Rankings Update: New Class of 2025 Defensive Linemen

We have added several new defensive linemen across the state of North Carolina to our latest Class of 2025 Rankings. Take a look at the entire Defensive Line group here, and then stick around to read some evaluations on some of our newly ranked defensive linemen across the state!     With Zion's size and speed off of the edge, he is the prototypical EDGE pass rusher that college coaches are looking for in major supply. Zion's first step as a pass rusher is very dynamic, which is a major reason NC A&T recruited him to their school. I had a chance to speak with Zion recently about a number of topics.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1817325809914310834 </div></figure>     Cole has been a player I've been very impressed with since the middle of last season. There was a highlight where he chased down a wide receiver 30 yards ahead of him as a defensive tackle. Ever since then, his athleticism, speed, power, and overall drive have made him a highly desirable prospect. Cole performed well at a camp I attended in December, and he has committed to play college football at James Madison University.     Garrison is another player I had a chance to see live at a showcase in the late spring. At the same showcase, Garrison received an on-the-spot offer from Gardner-Webb University. Garrison also had several other offers before deciding to commit to the Navy to play college football. Garrison is a very good pass rusher off the edge who also displays good strength and block-shed ability to stop the run.     William is definitely known for being a run-stopping nose tackle as a defensive lineman. William is an extremely hard worker in the weight room and received his first offer to play college football from Emory & Henry in the late spring. William also sports a 3.5 GPA. William I think will showcase some ability this season to push the pocket as a bull rusher in pass-rushing situations - and interior pressure is so important in today's spread football attacks.     Currently with offers from Emory & Henry and Hampden-Sydney, Nick is starting to garner some well-deserved recruiting attention. At his size, Nick has the physical ability to play defensive end or outside linebacker on the college level. As a pass rusher, I love Nick's quickness off the ball and his hand usage. Nick also does a good job on securing the edge in the run game and forcing outside runs back to the inside of the defense.     Tyler currently has offers from Charlotte and Bethune-Cookman to play college football, and I think he deserves even more recruiting attention. In watching his highlight film, Tyler shows positional versatility to play on the edge at defensive end or inside at defensive tackle. I like how Tyler uses his hands to shed offensive linemen in both the run game and in his pass rush. With a strong start to the season, I suspect Tyler will have some more colleges inquiring about him playing at the next level.     In looking at Josh's film, I like the fact that he shows both the ability to play defensive end or defensive tackle, dependent upon the scheme his is playing under. Josh shows a strong two-hand punch at the snap to disengage from an offensive lineman's block and pursue the ball carrier or rush the passer. Josh also shows some good athleticism to play down the line and make plays on outside runs, taking good pursuit angles and showing good technique in making tackles.

We have added several new defensive linemen across the state of North Carolina to our latest Class of 2025 Rankings. Take a look at the entire Defensive Line group here, and then stick around to read some evaluations on some of our newly ranked defensive linemen across the state!