My Current Top 2028 DB’s in Tennessee – March ’24

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it comes to the middle school level, figuring who is wide receiver vs. a defensive back or offensive lineman vs. defensive linemen can become very challenging. As they should, most of these athletes play both ways and/or at various positions--making it very difficult to pinpoint a defensive player. From West Tennessee and The Home of the Blues, to Middle Tennessee and the Music City, to East Tennessee and the sounds of Neyland Stadium–there are future gun slingers all over The Volunteer State. Below is a look at some defensive backs, currently in the eighth-grade, that look poised for big things on the high school level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tier 1:&nbsp;On The List</span></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1029798"],"_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":"Farragut's feeder program has had quite the two-year stretch, finishing back-to-back undefeated seasons and going 20-0 in that time, against many of Knox County's future standouts. While the offense on this team is plenty to write about, defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1029798' first='Xavier' last='Bowman'] is an absolute dawg on the outside as a corner. Currently sitting as the judge, jury and executioner of XB Island, Bowman is one that can seat belt the opposition's top option on the outside. After a banner eighth-grade season, Bowman made it very obvious that he was the top defensive back at the Prep Redzone Next Middle School camp in Tennessee, this past January. To dumb it down the best way I can, the elite defensive backs just look and move a certain way at this level. When they get up in the air to go after a ball, they seem to climb invisible steps and reach new altitude; When they catch the ball, they seem to grip it up and snatch it out of the air with attitude. When they hit the field, other people know he's not to be triedu002du002dthat's Bowman. I'm a big fan of everything this dude brings to the table.rnrnFilm: u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17855853/65a2de1f4dec6708583607cau0022u003eu003cstrongu003e8th Grade Filmu003c/strongu003eu003c/au003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1187596"],"_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":"Rucker-Stewart Middle School finished 3-5 this year in a very difficult, Sumer County. The Rams had some very good pieces, but not enough pieces to put it all together in 2023. One of those pieces was defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1187596' first='Christian' last='Gentry'], at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds. Gentry, who also did his thing in the return game, was one of five class of 2028 Rams to earn All-Conference honors this year. Gentry is a good-looking corner that can be left alone on an island because of his speed and ability to make up ground quickly with short strides. Special attention should also be given to his ability to tackle. In an increasingly-pass-happy league where defensive backs are asked to tackle less and less (some of which, I swear close their eyes and pray their close when they attempt a hit) Gentry understands angles and isn't afraid to come up into the box for a nice stick. Look for him at Gallatin next year.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eFilm: u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19758652/64f2c3021600140c6832dbf5u0022u003eu003cstrongu003e8th Grade Filmu003c/strongu003eu003c/au003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1090840"],"_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":"Like [player_tooltip player_id='1029798' first='Xavier' last='Bowman'] listed above, [player_tooltip player_id='1090840' first='Javon' last='Harris'] was part of a very good squad this year with a number of standouts. Oakland Middle School came away with the Rutherford County championship this past season after a double OT championship game with Hollywood ending. While Harris was not named All-County this year, there's little up for debate when it comes to ability. At 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds, Harris is a prospect with speed, athleticism and a ton of athleticism. Recently busting out the froggy's and recording a personal-record of 19'10u0022 in the long jump during during a track meet, there's so much potential here. Harris isn't afraid to come across the field and make a play if he needs to, he's just a rock-solid defensive back at this point.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eFilm: u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19826803/65c59b1cbed7450050ae89bau0022u003eu003cstrongu003e8th Grade Filmu003c/strongu003eu003c/au003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1180187"],"_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":"Like they were with the u003ca href=u0022https://prepredzone.com/2024/03/my-current-top-50-2028-lbs-in-tennessee-march-24/u0022u003e2028 Tennessee Linebackersu003c/au003e, Lipscomb Academy is once again represented while looking at the top prospects at the defensive back position. The versatile [player_tooltip player_id='1180187' first='Camden' last='Henry'] gets the headlines this time, as he's able to play both safety or corner at a very high level right now. Unquestionably a well-liked, and highly-thought-of young man off the field, his ability on the field shines. Blessed with some of the best foot-speed I've been able to see in this 2028 class, he's a johnny-on-the-spot in terms of reaction time and closing in on ball carriers or poorly-throw balls.