5A – 2026 Defensive Studs To Keep Your Eye On Pt. 2
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As of 2026, there are several high school football defensive players who have shown exceptional talent and potential. These players have garnered attention from college scouts and are expected to make a significant impact at the collegiate level and beyond.…
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Continue ReadingAs of 2026, there are several high school football defensive players who have shown exceptional talent and potential. These players have garnered attention from college scouts and are expected to make a significant impact at the collegiate level and beyond. Here are some defensive studs to keep an eye on.
Jagger Ludolf
Jagger Ludolf
After watching tape on Ludolf, the one trait that stands out to me is his vision. He consistently displays the ability to find his way to the football and tackle the ball carrier. Ludolf also displays the awareness to work his way around the traffic and stay focused on where the ball carrier is going. He shows no wasted motion when he is working his way towards the football. His adequate lateral skills and agility make it somewhat easier for him to avoid oncoming blockers.
Mallory does a good job of holding his ground against drive blocks on inside gap and zone runs. He is also good at neutralizing blocks due to his ability to explode off the snap and use raw power to ensure the opposing lineman doesn’t get any leverage. His bull rush is also very impressive against the run. By using his lower body and hand placement to drive back the blocker, he is minimizing the space that the ball carrier has. This often forces the ball carrier to make a mistake and lose yardage on the play. His ability to stuff the run is also shown when he can gain leverage in run gaps. By gaining this leverage, he is clogging inside lanes often forcing the running back to go to the outside.
Garrett has good speed for a linebacker, and he uses it well. His speed allows him to pursue the football all over the field no matter where it is going. The pursuit angles by Garrett helped him make plays consistently. What made me more intrigued about Garrett’s style of play was his ability to secure tackles by using proper form. He rarely missed a tackle on film. When he had his hands on the ball carrier, you can pretty much expect them to go to the ground.
Flat out, Williams is a great tackler. Williams consistent technique, coupled with his long arms, allows him to wrap ball carriers up and drive them to the turf. Williams is great at putting himself into position to make the necessary tackle with his strong football IQ and instincts. In the instances where he is slightly out of position, Williams has put on film the ability to make diving tackles at the legs. Like all linebackers, Williams will occasionally come in too hot and miss up high, but these are few and far between. His film shows excellent pursuit and the ability to close down ball carriers.
Highlights
Ameire Eaton
Ameire Eaton
You may be thinking that Eaton has value as an immovable object on the defensive line, but he’s surprisingly athletic. His feet are quick. He uses his arms well to disengage from blocks and make a play, either on the quarterback or running back. Eaton also gets low, impressively low for a man as huge as he is. His size and speed combination is scary. I can only imagine what it’s like to see someone his size barrelling down on you much faster than you figured. His get off is impressive, especially considering his size.