2026 Rankings Update 3.0: Defensive Backs

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2495","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b13e50937c5"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we enter the month of August, the 2024 high school football season is almost here! With that in mind, another round of rankings updates is currently in progress. After already covering the class of 2025, we have now moved on to the class of 2026 with a new Top 150 update being officially posted. Now that this update has been published, I will be taking the next week or so to break down the rankings by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive linemen and linebackers already being taken care of, here our top defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401701"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b13e509524f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401701' first='Corey' last='Warner'] established himself as the top defensive back in the state in his class with a strong sophomore season. Warner lines up at corner where he is very impressive in man coverage. He does a great job of opening up and running with receivers to mirror their routes then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Warner finished last season with one interception and several pass breakups in 12 games. He also finished the year with 47 tackles and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Warner currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401928"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b13e50952b7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401928' first='Stone' last='Perkins'] is a very player who jumped onto our radar quickly this offseason. He has been very impressive in the camp circuit this summer to follow up some strong sophomore year film. Perkins lines up at corner where he does a great job of reading the quarterback and route concepts in zone coverage to put himself in a position to make plays. He has also shown the ability to open up and run with receivers in man coverage. Perkins finished last season with 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, and an interception in 12 games. Stone currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky and Miami (OH), and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1326126"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b147ab0c7ee"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326126' first='Hank' last='James'] is a player who stood out to me when breaking down sophomore year film. He lines up at safety where he is very reliable in coverage. James does a great job of reading the quarterback and route combinations then covering a ton of ground to make plays on the ball. Hank has also shown the ability to fill the lane in a hurry and make tackles against the run. James currently holds offers from New Mexico State and Massachusetts and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber safety prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1326127"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b147ab0c867"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326127' first='James' last='Briscoe'] is another defensive back who jumped onto my radar when breaking down sophomore year film. Briscoe lines up at corner where he is very impressive in both man and zone coverage. He does a great job of reading route combinations then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. James currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play corner at the Division I level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971494"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66b147ab0c8ab"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='971494' first='Quilshaun' last='Baines']. Quilshaun lines up at safety where he is very reliable in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play, finishing his sophomore season with three interceptions in 12 games. Baines has also shown the ability to fill the lane and make tackles against the run. Quilshaun currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect at safety.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Players Included in Top 150:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='971495' first='A'Davion' last='Dale'] (Shelby County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='1175779' first='Kendell' last='Buck-Barber'] (Newport)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='401715' first='Juelz' last='Davila'] (South Oldham)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='401927' first='Steron' last='Davidson'] (Male)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='1175778' first='Brayden' last='Lynch'] (Owen County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='971492' first='James' last='White'] (Fern Creek)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12. [player_tooltip player_id='971493' first='Malique' last='Smith'] (Fairdale)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13. [player_tooltip player_id='1176971' first='Monte' last='Hairston'] (Frankfort)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14. [player_tooltip player_id='1264305' first='De'Andre' last='Watkins'] (Christian County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->