'] (Rowan County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">29. [player_tooltip player_id='422901' first='Mason' last='Hayslett'] (Dunbar)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->