2025 Rankings Release: Defensive Back

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are headed into the 2023 high school football season, it is time to release some new class rankings. After updating the 2023 and 2024 rankings, we have now released our initial rankings for the class of 2025. Over the next couple weeks, I will be breaking these rankings down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the top defensive prospects in the class. With the defensive line and linebackers taken care of, I will wrap up the defensive side of the ball by breaking down our top defensive backs in the class of 2025 in Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["735613"],"_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='735613' first='Caleb' last='Ricks'] is a defensive back that has consistently proven to be one of the more talented players in the entire class. He had a solid sophomore season, finishing with 24 tackles and one interception in 11 games. Ricks is an athletic corner that lines up on the outside and is very impressive in man coverage. He has shown the ability to open up and run with receivers, staying in their hip pocket when mirroring their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, Ricks does a great job of timing the pass and breaking across the receiver's body to deflect the pass or come away with the interception. Against the run, Ricks shows the willingness to come downhill and provide support and has shown that he is a reliable open field tackler. Caleb is currently committed to play baseball at Louisville but also has the talent to play football at the Division I level if he were to have a change of heart.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["373044"],"_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='373044' first='Avaion' last='Johnson'] is a defensive back that has been high on our radar for a while now that continued to impress this past season. He had a strong sophomore year, finishing with 77 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Johnson lines up at safety and is very reliable in both pass coverage and against the run. He does an outstanding job of reading the run quickly and coming downhill to fill the lane to provide run support. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Johnson explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. In pass coverage, Johnson does a great job of reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. He showed the ability to make plays after the interception, returning one for a touchdown this past season. Johnson also returned one fumble recovery for a touchdown. Avaion currently holds one offer from Eastern Kentucky but I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber safety prospect.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["735612"],"_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='735612' first='Jaiden' last='Shegog'] is a player that jumped onto our radar this past season. He had an impressive sophomore season, finishing with 20 tackles and one interceptions, which he returned for a touchdown. Shegog is an athletic corner that lines up on the outside and is very reliable in man coverage. He locks down his side of the field, showing the ability to open up and run with receivers to mirror their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, Shegog does a great job of getting his head turned quickly to make a play on the ball. Jaiden is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and the willingness to come downhill to provide support. Shegog recently picked up his first offer from Miami (OH) and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["520351"],"_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":"Another defensive back that had a very impressive sophomore season is Logan County's [player_tooltip player_id='520351' first='Hunter' last='Holloway']. Holloway finished this past season with 59 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and six interceptions. He lines up at safety and is a true ball hawk in pass coverage. Holloway does a great job of reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. He also plays with a ton of physicality, showing the ability to knock the ball loose from intended receivers. Against the run, Holloway takes good angles to the ball and is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Hunter doesn't currently hold any offers but he should definitely be on the radar of college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["735615"],"_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":"To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2025, we have another member of a talented Central secondary. [player_tooltip player_id='735615' first='Javion' last='Wallace'] jumped onto our radar with an impressive sophomore season, finishing with 30 tackles, one fumble recovery, and four interceptions. Wallace lines up on the outside at corner and has proven to be reliable in both man and zone coverage. In man coverage, he has the ability to open up and run with receivers to mirror their routes. When playing zone, Wallace does a great job of reading route combinations and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. He also has shown the ability to make plays after the interception, returning one for a touchdown this past season. Javion doesn't currently hold any offers but he definitely has the talent to be a productive corner at the next level when his time comes so I fully expect him to start to attract some college interest.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-642b430e49da3"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 150):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='735619' first='Deonte' last='Stevens'] (Pikeville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='735616' first='Matthew' last='Kern'] (Lexington Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='373784' first='Jashaun' last='Robinson'] (Owensboro)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='735618' first='Jackson' last='Dillow'] (Lexington Christian Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='735617' first='Koleby' last='Schroeder'] (Union County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='735614' first='Tate' last='Spillman'] (Barren County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->