2026 Rankings: In The Trenches

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we're putting a spotlight on some of the top 2026 prospects in the state. From guys who have been shining since they were freshmen to others who are enjoying breakout seasons this fall, we got it all covered. On Monday, <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2026-rankings/">we released our updated 2026 rankings.</a></strong> Throughout the week, we'll be breaking down different position groups and overall standouts in the state's 2026 class so far. In this post, we're putting the spotlight on the trenches. This breakdown features some of the best offensive and defensive linemen in the current sophomore class. Keep it locked in throughout the week for more breakdowns on 2026 prospects. And check back every Monday in October for more prospect ranking updates!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["467408"],"_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":"We kick off this breakdown with Sand Springs [player_tooltip player_id='467408' first='Ryley' last='Kester'] along the offensive line. For the second straight ranking update, Kester holds on to the top spot on the offensive line and is the #2 overall prospect in the class. Kester has been an absolute monster since the moment that he joined the varsity team in May of 2022. One day, he's finishing up school as an eighth grader and the next day he's immediately becoming the best offensive lineman on the varsity team. Kester has already seen his recruitment take off and it should only continue from here. He anchors an offensive line that paves the way for one of the best rushing attacks in the state. And he's only scratching the surface on what he'll be.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["402371"],"_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":"And just like Kester, Durant's [player_tooltip player_id='402371' first='Colton' last='Yarbrough'] is once again in the top five overall rankings and continues to hold down the top spot for defensive linemen. Yarbrough is in a similar situation where he was widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the state's 2026 class before he even reached the high school level. And the Durant standout hasn't done anything to think otherwise after a little over 12 months of playing at the varsity level. We're looking forward to catching more of Yarbrough with the pads on, whether that's on film or in person. We've seen him quite a bit during 7v7 tournaments over the last year and a half or so and he always impresses in those settings.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["587268"],"_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":"We go back to the offensive line with Booker T Washington standout [player_tooltip player_id='587268' first='Brooks' last='Barron'] and his story is somewhat similar to Kester at Sand Springs. It was evident very early on when he was a freshman that Barron was going to be an impact player on the varsity level and that has been the case so far. The Hornets have had a down year this fall but they are incredibly young in a lot of key spots, including Barron on the offensive line. But we'll go ahead and say it'd be smart to buy stock now on Booker T Washington moving forward. With Barron anchoring the offensive line over the next few seasons, more talent coming up and moving down to 5A, they should be getting back to contending soon.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["472322"],"_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":"We probably wrote about this back in the summer during our last ranking update but for the new readers out there, we'll bring it up again. When we watched NOAH at a team camp in late May, sophomore offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='472322' first='Jude' last='Ballinger'] was one of the more impressive offensive lineman prospects that we saw during our tour of various team camps. He is so violent at the point of attack and he can absolutely command one side of the offensive line. We're assuming that he will move from right tackle to left tackle next year when his brother, who starts there now, graduates. As far as offensive tackle prospects go, Ballinger is one of the best prospects in this 2026 class.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1045557"],"_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":"We finish up this breakdown with Heavener sophomore defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1045557' first='Jerami' last='Casteel'] and he's certainly flying under the radar across the state more than some of the other prospects on this breakdown. But when we first saw Casteel back in July on film from his freshman season, it was pretty clear that he belonged in this latest ranking update. Like the other players on this breakdown, Casteel already looks the part physically. And it's hard not to be impressed by his film this year as a sophomore. Even when Casteel isn't making the play himself, he's having an impact on it. He's either pushing the offensive lineman back into the backfield or opening a clear lane for someone else.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6532ea676fe69"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->