2027 Rankings Update: Defensive Linemen

As we get deeper into the 2024 high school football offseason, another round of rankings updates has been completed in the state of Kentucky. The updated Top 75 for the class of 2027 has been officially posted! Now that these rankings have been posted, I will be taking the next week or so to break them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I will now turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with our top defensive linemen in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='1200573' first='Elijah' last='Luna'] established himself as the top defensive lineman in the state in his class with a very impressive freshman season. Luna lines up at defensive end where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading the play and shedding blocks quickly then using his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Luna finished this past season with 71 tackles and 23 tackles for loss in 11 games. He also showed the ability to get to the quarterback, finishing the season with 10 sacks. Luna doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and will definitely be a player to keep an eye on over the next three years.     [player_tooltip player_id='855755' first='LaMonte' last='Brown Jr.'] is a player who stood out to me when watching freshman year film. He played at Bryan Station as a freshman where he was very impressive as a defensive tackle. As a pass rusher, Brown showed the ability to use speed to shoot the gap before the opposing offensive linemen could react. He finished this past season with two sacks and several quarterback hurries in 10 games. Brown also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the year with 14 tackles and two tackles for loss. LaMonte doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect a lot of eyes to be on him after making the transfer to Frederick Douglass for his sophomore year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1200563' first='Griffin' last='Benke'] is another defensive lineman who caught my attention when evaluating freshman year film. Benke lines up at defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher. He explodes out of his stance and has shown the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. Benke is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. Griffin doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.     [player_tooltip player_id='378838' first='Braylon' last='Thomas'] is a player who has been on our radar for a while now and continued to impress during his freshman year. Thomas has the versatility to play both defensive end and tackle where he is very reliable as a pass rusher. He has shown the ability to use his speed and strength to fight through blocks quickly to get to the quarterback. Thomas has also proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field against the run. Braylon doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.     To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the state of Kentucky in the class of 2027, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1200702' first='Ty' last='Brooks']. Brooks had a solid freshman year at defensive end for Lawrence County. He is very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read the play and fight through blocks quickly then get to the ball carrier to make the tackle in the open field. Brooks has also shown the ability to use his speed and athleticism off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles as a pass rusher. Ty doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to pay close attention to over the next three seasons.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Players Included in Top 75:</h2>   6. [player_tooltip player_id='514005' first='Jaquise' last='Smith'] (South Warren)