2025 Rankings Update 3.0: Defensive Stock Risers
In this article:
As we get deeper into the 2024 high school football off-season, another round of rankings updates have started to come out for the state of Kentucky. In the rankings update for the class of 2025, there was a lot of…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAs we get deeper into the 2024 high school football off-season, another round of rankings updates have started to come out for the state of Kentucky. In the rankings update for the class of 2025, there was a lot of movement in a very talent-rich class. With that being said, I wanted to take a look at some of the risers in the class that caught my attention after looking back at the rankings update. After covering the offensive side of the ball, here are some notable stock risers in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky on the defensive side of the ball.
Mattox Kelly Mattox Kelly 6’5″ | 230 lbs | DL Beechwood | 2025 State KY is a player that jumped onto our radar with an impressive junior year. Kelly lines up at defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher, showing the ability to use his strength and pass rush moves to defeat blocks on his way to the quarterback. He has also proven to be reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and shed blocks quickly then use his speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency to make the tackle. Mattox is committed to Illinois State where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defensive line once he gets there.
Highlights
Dereon Crowe Dereon Crowe 6’1″ | 190 lbs | LB Owensboro Catholic | 2025 State KY is a player that climbed up our rankings following a strong junior season. Crowe lines up at outside linebacker where his is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. Crowe finished this past season with 64 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 13 games. He also finished the year with three sacks and made an impact on offense, scoring six rushing touchdowns and catching five touchdown passes. Dereon currently holds offers from Illinois State and Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as a lot of eyes should be on him after transferring to Owensboro Catholic.
Blake Evans Blake Evans 5’11” | 220 lbs | LB Bell County | 2025 State KY is a player that jumped into our rankings after an impressive junior year. Evans lines up at inside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier and make the tackle before they can get going. Evans finished this past season with a team-high 138 tackles along with four tackles for loss in 15 games. He also finished the year with one interception and made an impact on offense, scoring three rushing touchdowns and catching one touchdown pass. Blake 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.
Jamison Brown Jamison Brown 6’1″ | 205 lbs | LB Apollo | 2025 State KY is another linebacker that cracked our rankings following an impressive junior year. Brown lines up at outside linebacker where he does a great job of defending the run. Jamison reads his keys quickly and then takes great angles to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. He finished this past season with a team-leading 90 tackles along with one tackle for loss in 11 games. Jamison doesn’t currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.
My final defensive stock riser in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky is Braylon Moss Braylon Moss 6’2″ | 185 lbs | DB Lexington Christian Academy | 2025 State KY . Moss has a strong junior year at corner for LCA. He is very reliable in man coverage, showing the ability to open up and run with receivers to mirror their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a good job of reacting with perfect timing to make a play. Braylon finished this past season with two interceptions and several pass breakups in 13 games. He also showed the ability to provide run support, finishing the year with 19 tackles and one tackle for loss. Moss hasn’t received any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received a good amount of college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.