2023-24 PrepRedzoneIL Underclassmen All-State Team: Defense
Yin and yang, peanut butter & jelly, seashore & a sunset, offense and defense. All of these are perfect pairings, and in the vain of a PrepRedzoneIL All-State Team, we have a star-studded defensive squad to follow up the recently…
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Continue ReadingYin and yang, peanut butter & jelly, seashore & a sunset, offense and defense. All of these are perfect pairings, and in the vain of a PrepRedzoneIL All-State Team, we have a star-studded defensive squad to follow up the recently published offensive feature. If you missed the 2023-24 PRzIL Underclassmen All-State Offensive squad, make sure you check out the homepage of the site, as the days of research and grinding the tape helped put together the best, most comprehensive, current, and accurate underclassmen top-performer matchup anywhere on paper or the never-ending internet. Now, we’re onto the defensive side of the ball, as well as special teams, and boy there are some studs on this list. Taking into account age, production, competition level, versatility, and occasionally film, these are the undisputed best freshmen and sophomore defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs, athletes, and specialists the Land of Lincoln has to offer, and I think it’s safe to say the future of Illinois’ gridiron exploits and recruiting prowess is in good hands. If you think we missed any sophomore or freshmen worthy and deserving of an All-State defensive nod, please don’t hesitate to respectfully email me at: oliver@prepredzone.com ! Dig in!
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2023 PRzIL Underclassmen Defensive Player of the Year: Leon Howard Leon Howard 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB East St. Louis | 2026 State IL (East. St. Louis) Sophomore. LB. 6’2, 220 lbs.
Defense
Defensive Line
First Team:
McHale Blade McHale Blade 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Hillcrest | 2026 State IL (Hillcrest) Sophomore. 6’4, 230
Gabriel Hill (Naperville North) Sophomore. 6’2, 250 lbs.
King Liggins King Liggins 6'4" | 255 lbs | DL Brother Rice | 2026 State IL (Brother Rice) Sophomore. 6’4, 255 lbs.
Braeden Jones Braeden Jones 6'4" | 245 lbs | DL Mount Carmel | 2026 State IL (Mount Carmel) Sophomore. 6’5, 235 lbs.
Second Team:
Namari Anderson (Montini Catholic) Freshman. 6’3, 260 lbs.
Jacob Alexander Jacob Alexander 6'4" | 210 lbs | DL Lincoln Way East | 2026 State IL (Lincoln Way-East) Sophomore. 6’4, 220 lbs.
Jaylen Torres Jaylen Torres 6'0" | 285 lbs | DL St. Francis | 2026 IL (Wheaton St. Francis) Sophomore. 6′, 270 lbs.
Jonathan Rulo Jonathan Rulo 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Belleville East | 2026 State IL (Belleville East) Sophomore. 6’2, 285 lbs.
Third Team:
Caleb Brown (East. St. Louis) Freshman. 6’1, 235 lbs.
Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy) Sophomore. 6′, 230 lbs.
Lamari Hall (Aurora Christian) Sophomore. 6’3, 215 lbs.
Jaylen Cox (Christ the King Jesuit) Sophomore. 6′, 280 lbs.
Honorable Mention:
Kadin Niekamp (Camp Point Central) Sophomore. 6′, 200 lbs.
Jyheir Sutton (Kankakee) Freshman. 5’10, 260 lbs.
Kamron Norwood (Richards) Freshman. 5’11, 180 lbs.
Jaden Weaver Jaden Weaver 6'3" | 240 lbs | DL Carl Sandburg | 2026 State IL (Carl Sandburg) Sophomore. 6’3, 230 lbs.
Juelz Baker (Richards Career Academy) Sophomore. 6’5, 260 lbs.
Sincere Harris Sincere Harris IL (Blue Island Eisenhower) Freshman. 6’2, 220 lbs.
Linebacker
First Team:
Leon Howard Leon Howard 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB East St. Louis | 2026 State IL (East. St. Louis) Sophomore. 6’2, 220 lbs.
Diesel McFadden Diesel McFadden 6'0" | 200 lbs | ATH Taft | 2026 State IL (Taft) Sophomore. 6’1, 215 lbs.
Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep) Sophomore. 5’10, 200 lbs.
