2026 Rankings Update: Defensive Line

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that another season of high school football is behind us in the state of Kentucky, it is time for some rankings updates. The updated top 150 for the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky has been officially published! With that being said, I wanted to take the next week or so to break down these rankings by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I will now turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with our top defensive linemen in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["283960"],"_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='283960' first='Cole' last='Rose'] continued to establish himself as the top defensive lineman in the state in his class this past season. He lined up at defensive end where he had a strong sophomore year for Montgomery County. Rose is able to use his speed and high motor to blow by opposing offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. He finished this past season with 8.5 sacks in 10 games. Rose also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the season with 81 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. He also caught one touchdown pass on offense. Cole doesn't currently hold any offers and recently transferred to George Rogers Clark where I expect a lot of eyes to be on him next season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["283954"],"_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='283954' first='Baron' last='Hardesty'] is a defensive lineman that has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out this past season. Hardesty lines up at defensive end where he is a very impressive pass rusher. He explodes out of his stance and is able to use a combination of speed, strength, and pass rush moves to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Hardesty finished his sophomore year with seven sacks in 12 games. He also proved to be reliable against the run, finishing the season with 71.5 tackles and eight tackles for loss. Baron doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received some college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["401702"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='401702' first='Deven' last='Leclercq'] is another defensive lineman that has been on our radar for a while and continued to impress this past season. Leclercq lines up at defensive tackle where he is very impressive against the run. He has shown the ability to use his strength to fight through blocks and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles. Deven finished this past season with 60 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 13 games. He has also shown the ability to rush the passer, finishing this past season with seven sacks. Leclercq doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player for college coaches to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["401688"],"_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='401688' first='Andrew' last='Ferguson'] is a player that climbed up our rankings following a strong sophomore season. Ferguson lines up at defensive tackle where he is very disruptive against the run. He does a great job of using his strength to fight through blocks to get to the ball carrier and make the tackle before they can get going. Andrew finished this past season with 61 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 13 games. He also showed some reliability as a pass rusher, finishing the season with five sacks. Ferguson doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to keep an eye on heading into his junior year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["401709"],"_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":"To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='401709' first='Jackson' last='Whitten']. Whitten had a strong sophomore season at defensive end where he was very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher. He explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. Whitten finished this past season with seven sacks in 11 games. He also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the season with 46 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Jackson also served as his team's quarterback, finishing the year with 1,087 passing yards and ten passing touchdowns. Whitten doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player that college coaches should keep an eye on heading into his junior year.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65dd079e14eed"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 150):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='1175813' first='Josiah' last='Wolfenbarger'] (Oldham County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='1175785' first='Xzayvion' last='Brown'] (Franklin County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='1175823' first='Donee' last='Sutton'] (Atherton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='971538' first='Josiah' last='Hope'] (North Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='283966' first='Donnez' last='Marshall'] (Shelby County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='401699' first='Damontre' last='Barnett'] (Warren East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->