2023 Rankings: 11 Defensive Newcomers
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Even though the players from the class of 2023 have closed the chapters on their high school football careers, highlighting their accomplishments by showing continued appreciation for what they gave to the sport remains a current focus.
Covering the final update for the senior prospect rankings provides the opportunity to give them a proper sendoff before moving on from the players that Prep Redzone Colorado has been covering since the summer of 2020.
With the large number of high school players scattered across the state, it is no shock that some names get missed and left off the lists. The goal, however, is to continuously add as many names to the radar as possible to help garner attention toward the athletes within Colorado.
Six of the 11 newly added defensive players covered in this article will remain in-state to play at the next level. Tell Wade Tell Wade 6'3" | 235 lbs | DL Wray | 2023 CO from Wray is the seventh-ranked defensive lineman (28th overall player) who will spend his Saturdays in Laramie disrupting backfields for the Wyoming Cowboys. Pine Creek’s Logan Matthews Logan Matthews 6'5" | 195 lbs | ATH Pine Creek | 2023 State CO was a do-all athlete and ideal hybrid-strong safety on the defensive side of the ball while being a big-body receiver for the offense. Matthews committed to play in Golden for a highly talented Mines program.
Peyton Taylor Peyton Taylor DB Eaglecrest | 2023 State CO from Eaglecrest is a lockdown cornerback who landed the fourth-ranked spot among the defensive back group after an impressive senior season that ended with him signing with Emporia State. Cherokee Trail’s Maliek Jamison Maliek Jamison DB Cherokee Trail | 2023 State CO is a talented defensive back whose on-field skill set has landed him a spot with the CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves.
Jeremiah Sandiford Jeremiah Sandiford 6'1" | DL Falcon | 2023 State CO from Falcon, Delano Jefferson Delano Jefferson 6'4" | 260 lbs | DL Grandview | 2023 State CO from Grandview, and Alex Cook Alex Cook 6'2" | 235 lbs | DL Columbine | 2023 State CO from Columbine are three newly added defensive linemen who all signed to play at the next level. Jefferson and Cook will stay in Colorado with Jefferson attending CSU-Pueblo and Cook attending Colorado Mesa. Sandiford will be heading to Tennessee Tech due to his dominant senior performance after his military family got stationed in Colorado from Florida.
Grandview’s Max Kibbee Max Kibbee 6'2" | 190 lbs | LB Grandview | 2023 State CO and Legacy’s Quinn Walker Quinn Walker 6'3" | 210 lbs | LB Legacy | 2023 State CO are linebackers who will join Cook in Grand Junction to attend Colorado Mesa. Kian Baxley Kian Baxley 6'2" | 180 lbs | LB University | 2023 State CO from University will add his talents to Chadron State, and Broomfield’s Nick Petrich Nick Petrich LB Broomfield | 2023 State CO is heading to California to take the JUCO route at Sierra College.
The players mentioned above were high school athletes who undoubtedly showed collegiate potential before their senior seasons but were missed for various reasons. Unfortunately, there is no one solution for keeping every high school player from slipping through the cracks. A good way to help a kid raise their prospect value in addition to attending college camps, having well-structured film, and maintaining a proactive Twitter account is to claim or create a free player profile account with Prep Redzone.