2024 Midseason All-State Teams: 4A Defense

As we have reached the end of the month of September, he have reached the halfway point in the 2024 high school football regular season in the state of Kentucky. With that being said, I wanted to take a look back at some of the top players of the first half by releasing my Midseason All-State teams in each class. After covering classes 6A and 5A, I have now turned my attention to class 4A. With the offensive side of the ball already covered, here is my Midseason 4A All-State Defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='1149630' first='Javeon' last='Campbell'] has continued to prove that he is one of the best overall players in the entire state. He lines up at defensive end where he is a nightmare for opposing offensive tackles off the edge as a pass rusher. Campbell has the strength to power straight through tackles and the speed to run right by them on his way to the quarterback. Javeon has seven sacks in five games. He has also continued to show that he can dominate against the run, accounting for 22 tackles and 10 tackles for loss so far this season. Campbell is committed to Kentucky where he can see him developing into a key piece of their defensive line unit.     [player_tooltip player_id='1513805' first='Will' last='Richardson'] is a player who has jumped onto my radar with a very strong start to his senior year. Richardson lines up at defensive end where he is dominant as a pass rusher. He explodes out of his stance and has shown the ability to use his speed off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles. Through five games, he is the statewide leader in sacks with 10. He has also proven to be very reliable against the run with 39 tackles and 15 tackles for loss so far this season. Will doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player to keep an eye on this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1513801' first='AJ' last='Paul'] is another defensive lineman who has caught my attention this season. Paul lines up at defensive end where he is very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher. He has a quick first step out of his stance which he is able to covert into speed to get by opposing offensive tackles with ease. Paul currently has five sacks in five games. He has also proven to be reliable against the run, accounting for 32 tackles and 12 tackles for loss so far.     [player_tooltip player_id='1513806' first='Erik' last='Germann'] has quickly jumped onto my radar this season with a strong start to his senior year. He lines up at inside linebacker where he is dominant against the run. Germann does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry to get to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Germann currently leads his team with 68 tackles and nine tackles for loss through five games. He has also shown the ability to put pressure on the quarterback with two sacks so far. Erik currently holds an offer from Marshall and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.    o    [player_tooltip player_id='335123' first='Logan' last='Smith'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now and has continued to stand out this season. Smith lines up at middle linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading the play quickly then using his speed to run right by opposing offensive linemen to get to the ball carrier and make the tackle in the open field. Logan has a team-high 55 tackles along with four tackles for loss through six games. He also has one sack, an interception, and leads his team in rushing with 93 carries for 462 yards and a touchdown. Logan doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.     Jackson Smith is a linebacker who has jumped onto my radar with a strong start to his senior year. He is very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read his keys and flow downhill to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Jackson currently leads his team with 60 tackles and four tackles for loss through six games. Morris also has one sack, has scored one rushing touchdown, and caught two touchdown passes so far this season. Jackson doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to continue to watch during his senior year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1513809' first='Bryce' last='Moran'] is another player who is off to a hot start to his senior year. Moran lines up at safety where he is very reliable in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and flowing in the secondary to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. When the ball is thrown in his direction, he shows tremendous ball skills, attacking the ball at its highest point to come away with the interception. He is currently the 4A leader in interceptions with four in five games. Moran also has 12 tackle, has caught one touchdown pass, and scored two rushing touchdowns so far this season. Bryce doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to continue to keep an eye on this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='301402' first='Vanzale' last='Hinton'] could've been included on either side of the ball for this Midseason 4A All-State team as he is a dynamic playmaker on both sides of the ball. However, I really liked what I've seen from him on defense at corner. He is very reliable in coverage, especially in zone coverage. Hinton does a great job of reading the quarterback and route combinations then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Vanzale has three interceptions through six games. He has also accounted for nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and has made a huge impact on offense. On offense, he has caught 18 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns while also running the ball 13 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Vanzale is committed to Vanderbilt where I can see him making an immediate impact once he gets there.     To wrap up my Midseason 4A All-State Defense, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1513802' first='De'Ante' last='Grainger']. Grainger lines up at corner where he is very reliable in coverage, showing the ability to read route combinations quickly and put himself in a position to make a play. When the ball is thrown his way, he has shown tremendous ball skills, coming away with three interceptions in six games, returning one of them for a touchdown. He has also shown the ability to provide run support, accounting for 22 tackles so far. De'Ante has also caught seven passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, and returned two punts for touchdowns so far this season. Grainger doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mention</h2>   Defensive Line: Zach Ballard (Western Hills, 2025)   Linebacker: Jackson Hamilton (Rowan County, 2025); [player_tooltip player_id='283962' first='Dalton' last='Matney'] (Johnson Central, 2026)   Defensive Back: Mario Serna (Warren East, 2027); [player_tooltip player_id='283957' first='Cam' last='Estep'] (Corbin, 2026)

As we have reached the end of the month of September, he have reached the halfway point in the 2024 high school football regular season in the state of Kentucky. With that being said, I wanted to take a look back at some of the top players of the first half by releasing my Midseason All-State teams in each class. After covering classes 6A and 5A, I have now turned my attention to class 4A. With the offensive side of the ball already covered, here is my Midseason 4A All-State Defense.