2026 Defensive Players with Something to Prove

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to breakout on defense no matter what team or class you're apart of. I'd argue that it's more common to breakout as a skill player on offense before defense. Not to mention, defense is much more thankless position when compared to the RBs, WRs, and QBs of the world. This article will go over five very high-upside defenders going into their Junior season. These guys all had a solid sophomore season, but are looking to prove much more next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1148702"],"_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":"Ron'Dre has a lot going for him. From his Tu0026amp;F stardom, good offseason performances, and his Wayne State offer, he looks like he could be one of the best DBs in the midwest. This summer and next season, he needs to prove that he's u0022Top DB in the Country  2026u0022 as it says on his Twitter. There's no doubt that he has the speed and athletic ability to be a Power 5 defensive back. His skillset is the only thing that will keep him from Division 1 offers this offseason and beyond. I hope to see Ron'Dre at some offseason camps this summer, as me and every college coach should get a much better idea of his abilities.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["568145"],"_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":"I've talked about George a few times this month. Last year at Spring Lake, he showed phenomenal run defense, reaction time, and break on the football. Having played in the old OK-Blue, he faced several run-heavy teams with limited pass-defense opportunities. Having transferred to Mona Shores, he'll be facing much better competition than what most of the OK-Blue could offer. George needs to prove that he can still produce at a high level playing for Mona Shores, and he needs to prove that he can be a great pass defender. I loved what I saw on tape last season, love his size, and think Geroge has a super high (Division 1) ceiling.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1225826"],"_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":"I really hate putting this kind of label on any prospect, but Jalil is a very boom-or-bust guy for me. His size is awesome, and it looks like he had very good strength for a sophomore DT. In addition to his strength, I like what I saw with his anchor and overall run-stopping ability. Still, he's a raw prospect. Jalil could see significant improvement if he spends time working on his explosiveness off the line of scrimmage while maintaining his strength.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1148729"],"_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":"Caleb is another defensive tackle who could have a phenomenal Junior season, but he's going to have to earn it. There are some notable departures for Grandville next season, and Caleb has an opportunity to be a true breakout star in the extremely difficult OK-Red. Last season, he looked like a solid run-stopping DT. His size, alongside powerlifting strength, made him a good middle-of-the-field run-stopper. Moving into a full-time varsity role, he needs to retain his strength while becoming more explosive off the line of scrimmage and laterally. I love what Grandville has going on in terms of their strength and conditioning, so I am optimistic that Caleb will develop well.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1225690"],"_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":"Nathan is a big wildcard in this class. Last season, he was a bright spot on an Okemos team that went 0-9 last season. Pound for pound he was an above-average linebacker who gave full effort on every down. Moving forward, Nathan will be a big part of Okemos football for the next two seasons. His off-season work ethic and potential leadership will go a long way in helping this team emerge to notoriety.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-660882a6b4e33"} /-->