2023 Statewide Defensive Top Performers: Week 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 high school football season is in full swing in the state of Kentucky as we have now had three full weeks of regular season action. Week 3 gave us several exciting games with some impressive individual performances. With the offensive side of the ball already being covered, here are my top defensive performances in the state of Kentucky from Week 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["381877"],"_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='381877' first='Tyler' last='Neal'] played a huge role in the Tigers' win over Male this past week. The defensive end asserted his dominance as a pass rusher, showing the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. He finished the game with three sacks. Neal also showed the ability to stop the run, adding on six total tackles. Tyler doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves more attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["373781"],"_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='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now that continued to impress this past week. Carrico played a huge role in his team's win over Greenwood, finishing with 24 tackles and two tackles for loss. He lined up at middle linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. Carrico showed the ability to read his keys and flow to the ball quickly, fighting through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he got to the ball carrier, Carrico proved to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. Vincent currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_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='1149579' first='Travis' last='Moten']","_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":"6'5u0022","_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":"Fern Creek","_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149579' first='Travis' last='Moten'] is a player that jumped onto my radar this past week. Moten played a key role in Fern Creek's win over Oldham County, finishing with 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. He is a big, physical defensive end that showed the ability to shed blocks quickly and get to the ball carrier. Moten also showed some quickness and impressive pass rush moves which he used to defeat blocks and get to the quarterback. Travis currently holds an offer from Otterbein and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["735606"],"_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='735606' first='Ethan' last='Reynolds'] is a player who jumped onto my radar last season and continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in the Spartans' win over Southwestern. Reynolds lined up at linebacker where he did a great job against the run, finishing the game with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also showed some reliability as a pass rusher, finishing with two sacks. Reynolds doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["653478"],"_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='653478' first='Alex' last='Ullom'] is another player that caught my attention last season and continued to impress this past week. Ullom played a key role in CAL's win over North Hardin, finishing with 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks. Alex lines up at defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher. He is able to use his speed and quick pass rush moves to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Ullom is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and get to the ball quickly. Alex doesn't currently hold any offers but will be a player to keep an eye on during his senior year.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["331710"],"_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='331710' first='Mikel' last='Clack'] is another defensive lineman that stood out to me this past week. Clack played a key role in Ballard's win over PRP, finishing the game with 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks. Mikel lined up at defensive end where he was impressive against the run. He showed the ability to read the play and shed blocks quickly to get to the ball in a hurry. Once he got to the ball carrier, he showed that he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Clack also showed an explosive first step off the edge as a pass rusher and the ability to drive through opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Mikel doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves more attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["952644"],"_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='952644' first='Jerod' last='Smith'] has quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the state since transferring to Corbin this off-season. Smith continued to impress in Corbin's win over Lexington Catholic this past week. He was dominant as a pass rusher, using his impressive combination of strength and speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Once he got to the quarterback, he made sure his presence was felt, finishing with a ton of physicality. Smith finished the game with three sacks. He also showed the ability to run all over the field to make tackles against the run, finishing with nine tackles and three tackles for loss. Jerod is committed to Michigan where I can see him eventually developing into a key piece of their defense.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["735550"],"_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='735550' first='Aiden' last='Blakey'] is the lone defensive back on this week's list. Blakey played a key role in Manual's win over Taft (OH) this past week. He was a ballhawk at safety, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Blakey finished the game with two interceptions. He also showed the ability to fill the lane and make tackles against the run, finishing with eight tackles and one tackle for loss. Aiden currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan but I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level and has received a nice amount of college interest.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["381942"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='381942' first='Jaxson' last='Shoulders'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now that continued to impress this past week. Shoulders played a big role in the Raiders' win over Green County, finishing with 16 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a sack. Jaxson lined up at linebacker where he did a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball in a hurry against the run. Once Shoulders got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of exploding through contact to not allow for any extra yards and finished his tackles with a ton of physicality. Jaxson doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["417459"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"To wrap up this week's defensive top performers, I have [player_tooltip player_id='417459' first='Stephen' last='Whitehead']. Stephen played a key role on Madison Southern's win over Madison Central, finishing with 12 tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack. Whitehead lines up at linebacker where he does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry against the run. He does a great job of fighting through blocks on his way to the ball carrier and is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Whitehead has also shown the ability to use his speed to shoot through his gap and into the backfield before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to block him. He also finished the game as his team's leading rusher with 15 carries for 92 yards. Stephen doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64fa3c9cba43a"} /-->