2023 Mid-Season Top Performers: 4A Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are a little past the midway point in the 2023 high school regular season in Kentucky, I want to take a look back at what has happened so far. With that being said, I'm going to focus on my top performers on both sides of the ball in each class from so far. After covering class 6A and 5A I have now turned my attention to class 4A. With the offense already being covered, here are my mid-season top performers on the defensive side of the ball in class 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["399293"],"_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='399293' first='Jacob' last='Smith'] has quickly established himself as one of the top players in the state after transferring to Corbin this season. Smith plays on the edge where he is very disruptive against the run. He reads the play quickly and uses his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets there, he finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Smith leads the team with 49 tackles along with four tackles for loss through their first five games. He has also been a force against the pass both as a rusher and in coverage, coming away with one sack and two interceptions so far. Jacob is currently committed to Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense eventually.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["952644"],"_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":"Like his twin brother, [player_tooltip player_id='952644' first='Jerod' last='Smith'] has been impressive since moving back to Kentucky. Smith lines up at defensive end where he is very impressive as a pass rusher. He is able to use his combination of speed and strength to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Smith has three sacks through their first five games. He is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to make tackles all over the field, accounting for 35 tackles and nine tackles for loss so far. Jerod is committed to join his brother at Kentucky where the two of them could be a very dangerous duo in the future.","_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149630' first='Javeon' last='Campbell']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Western Hills","_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":"Another defensive lineman that has impressed this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1149630' first='Javeon' last='Campbell']. Javeon is a big, athletic defensive end that is very dangerous as a pass rusher. Through five games, Campbell leads 4A with 9.5 sacks. He has also shown the ability to stop the run, accounting for 11 tackles and three tackles for loss so far. Campbell currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber edge rusher.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["919067"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='919067' first='Camron' last='McDaniels'] is a player that jumped onto my radar this past off-season and has continued to impress so far. McDaniels lines up at defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher. He explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Through six games, McDaniels is near the top of the 4A leaderboard with eight sacks. He has also shown the ability to stop the run, using his speed to get to the ball in a hurry to make tackles. Camron has 24 tackles and 10 tackles for loss so far. He also plays a key role on offense as a tight end, catching 15 passes for 246 yards and five touchdowns so far. Camron currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["313671"],"_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='313671' first='Kaden' last='Smith'] is a player that I've had high on my radar for a while now and has continued to impress this season. Smith lines up at outside linebacker where he is dangerous as a pass rusher. He uses an impressive combination of strength and speed off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles. Kaden has eight sacks through his first six games. He has also shown the ability to defend the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly and get to the ball in a hurry to make tackles. Smith currently has 50 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He has also shown the ability to make plays in pass coverage, coming away with one interception and returning it for a touchdown. Kaden is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["653504"],"_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":"Another linebacker that has stood out to me this season is [player_tooltip player_id='653504' first='Phoenix' last='Eddington']. Through six games, Eddington is the 4A leader in tackles with 80, along with 2.5 tackles for loss. Eddington lines up at inside linebacker where he does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of exploding through contact and finishing his tackles with a ton of physicality. He has also proven to be reliable in pass coverage, coming away with two interceptions. Eddington doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves more attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149620' first='Cameron' last='Moore']","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"John Hardin","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149620' first='Cameron' last='Moore'] is a player that has quickly jumped onto my radar this season. Moore lines up at linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and using his speed to explode into the backfield to make tackles before the ball carrier can get going. Through six games, Moore leads his team with 72 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. He has also shown the ability to rush the passer, coming away with two sacks so far. Cameron doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["313661"],"_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":"To wrap up my defensive top performers in 4A, I have [player_tooltip player_id='313661' first='Price' last='Aycock']. Aycock lines up at safety where he is a true ball hawk in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Aycock currently leads 4A with four interceptions, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also does a great job of coming downhill to provide run support, accounting for 33 tackles so far. Aycock has also returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown this season. Price is also the team's leading receiver with 27 catches for 485 yards and six touchdowns, and has also scored four rushing touchdowns. Aycock currently holds offers from Otterbein and Howard Prep, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6515ec786fb02"} /-->