2023 Regular Season All-State Team: 2A Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we approach the end of November, playoff football is in full swing in the state of Kentucky. With the 2023 high school football season in the state of Kentucky behind us, I wanted to focus on some of the top players from this past season. In order to do this, I will be releasing my Regular Season All-State teams in each class. With classes 3A-6A out of the way, I have now turned my attention to 2A. After already covering the offense, here is my 2A Regular Season All-State Defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149597' first='Bryson' last='Chadwell']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Carroll County","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149597' first='Bryson' last='Chadwell'] is a player that truly jumped onto my radar this season. He lined up at defensive end where he was very disruptive as a pass rusher. Chadwell showed the ability to use his speed off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. He finished the regular season with 11 sacks. Bryson also came away with one interception in the regular season. Chadwell also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the regular season with 92 tackles and six tackles for loss. Bryson doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on going into his senior season","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149600' first='Peyton' last='Maynard']","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Betsy Layne","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Another junior defensive lineman that jumped onto my radar this season was [player_tooltip player_id='1149600' first='Peyton' last='Maynard'] from Betsy Layne. He lined up at defensive end where he was very impressive as a pass rusher this season. Maynard showed the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge as well as the strength to bull rush straight through them on the way to the quarterback. He finished the regular season with 11 sacks. Peyton also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the regular season with 43 tackles and three tackles for loss. Maynard doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on going into his senior year.","_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='1121516' first='Ben' last='Davis']","_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":"2406","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Murray","_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='1121516' first='Ben' last='Davis'] is another defensive lineman that stood out to me this season. He lined up at defensive end where he was very impressive as a pass rusher this season. Ben has shown the ability to use his speed and bend off the edge to get around offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. He finished the regular season with five sacks. Davis also proved to be reliable against the run, finishing the regular season with 71 tackles and four tackles for loss. Ben currently holds a couple offers and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["373781"],"_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='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and has continued to stand out this season. He finished the regular season among the state's leading tacklers with 150 tackles along with 12 tackles for loss. Carrico lines up at linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Vincent also proved to be reliable against the pass, both in coverage and as a rusher, finishing the regular season with four sacks and an interception. Carrico currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way as he has the talent to be a very productive linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["653387"],"_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='653387' first='Madden' last='Miller'] is another 2A linebacker that has been on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this season. Miller lines up at inside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry then fighting through blocks to get to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Madden finished the regular season with 129 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He also proved to be reliable in pass coverage, coming away with one interception during the regular season. Miller also played a key role on offense as a running back. Madden currently holds an offer from Kenyon College and I could see more coming his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["490002"],"_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":"My final linebacker on this team is [player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Bryce' last='Pugh']. Pugh lined up at middle linebacker where he was very impressive against the run this season. He does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier in the hole before they can get going. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Pugh finished the regular season with 134 tackles and 18 tackles for loss. He also showed the ability to make plays against the pass, both as a rusher and in coverage, finishing the regular season with 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Bryce currently holds an offer from Thomas More and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["919065"],"_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='919065' first='Jeremiah' last='Jones'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this season. He plays in a strong safety/outside linebacker role for Murray where he is very reliable in pass coverage. Jones has shown the ability to be successful in both man and zone coverage. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a great job of breaking on the pass with perfect timing to make a play. He finished the regular season with two interceptions. Jones also showed the ability to rush the passer when called on to blitz, finishing the regular season with four sacks.  Jeremiah also showed the ability to come downhill and provide support against the run, finishing the regular season with 55 tackles and three tackles for loss. Jones also returned one fumble recovery for a touchdown during the regular season. He also played a key role on offense as a receiver. Jones currently holds offers from Nebraska, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, and Murray State, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Power 5 caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"Jayden Hacker","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Leslie County","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Jayden Hacker is a young defensive back that stood out to me in his first season of high school football. Hacker lined up at safety where he was very impressive in pass coverage. He showed the ability to drop back in coverage and read the quarterback then break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Hacker finished the regular season with eight interceptions. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, finishing the regular season with 22 tackles. Jayden doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["510250"],"_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='510250' first='Jullian' last='Seymour'] is another defensive back that stood out to me this season. He lined up at strong safety where he was very impressive in pass coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, Seymour showed the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing while also showing tremendous ball skills, coming away with eight interceptions during the regular season. He showed the ability to turn those interceptions into big plays the other way, returning two of them for touchdowns. Seymour also showed the ability to fill the lane to provide run support, finishing the regular season with 48 tackles and one tackle for loss. He also played a key role on offense as a running back. Jullian doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way as he has received a good amount of college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149589' first='Julian' last='Stafford']","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"Martin County","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_9_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149589' first='Julian' last='Stafford'] is another defensive back that stood out to me this season. Stafford lined up on the outside at corner where he was very impressive in pass coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, he showed great ball skills, showing the ability to react to the ball with perfect timing to make a play. He finished the regular season with eight interceptions. Stafford has also shown the ability to come downhill and make tackles against the run, finishing the regular season with 44 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Julian doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on going into his senior year.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_10_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_10_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1121518' first='Garrison' last='Brumback']","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_10_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_10_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_10_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_10_player_details_school":"Carroll County","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_10_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_10_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_10_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_10_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"To wrap up my 2A Regular Season All-State Defense, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1121518' first='Garrison' last='Brumback'] from Carroll County. Brumback lined up on the outside at corner where he was very impressive in pass coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, he showed the ability to break on the pass with perfect timing to make a play. He finished the regular season with seven interceptions. Brumback also showed the ability to turn interceptions into big plays the other way, returning two of them for touchdowns. Garrison also showed the ability to come downhill and provide support against the run, finishing the regular season with 73 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. Brumback currently holds an offer from Wilmington College and I wouldn't be surprised to see more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":11,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6566758a91b86"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mention</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Line: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='373076' first='Tre' last='Jackson'] (Mayfield, 2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Linebacker: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='373075' first='Ian' last='Williams'] (Mayfield, 2025); [player_tooltip player_id='381930' first='Major' last='Brown'] (LCA, 2024); [player_tooltip player_id='1706057' first='Simon' last='Rickman'] (Murray, 2026); [player_tooltip player_id='1517153' first='Keshawn' last='Dixon'] (Fort Campbell, 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Back: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='735618' first='Jackson' last='Dillow'] (LCA, 2025); Talon Linder (Beechwood, 2024)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->