2026 Stock Watch: ATH

<!-- 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 started a “Stock Watch” series highlighting each position in the 2026 class. After already covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, I will wrap up the series with some top ATH to watch in the class that make an impact at multiple positions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["283957"],"_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='283957' first='Cam' last='Estep'] is a player that jumped onto my radar following an impressive sophomore season. He is an electric playmaker that Corbin loves to get the ball in open space. Estep does most of his damage out of the slot where he is able to use his speed and elusiveness in the open field to pick up yards after the catch. He finished this past season with 37 receptions for 483 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Estep also carried the ball 22 times for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Cam doesn't currently hold any offers and is also a very talented baseball player but he is a key player to watch on the gridiron if he chooses to go that route at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["971505"],"_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='971505' first='Dameyn' last='Anness'] is a player that caught my attention as a freshman and continued to impress in his second season. On offense, Anness is a very impressive ball carrier, showing the ability to use his combination of strength, speed, and elusiveness to break away on a long run at any given moment. He finished this past season with 181 carries for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games. Anness also finished the season with 22 receptions for 263 yards and four touchdowns. Dameyn also plays a key role on defense at linebacker, finishing this past season with 99 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and two fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown). Anness doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player that college coaches should definitely keep an eye on going into his junior year.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1176946"],"_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='1176946' first='Mak' last='Hoover'] is a player that caught my eyes with a strong sophomore season. He was very impressive out of the slot where he is a very impressive route runner. Hoover is also dangerous after the catch, using his speed to get up the field and turn short passes into big gains. He finished this past season with 25 catches for 421 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Hoover also played a key role on defense this past season, finishing the year with three interceptions and returning one of them for a touchdown. Mak 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":["283956"],"_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='283956' first='Brayden' last='Lightfoot'] is another player that jumped onto my radar this past season. On offense, Lightfoot lines up on the outside at receiver where he has shown very reliable hands and impressive contested catch ability. He has also shown the speed to pick up yards after the catch. Lightfoot finished this past season with 21 receptions for 371 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. He also played a key role on defense this past season, finishing the year with 33 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. Brayden doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1176972"],"_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 ATH on my 2026 “Stock Watch” list is [player_tooltip player_id='1176972' first='Kay' last='Sharp'] from Newport. Sharp has dangerous speed which he sues to pose as a deep threat at receiver on the outside. He finished his sophomore season with 27 receptions for 380 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Sharp also made an impact on defense at corner where he showed tremendous ball skills, coming away with four interceptions. He also finished the season with 37 tackles and two tackles for loss. Kay doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f8b9cf21bdf"} /-->