2026 Stock Watch: Defensive Line

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we enter the 2024 high school football offseason, we have been releasing our rankings updates in the state of Kentucky. This past month has been dedicated to the class of 2026 and there has been a lot of movement as well as impressive new additions being added. Over the past couple weeks, I have focused on the top five players at each position so now I wanted to focus on some key players at each position that landed outside the top five that I believe people should be paying close attention to. With that being said, I have a “Stock Watch” series highlighting each position in the 2026 class. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I will now turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with some 2026 defensive linemen to keep an eye on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971538"],"_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='971538' first='Josiah' last='Hope'] is a player that has been on my radar for a while now and has been attracting a lot of attention lately. He lines up at defensive tackle/end where he is very disruptive against the run. Hope explodes out of his stance and is able to use his strength to fight through blocks and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. He finished this past season with 37 tackles and seven tackles for loss in nine games. Hope also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing this past season with three sacks. Josiah recently picked up his first two offers from Eastern Kentucky and Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1175813"],"_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='1175813' first='Josiah' last='Wolfenbarger'] is a player that jumped onto my radar with an impressive sophomore season. He lines up at defensive end where he is very impressive against the run. Josiah does a great job of reading the play and shedding blocks quickly then getting to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. He finished this past season with 42 tackles and three tackles for loss in 11 games. Josiah also showed some ability as a pass rusher, finishing the season with four sacks. Wolfenbarger doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on going into his junior year.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1175785"],"_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='1175785' first='Xzayvion' last='Brown'] is another defensive lineman that jumped onto my radar this past season. He lines up at defensive tackle where he is an impressive run stopper. Brown uses his speed and quick first step to shoot the inside gap and get into the backfield before the offensive line can react. When the play is away from him, he shows the ability to use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Brown finished this past season with 40 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 14 games. He also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the year with 3.5 sacks. Xzayvion doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1175823"],"_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='1175823' first='Donee' last='Sutton'] is a player that has been on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out this past season. He lines up as a stand-up defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher off the edge. Sutton has an explosive first step which he converts into speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. He has also shown the ability to stop the run, showing the strength to fight through blocks and speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Sutton doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and should be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["401699"],"_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":"The final defensive lineman on my 2026 “Stock Watch” list is [player_tooltip player_id='401699' first='Damontre' last='Barnett']. Barnett lines up at defensive tackle where he is disruptive against the run. He has shown the ability to use his speed to burst through his gap before the offensive line can react. Barnett has also shown the ability to use his strength to fight through blocks then get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. He finished this past season with 35 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 10 games. Barnett also finished the season with 1.5 sacks. Damontre doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e10ebe195fa"} /-->