Next Man Up: KY Linebackers 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 ball, I have turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line out of the way, I will turn my attention to some intriguing linebackers 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":["653370"],"_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='653370' first='Logan' last='Julian'] is a linebacker that recently jumped onto my radar after an impressive junior year. He finished this past season with 100 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Julian lines up at inside linebacker and is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry once he sees where the ball is going. Julian flows to the ball very efficiently and is a reliable tackler in the open field. He has also shown that he is reliable in pass coverage, coming away with an interception this past season. Logan currently holds an offer from Wright State and I expect more to come his way as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["381935"],"_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":"Another incoming senior linebacker that has caught my attention is [player_tooltip player_id='381935' first='Hayden' last='Kiser'] from Madison Central. In just nine games last season, Kiser finished second on the team with 65 tackles along with four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Kiser plays inside linebacker and does a great job of reading his keys and reacting quickly. He flows to the ball very well and has shown the ability to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. Kiser has also shown that he is very comfortable dropping back into pass coverage and reading route combinations. Hayden doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has been receiving a nice amount of college interest.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Jayden Taylor","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Lexington Christian Academy","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Jayden Taylor is another incoming senior linebacker that has caught my attention recently. He had a solid junior year, finishing with 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one fumble recovery, and a forced safety. Taylor lines up as a stand-up outside linebacker and is a dangerous pass rusher off the edge. He has the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles along with some nice pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Against the run, he does a great job of reading the play and getting to the ball quickly, and has shown that he is a reliable tackler in the open field. Taylor also has proven to have tremendous special teams value. Jayden doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect him to pick some up as a senior as he has the talent to play at the next level and has received some college interest.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Brennan Robison","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Shelby County","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Brennan Robinson is a  linebacker that had a solid junior year but will be playing for a new team in his final season of high school football. Before recently transferring to Shelby County, Robinson had a strong junior year at Franklin County in which he finished with 83 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Robinson is a physical inside linebacker that is dominant against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry to fill the running lane. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of exploding through contact to finish the tackle. He is also a reliable blitzer against the pass, timing the snap count perfectly to shoot through his gap before opposing offensive linemen can react. Robinson has also shown that he is reliable in pass coverage, finishing this past season with one interception. While Brennan doesn't currently hold any offers, he should be a name to watch as a senior as he definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["586098"],"_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='586098' first='Brenden' last='Anthony'] is a linebacker that stood out last season in a talented Pikeville linebacker group. He played a key role in their 1A State Championship run, finishing fourth on the team with 120 tackles along with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. Anthony is an off-ball outside linebacker that is very impressive agains the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Anthony has proven to be a very reliable open field tackler. Anthony doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and should see some offers come his way as his role on the Pikeville defense continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["373785"],"_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='373785' first='Dereon' last='Crowe'] is another incoming junior linebacker that has caught my attention. He had a strong sophomore season, finishing with 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and two fumble recoveries with one of them being returned for a touchdown. Crowe is a versatile linebacker that has shown the ability to play both on the inside and off the edge as an outside linebacker. He is a dangerous pass rusher, showing the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles and strength to fight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. From the inside linebacker spot, he does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill to fill the lane against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler. Dereon doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["735603"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='735603' first='Kaden' last='Clay'] is an intriguing linebacker in the 2025 class that unfortunately missed last season due to injury. He plays inside linebacker and is very impressive against the run. Clay does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill quickly to fill his gap. He also plays with a ton of physicality, showing the ability to fight through blocks and finish his tackles in the open field. Clay has shown the ability to time the snap count perfectly to shoot his gap when asked to blitz. Kaden currently holds an offer from Miami (OH) and I expect more to come his way as his role continues to grow on a talented Frederick Douglass defense.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["371230"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='371230' first='Daulton' last='Tarter'] is a linebacker that burst onto the scene quickly as a freshman. He finished his first season of high school football with 111 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Daulton lines up at inside linebacker and does a great job of reading his keys and getting to the ball in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Tarter does a great job of exploding through contact with a ton of physicality to secure the tackle. He also has shown some ability in pass coverage, finishing this past season with an interception. Daulton doesn't currently hold any offers but will be a player to watch over the next few seasons as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6459590374d7d"} /-->