Next Man Up: KY Defensive Linemen to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are deep into the off-season for the 2023 high school football season, I wanted to start a new series on some players to watch in the state of Kentucky at each position. For this series, I want to focus on some “Next Man Up” prospects. These players include young players that have begun to make a name for themselves, players coming into a bigger role this season, and key players coming off injuries. After already covering the offensive side of the all , I will turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball by focusing on some intriguing defensive linemen in the state of Kentucky to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 high school football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["381879"],"_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='381879' first='Ashton' last='Jones'] is an incoming senior defensive lineman that has been picking up a lot of interest this off-season. Jones is coming off  a strong junior season in which he finished with 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks. He is an athletic defensive tackle that is very impressive as a pass rusher. Jones explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to shoot into the backfield before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to react. He also has an impressive variety of pass rush moves to defeat blocks quickly. Against the run, Jones has shown the ability to read the play quickly and fight through blocks to get to the ball. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Jones is a very reliable open field tackler. Ashton currently holds offers from Ball State, Columbia, Army, Lehigh, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Fordham, Southeast Missouri State, and UAB, and I expect that list to continue to grow as he is a Division I caliber defensive lineman.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["735673"],"_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='735673' first='Luke' last='Toothaker'] is an incoming junior defensive lineman that has seen some early playing time but should see his role increase in Frankin County's defense this season. As a sophomore, Luke finished with 25 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery. Toothaker is an athletic defensive end that uses his speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive tackles as a pass rusher. He also has a nice amount of bend which he uses to get around bigger offensive tackles off the edge. Against the run, he shows the ability to stack and shed blocks quickly and get to the ball carrier to make tackles in the open field. He also showed some ability to react quickly against the pass, coming away with an interception and returning it for a touchdown this past season. Luke doesn't currently hold any offers but he should definitely be a player to watch over the next two seasons as his role continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["735678"],"_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='735678' first='Ky'Ron' last='Carter'] is another incoming junior defensive lineman that has caught my attention. Carter had a solid sophomore season, finishing with 28 tackles, five sacks, and one fumble recovery. He is a strong, physical defensive tackle that is dominant against both the run and the pass. As a pass rusher, Carter explodes out of his stance and has shown the ability to burst into the pocket quickly. He has also shown the strength to drive straight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. Against the run, Carter is very disruptive, showing the ability to shed blocks quickly and get to the ball carrier to make tackles in the open field. Carter doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a name to watch over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["735670"],"_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 impressive interior defensive lineman from the 2025 class is [player_tooltip player_id='735670' first='LeQuon' last='Greer'] from Dunbar. Greer had a strong sophomore season, finishing with 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. He is an impressive run defender, showing the ability to read the play then stack and shed blocks quickly to get to the ball. Greer plays with a very high motor, showing the ability to run all over the field to make tackles in the open field. As a pass rusher, Greer has shown the ability to explode out of his stance and shoot the inside gap before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to block him. He has also shown the strength to drive straight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. LeQuon doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be a player to watch over the next two seasons as he will continue to play a big role in the Bulldogs' defense.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["403683"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='403683' first='Chad' last='Hughes'] is an incoming junior defensive lineman that has caught my attention this off-season. Hughes played a key role on the Nelson County defense as a sophomore, finishing with 24 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a sack. He has shown an impressive ability to stop the run, showing that he can read the play and react quickly to get to the ball. Hughes is able to use his speed to his advantage to run down ball carriers from all over the field to make tackles. Chad is also dangerous as a pass rusher. He has a quick first step out of his stance and has the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. While Hughes doesn't currently hold any offers, I believe that he will begin to grab the attention of college coaches during his junior year.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["283954"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='283954' first='Baron' last='Hardesty'] is a talented young defensive lineman that is coming off a strong first season of high school football. He played a key role in Bullitt East's 6A State Championship run, finishing with 30 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Hardesty is a dominant defender against the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly and get to the ball in a hurry. He has shown the ability to use his speed to run down the line to make tackles from the backside when the play is away from him. Hardesty is a very reliable open field tackler once he gets to the ball carrier. He is also dangerous as a pass rusher, showing an explosive first step and the ability to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Hardesty has also shown the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. Baron doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way eventually as he is already receiving some college interest and still has three years to develop.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["401702"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Another defensive lineman that made an immediate impact as a freshman last season was [player_tooltip player_id='401702' first='Deven' last='Leclercq'] from Southwestern. Deven finished his first year of high school football with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. Leclercq has proven to be a very dangerous pass rusher, exploding out of his stance and showing the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive linemen on his way to the quarterback. He also has an impressive arsenal of pass rush moves that he uses to defeat blocks. Against the run, Deven has shown the ability to read the play and get to the ball quickly. He has shown that he has the physicality to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier and he is a very reliable tackler once he gets to the them. Deven doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch over the next few seasons as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6455659a5d182"} /-->