2027 Rankings Update 2.0: Defensive Linemen

As we approach the end of August, the 2024 high school football season is finally here! With that in mind, we are currently in another round of rankings updates for the state of Kentucky. After already updating the classes of 2025 and 2026, the class of 2027 rankings update has now been officially published. With that being said, I wanted to take the next week or so to break down these rankings 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='1272160' first='Malachi' last='Brown'] slides into the top spot amongst our 2027 defensive linemen in the state after transferring to Corbin from Cabell Midland (West Virginia) this offseason. Brown is a physical defensive lineman who is very tough to block. He has shown the strength to drive straight through offensive linemen and shed blocks in a hurry to get into the backfield. Brown has also shown some quick pass rush moves which he uses to defeat blocks with ease on his way to the quarterback. Malachi currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he continues to develop.     [player_tooltip player_id='1200573' first='Elijah' last='Luna'] is a player who jumped onto our radar with a very impressive freshman year. Luna lines up at defensive end where he does a great job of stopping the run, finishing last season with 71 tackles and 23 tackles for loss in 11 games. He is able to use his speed and strength to his advantage, shedding blocks quickly the running down the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Luna has also shown reliability as a pass rusher, finishing his freshman year with 10 sacks. Elijah doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on heading into his sophomore season.     [player_tooltip player_id='855755' first='LaMonte' last='Brown Jr.'] is another defensive lineman who stood out as a freshman. Brown played at Bryan Station last season where he lined up at defensive tackle. He was very disruptive as a pass rusher, showing the quickness to shoot the gap and blow by opposing offensive linemen with ease on his way to the quarterback. Brown was also reliable against the run, showing the ability to stack and shed blocks quickly then get to the ball carrier to make the tackle in the open field. LaMonte doesn't currently hold any offers but should have a lot of eyes on him as he joins a very talented Frederick Douglass program.     [player_tooltip player_id='1200563' first='Griffin' last='Benke'] is a defensive lineman who caught our attention with some impressive freshman year film. Benke is a long, athletic defensive end who is very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher. He is able to use his speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease on his way to the quarterback. Benke has also shown the ability to run sideline to sideline to make tackles in the open field against the run. Griffin doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and should be a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.     To wrap up our top five defensive lineman in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='378838' first='Braylon' last='Thomas']. Thomas is a very versatile defensive lineman who has shown the ability to thrive both inside at tackle and on the outside at end. He is disruptive against the run, showing the ability to use his strength to fight through blocks and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle before they can get going. Thomas has also shown an effective bull rush as a passer rusher which he is able to use to penetrate the pocket with ease. Braylon doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch over the next three seasons.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Players Included in Top 75:</h2>   6. [player_tooltip player_id='1200702' first='Ty' last='Brooks'] (Lawrence County)