Kentucky Sleepers to Watch For: Class of 2024 Defense
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Last time, we started looking through the offensive recruits from the class of 2024 and highlighting players who have not deserved enough recognition for their play on the football field. While we only highlighted a few players, there are still…
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Continue ReadingLast time, we started looking through the offensive recruits from the class of 2024 and highlighting players who have not deserved enough recognition for their play on the football field. While we only highlighted a few players, there are still plenty of other recruits who have enough talent to be on recruiter’s radars, but certain reasons have limited their ability to get that spotlight. The same applies to the defensive recruits in the class of 2024. Because of that, I will be highlighting some talented players to watch for who have received little to no collegiate interest.
Mikel has been a productive defensive asset for the Ballard High School Football Team. The upcoming senior specializes in his speed & agility coming off the edge of the line of scrimmage. Due to his quick reflexes, Mikel can get past the offensive line before they can fully react for him to get to the quarterback. Clack is also terrific at creating pressure on the offense so his defense can make an easy stop. Whether he ends the play himself or has help from his other defensive teammates, Mikel often initiates the offensive collapse. Mikel is lengthy for a defensive end, which helps him easily reach out to hit incoming ball carriers and deflect passes. Clack has yet to announce any sort of collegiate interest from any schools, I believe he is more than capable of producing buzz this upcoming 2023 season.
Kayden is another defensive player who has amazing reflexes, but he specializes in these skills in the secondary. The 2024 grad from Holmes can quickly react to the movements of his assigned receiver and lock them down the entire route. Another aspect shown from his reflexes includes reacting instantaneously to a change in trajectory from a deflected pass and coming with the interception. One underrated aspect of his game is his hand skills and upper-body strength. Using his upper body power and his hands, he can knock out balls from opposing ball carriers and deflect lots of throws when locking down a receiver. There is a lot to admire about Crowell’s game, yet there has been no reported interest from college recruiters. Stay tuned for Kayden and his senior season this fall.
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Phoenix is the perfect takedown threat on defense for Perry County Central High School. Eddington’s main craft on defense is his ability to close off plays and take down any offensive player with ease. With his textbook tackle mechanics and superior leg strength to keep his ground against charging runners, Phoenix has no problem pinning down players no matter their size. The upcoming senior also inherits explosive acceleration once he locks on to his intended target, which helps him cover ground across the whole field. This helped Eddington place in the top 5 in tackles per game in his entire 4A state class. The impressive linebacker has not publicly expressed any recruiting interest from schools. I believe that will change as he further develops into his best this 2023 season.
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Iveion has a lot of traits in his game that mimic those of high-quality wide receivers. Moreover, Green’s major strength at the defensive back is his ability to purely lock down opponents by mirroring their positioning and athletic movements. The 2024 grad from Butler high school makes it a rarity for opposing receivers to get past him with a route, no matter how good the play is drawn up for them. Furthermore, Green utilizes his great athletic ability to get up high for pass deflections and interceptions. The trait I like the most from Iveion is his linebacker-like defensive reads. Green can quickly identify what the quarterback will decide to do with the ball and determine whether he stays put on his assignment or chases down the quarterback. This enables him to blitz the QB for great defensive pressure stops. Iveion currently holds no offers, but I expect that to change after this upcoming season.
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Cain Grim Cain Grim 5’11” | 180 lbs | LB Paintsville | 2024 State KY comes in as a new player added to my defensive recruiting radar. Playing for Paintsville high school, the linebacker is excellent at finishing plays and pinning down opposing ball carriers nearly every snap. Despite not being as bigger as his teammates on the line of scrimmage, he hits nearly as hard when tackling players. Even without fully using his lower half to gain leverage on the ball carrier, Grim has superb upper body strength that can take over and pin down the player without much of an issue. What I like most about Cain is his defensive IQ. Although not knowing the opposing team’s playbook for every game, Cain makes us feel like he does with how insanely accurate he is at reading the offense. Even when a QB audibles an intended play, Grim takes charge and effectively communicates with his defense to correctly react to the offensive shift and still make the stop. Cain is a great defensive captain for his team and has the capabilities of performing those same duties at the next level. As of now, however, he has no public offers from any schools. Hopefully, this changes after his upcoming senior season at Paintsville.