Eight Man Gems: Class Of 2027 Tackle Leaders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The eight-man ranks are filled with defensive prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at five athletes from the eight-man ranks who finished with at least 70 tackles during their sophomore seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Kraft,</strong> DL.OL, 6'1”, 205, Kinsley, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kraft finished his sophomore season with 113 tackles in nine games. Nine of his tackles resulted in lost yardage. His quickness gets him to the quarterback as he recorded six quarterback sacks and 14 quarterback hurries. He forced two fumbles and recovered four for the Coyotes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616077' first='Matt' last='Hamm-Jones'],</strong> LB, 5'10”, 170, Solomon, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Solomon's linebacker recorded 94 tackles in nine games. He finished with four TFLs and one interception. &nbsp;He played running back for the Gorillas and rushed for 533 yards and seven touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1544827' first='Austin' last='Swonger'],</strong> QB/DB, 5'10”, 155, South Barber, &nbsp;‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Swonger is a gifted athlete who plays multiple sports. He recorded 85 tackles in seven games. He made two interceptions and forced two fumbles. He took snaps for the Chieftains and passed for over 1,200 yards and 28 touchdowns. He rushed for 654 yards and 13 touchdowns. Swonger is ranked No. 210 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Garen Cantrell,</strong> DB, 5'8”, 140, South Barber, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cantrell collected 77 tackles for the Chieftains. He grabbed an eye-popping total of six interceptions. He was a true ball hawk breaking up five pass attempts, forcing two fumbles, and recovering another. Offensively, he rushed for 173 yards and five touchdowns, while making 24 catches for 512 yards and nine touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115929' first='Ian' last='Reece'],</strong> ATH, 6'0”, 170, Hodgeman County, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reece is a two-way athlete who posted solid numbers for the Longhorns. He collected 71 tackles in 10 games. He was a playmaker on defense with three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He gained over 1,000 total yards for the Longhorn's offense. He finished with 601 yards passing 415 yards rushing, and 59 yards receiving. He scored 10 touchdowns on the ground and threw nine more. Reece is ranked No. 120 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->