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1086217"],"_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":"Shipping out to West Tennessee and Decatur County to be exact, [player_tooltip player_id='1086217' first='Gavin' last='Newberry'] is a tough kid at defensive back. Newberry was a West Tennessee All-Star Game selection this year and was one of the starters at corner back. Newberry was one of four athletes from Decatur County Middle School to be selected for the game, all of which started in the contest. Newberry earned the nod as a starter at cornerback, but with the way he tackles, I wouldn't be shocked to see him settle in as a strong safety long term. I say strong safety because of the way he plays the gameu002du002daggressive, hard and unapologetic. I really like the way Newberry comes up and attacks at, and behind, the line of scrimmage. I have questions about his longterm athleticism at the position, but from what I've seen, there's a lot of toughness here. Also a scrappy basketball player, Newberry brings a lot to the table. He'll be at Riverside High School in the fall and will be another shiny piece added to the defense of the defending TSSAA Division 1 Class AA champions. The Panthers went 13-2 a year ago and held their opponents under 10 points seven timesu002du002dthe rich get richer, with Newberry.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["855617"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Rounding out this group of defensive back prospects is Havenview Middle School's [player_tooltip player_id='855617' first='Andrew' last='Robinson']. The Memphis-made defensive back had a monster year for Havenview, as they reached the Memphis Shelby County Interscholastic Athletic Association (MSCIAA) Finals, before falling to Bellevue. Robinson's stats speak for themselvesu002du002d51 tackles in a season less than 10 games, for a player u003cemu003eu003cstrongu003eanywhereu003c/strongu003eu003c/emu003e in the secondary, is impressive. Tack on the 12 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three sacks, etc. and it helps paint the picture of everything the kid they call u0022Baby Primeu0022 is about.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eFilm: u003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://x.com/2028Drew/status/1716238837125415110?s=20u0022u003e8th Grade Filmu003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1086452"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"With the exception of being a few inches taller and also from a bordering County, Lexington Middle School's [player_tooltip player_id='1086452' first='Levi' last='Wilkinson'] is a nearly identical prospect to [player_tooltip player_id='1086217' first='Gavin' last='Newberry'] (listed above) and is one to know coming out of Henderson County in West Tennessee. Wilkinson was one of six eighth-grade prospects selected to the West TN Middle School All-Star Game this yearu002du002dand it didn't take long to figure out why, after watching his tape. Out of the six Minutemen selected for the gameu002du002dtwo of which were linemenu002du002dWilkinson was the second tallest prospect. Now, that doesn't mean much, until you watch him play the safety position. With the way he tackles, he's essentially an extra athletic linebacker on the field. Has the length and decent enough speed to keep the roof down on offense in coverage, but this dude butters his bread with his willingness to come up and hit in run support.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e63881709ac"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tier 4: The Watchlist</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>*Athletes listed alphabetically by last name</em>*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive backs under this tier are prospects that have flashed some ability during their middle school careers and are highly talented. Some of the kids in this tier have received All-County, All-Conference and/or other post-season accolades for what they did during their eighth-grade season. Like I mentioned above, this one of of the tougher positions to evaluate. I may have 10 more defensive backs that I have currently listed as an Athlete – who knows? I may just need to see more of them. For others, there are some questions about size or long term position ceiling. Yet still, some of these guys will be on a different Tier when we update the Watchlist again, because I simply updated watched their film after I submitted this list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1088640' first='Trey' last='Bailey'] | </strong>Gibson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1200976' first='Julian' last='Blakemore'] | </strong>Havenview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Houston Brinegar | </strong>Knox Doss</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1088642' first='Wyatt' last='Brewer'] | </strong>McKenzie</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ethan Brown | </strong>Portland West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1030582' first='Jaden' last='Dale']</strong> | Snowden</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1065975' first='Maxwell' last='Dennis'] | </strong>Riverdale</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ardarius Gillepsie | </strong>Germantown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1200916' first='Larry' last='Hampton']</strong> | Havenview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rashawn Hoosier | </strong>T.W. Hunter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lerenzen Fletcher |</strong> Portland East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1028561' first='Tyler' last='Moberg'] </strong>| Station Camp</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaleb Ridgeway | </strong>Bartlett</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KJ Turner | </strong>Rucker-Stewart</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TJ Webb |</strong> Bartlett</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->