2025 Defenders Dominating the Trenches
In this article:
With football season rapidly approaching, I have been trying to get caught up on all my 2025 Missouri prospects. I have been impressed with the high level of talent at both the inside and outside defensive linemen positions in the…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith football season rapidly approaching, I have been trying to get caught up on all my 2025 Missouri prospects. I have been impressed with the high level of talent at both the inside and outside defensive linemen positions in the state. I have identified six of the best DL prospects in the state. Below, I explain why these six prospects are set to be some of the best juniors in the state.
Keylan La Grant is a Lutheran track & field star who is sure to gain attention quickly after stepping onto the football field as a junior. Keylan holds offers from Kent State, Boston College, Memphis, West Virginia, and Arkansas. Expect schools within the region to pick up their recruitment of the talented defensive end this fall.
Keylan’s fluid change of direction and next level closing speed gets displayed redirecting in the run game to tackle ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage. Keylan shows good size, instincts, active hands, and a solid anchor disrupting outside runs that are designed to hit in his vicinity. Keylan’s combination of acceleration and power displayed in huge one on one collisions suggests he has all the tools to develop into a collegiate edge rusher.
Highlights
Triston Abram Triston Abram 6’4″ | 215 lbs | DL CBC | 2025 State MO enters his junior year as a two-time state champion. Triston holds offers from Toledo and Kent State. Triston also attended camps at Notre Dame, Kansas State, Illinois, and Mississippi just last month. Watch for Triston to receive more offers close to home before 2024 gets here.
Triston’s quickness shows slipping blockers, while good athleticism and closing speed get displayed tackling ball carriers who have space to work with in the backfield. College coaches like seeing Triston’s combination of good instincts, shed technique, and range in the run game. Triston’s next level get off and strength shown powering through pass blockers highlights his collegiate edge rusher potential.
Highlights
Bo Smith Bo Smith 6’2″ | 310 lbs | OL Chillicothe | 2025 State MO is a three-sport athlete who dominates both sides of the ball for Chillicothe High School. Bo attended camps at Mizzou, Nebraska, and Kansas this summer. Bo is sure to be recruited as an offensive lineman, but I think he best projects to a one technique in college. Look for the powerful defender to receive his first offer this fall.
Bo’s combination of size, strength, and athleticism shows knocking back interior linemen and immediately disrupting opponents’ runs as a nose tackle. Next level power shows dominating centers with his bull rush, while Bo’s good football IQ gets displayed quickly identifying screens as a pass rusher. Bo’s range and athleticism in the open field highlight his ability to be a versatile interior defender at the next level.
Highlights
Bryson Varner Bryson Varner 6’4″ | 220 lbs | DL Blair Oaks | 2025 State MO is coming off a state championship winning season. I am surprised the edge rusher did not receive more attention as an all-state sophomore. Watch for coaches throughout the Midwest to be eyeing Bryson’s development as an upperclassman. Keep an eye out for his first offer to come in before the season ends.
Bryson shows a rare combination of length, acceleration, and power disrupting option runs in the backfield before they have a chance to get outside of the tackle box. Bryson’s football IQ shows when he quickly changes direction and pursues the correct halfback despite misdirection in the backfield. Good strength shows in Bryson’s anchor, while good range and athleticism gets displayed in a smooth change of direction that allows him to complete tackles for a loss on runs outside of his vicinity.
Lucas Allgeyer Lucas Allgeyer 6’6″ | 260 lbs | DL MICDS | 2025 State MO is a versatile interior prospect out of MICDS. Lucas holds offers from Marshall, Tulane, Navy, Toledo, and the University of Miami in Ohio. Be on the lookout for schools closer to home to offer Lucas before his junior season has finished.
Lucas shows a good combination of strength and range defeating double teams before stopping runs outside of his vicinity. Good football IQ and acceleration shows quickly finding the ball and completing tackles for loss as a backside zone defender. Lucas’ power shown bull rushing taller tackles highlight college coaches’ plans for him to be a heavy-handed interior pass rusher.
Ka’Mori Moore Ka’Mori Moore 6’1″ | 285 lbs | DL Lee’s Summit North | 2025 State MO is my top ranked defensive linemen in the 2025 class. Ka’Mori committed to Oklahoma on July 26th. Expect schools across the country to try and convince the Lee’s Summit North defender to flip his commitment away from the Sooners. All eyes are sure to be on Ka’Mori as a nationally coveted defensive prospect once he takes the field as an upperclassman this fall.
Ka’mori’s rare combination of speed and power allows him to beat centers with an easy choice of quickness or a bull rush when it comes time for one-on-one pass rushes. Ka’mori’s solid anchor, rare range, and physicality in his shed highlights his ideal run defense tools for a collegiate one technique. Good football IQ and closing speed shows disrupting outside runs behind the line of scrimmage when pursuing as a backside defender.