New Defensive Additions to the 2026 Top 100

Code PRZWV30 for 30% off your subscription!   The 2024 WV high school football season has completed and now it's time to spotlight the 2026 class with the winter rankings update. Here are the new defensive prospects who were added to the Top 100 rankings.    Huntington has a talented 2026 defensive line class and [player_tooltip player_id='1538857' first='Braxton' last='Mount'] adds to that after a strong junior season for the Highlanders. Mount is a long but still lanky athlete with the frame to add significant size that'll raise his ceiling further. He's still very much raw but exudes potential as a DE prospect given his length and athleticism. Even while being a bit lighter, Mount got consistent penetration to disrupt passers and shutdown outside runs with his long wingspan. Once his weight catches up to his length, Mount has the potential to be a top defensive lineman in this class.      We got film of 2026 Nitro LB [player_tooltip player_id='1343744' first='Antonio' last='Lerose'] for the first time this season and the junior linebacker impressed us. Lerose played with a broken hand for most of the 2024 season and still managed to total 91 tackles, 9 TFLs, and 2 interceptions for the Wildcats. He'll be battling several of his teammates in a talented linebacker group next season for the top of the stat sheet, but Lerose may just have the highest ceiling out of all of them. He has the size, athleticism, and instincts to be one of the top linebackers in the 2026 class with college attention coming.      [player_tooltip player_id='894673' first='Takiem' last='Drake'] showed flashes on the Cougars' freshman team two years ago and finally showed what he can do on the varsity team this season. He's an athletic linebacker who can cover a lot of ground quickly and an athlete who can line up at a variety of spots. Drake is a natural pass-rusher who can bend around the edge and will also stretch out outside runs. He has the athleticism to drop into coverage as well and will continue to make strides in that aspect of his game.      2026 Spring Valley prospect [player_tooltip player_id='971539' first='Marcus' last='Lewis'] has the body to transform into a variety of positions at the next level but will debut as a defensive lineman in the WV rankings. Lewis was highly thought of by our Kentucky site before transferring across the border to West Virginia this season for the Timberwolves. His best football is ahead of him and growing into an offensive tackle is entirely possible in time, and Lewis could be recruited as such. Lewis may even look more natural in his OT reps on film but 6'5 220 gives him strong DE or DT potential.      2026 Woodrow Wilson DL [player_tooltip player_id='897574' first='Jamarques' last='Manns'] has limited film available right now but is definitely a name to know in this class. A full-season highlight tape may have placed him much higher, but Manns will make his debut in the 2026 rankings as a Top 10 defensive lineman. A flip to the offensive line is also very possible in a future update as Manns is a talented two-way player for the Flying Eagles. We're betting on Manns to put more on film in the future as he's clearly a big strong and athletic lineman prospect with a lot of potential.      2026 Princeton DL [player_tooltip player_id='1237592' first='Riley' last='Bell'] is in the same boat as someone with limited film available right now but shows flashes in what's available. Bell claimed an offer from Dartmouth recently and has a high ceiling depending on how his body continues to develop. He's in the 6'6 390 range and is obviously a massive athlete that colleges can work with and develop. The good news is Bell isn't just a stone wall that can't move and was very good at blowing up inside runs in his limited film available. His length, size, and wingspan will serve him well once he spends a couple of years in a college strength and conditioning program whose best football is way ahead of him.      We're ranking 2026 University prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1324951' first='Jack' last='Byrer'] as a LB although most of his film is at quarterback. He did some good things behind center for the Hawks as one of three players who saw time there last season but is likely best suited for linebacker at the next level. Injuries also played a factor last season, but Byrer has the size and athleticism to develop into a very good linebacker prospect in time. At 6'3 205, Byrer has the ideal size for the position and even played with his hand in the dirt at times this season with EDGE potential as well. You can tell he's a quality athlete from his running highlights at quarterback, especially when fully healthy which will bode well for his LB upside.

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