Jayvon Anderson Jayvon Anderson 5'11" | 205 lbs | LB Kenwood Academy | 2026 IL (Kenwood Academy) Sophomore. 5’11, 195 lbs.
Second Team:
Brooks Howard (Barrington) Sophomore. 6’2, 200 lbs.
Joseph Gray Joseph Gray 6'0" | 170 lbs | ATH Whitney Young | 2026 IL (Whitney Young) Sophomore.
Royce Lopez (Warren Township) Sophomore. 5’10, 170 lbs.
Third Team:
Drake May (Macomb) Freshman.
Damian Lewis (Eisenhower) Sophomore. 5’11, 190 lbs.
Darrieon Beck (Prosser Career Academy) Sophomore. 6’1, 205 lbs.
Honorable Mention:
Jackson Kampwerth (Breese Central) Sophomore. 6’1, 170 lbs.
Nicholas Bryan Huston (Monmouth-Roseville) Sophomore. 5’11, 185 lbs.
James Graves (North Mac) Sophomore. 6′, 190 lbs.
Elliott Acree (Mt. Carmel) Sophomore.
Jatuan Hogan (Bremen) Freshman. 5’7, 160 lbs.
Defensive Back
First Team:
Nicholas Ori (Wauconda) Sophomore. 6’3, 190 lbs.
Brandon Jenkins (John Hersey) Sophomore.
Tommy Thies Tommy Thies 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH Fenwick | 2026 State IL (Fenwick) Sophomore. 6′, 185 lbs.
Ahmad Buchanan Ahmad Buchanan 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Richards | 2026 State IL (Richards) Sophomore. 6′, 180 lbs.
Second Team:
Donald Collier (Cahokia) Freshman. 5’11, 170 lbs.
Wade Bushur (Effingham) Sophomore. 5’11, 175 lbs.
James McGrath (St. Francis) Freshman. 6′, 185 lbs.
Isaac Saldana (St. Francis) Freshman. 6’1, 175 lbs.
Third Team:
Jayden Marshall Jayden Marshall 5'11" | 150 lbs | DB Crete-Monee | 2026 State IL (Crete-Monee) Sophomore. 5’11, 145 lbs.
Jeremiah Reed (East. St. Louis) Freshman. 5’8, 150 lbs.
Aidan McClure (St. Charles North) Sophomore.
Kadynn Petty (Nokomis) Sophomore.
Honorable Mention:
Logan Rivera (Sullivan) Freshman.
Trey Clark (Salem) Freshman. 6’1, 180 lbs.
Dylan Reyes Dylan Reyes 5'10" | 155 lbs | WR Geneva | 2026 State IL (Geneva) Sophomore. 5’10, 170 lbs.
Athlete
First Team:
Mack Sutter Mack Sutter 6'6" | 220 lbs | ATH Dunlap | 2026 State IL (Dunlap) Sophomore. 6’6, 225 lbs.
Nasir Rankin Nasir Rankin 6'1" | 170 lbs | ATH Whitney Young | 2026 IL (Whitney Young) Sophomore. 6’1, 175 lbs.
Logan Abrams Logan Abrams 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Cary-Grove | 2026 State IL (Cary-Grove) Sophomore. 6’3, 220 lbs.
Second Team:
Jacob Harvey Jacob Harvey 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Mt. Zion | 2026 State IL (Mt. Zion) Sophomore. 6’1, 175 lbs.
Cornell Conely Cornell Conely 5'9" | 170 lbs | ATH Simeon Career Academy | 2026 IL (Hyde Park Academy) Sophomore. 5’9, 170 lbs.
Eddie McClain (Nazareth Academy) Sophomore. 5’7, 165 lbs.
Specialist
First Team:
Isiah Thomas Jr. (Walter H. Dyett) Sophomore. Returner.
Maicol Sefton (Effingham) Sophomore. Kicker & Punter.
Second Team:
Cooper Martin (Litchfield) Freshman. Kicker.
Richard Conley (Romeoville) Sophomore. Punter.
Cameron Black (Fithian Oakwood) Sophomore. Returner.
Third Team:
Gabe Shumaker (Mt. Zion) Sophomore. Kicker.
XZavion Montgomery (Warren Township) Sophomore. Returner.