Who are the best Defensive Tackles in the Class of 2026?

I'm about halfway through my Defensive Line evaluations for the upcoming rankings update. This year, we have a handful of very good interior defensive players.   These evaluations come straight from my college coach-only spreadsheet. This rankings Excel spreadsheet serves as my go-to for sorting out rankings and having all of my evaluations in one place. Right now, these five players are my top 5 DTs in the class, in no particular order.    Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Moves incredibly well for a DT</li>   <li>Great push-pull, swim moves</li>   <li>Explosive</li>   <li>Impressive motor</li> </ul>   Weaknesses   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Short arms*</li>   <li>Few instances of great power or anchor - A little short for some colleges </li> </ul>   Division 1 defensive tackle. Doesn't have the frame/size of the B1G/SEC guys, but has incredible agility for his size and position. Can shed just about any High School guard. Does not allow runner to gain extra yards. Way better stamina than most DTs. Just like all the other D1 ranked guys, Richard is undersized, but still has very good potential as an interior defensive lineman.      Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Large tackle radius</li>   <li>Splits gaps + a lot of TFLs</li>   <li>Good speed rusher on interior</li>   <li>Looks athletic</li> </ul>   Weaknesses   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Low play variation. Not many true pass rushes or run stops where he's even touched</li>   <li>Most highlights he's untouched</li>   <li>Above average but not great getoff</li> </ul>   Sharp is a tough eval. I honestly need to watch a full Roseville game to get a great evaluation. Not much highlight variation. Good getoff but not great. Good tackle radius. Pretty agile for a DT. Similar tape to Stewart but way less variation.      Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Year-by-year improvement</li>   <li>Got better throughout this season</li>   <li>Gets off ball very quickly</li>   <li>Slips away from blocks, finds ball carrier, tackles inside run (good IQ)</li> </ul>   Weaknesses   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Not very athletic or explosive</li>   <li>Unproven pass rush</li>   <li>Lack of a great pass rush / block shed move</li> </ul>   Jones Jr has improved every year I've watched him. Now at East Kentwood, he just had a much-improved season, and he looked better as the season went on. Coached very well. Knows how to fill a gap, slip away from a block, and make a tackle. VERY fast reaction time getting off the ball, but not explosive. Great reaction time still allows him a free ride into the backfield a lot. D2.      Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Advanced block shedding for size</li>   <li>Great swim move</li>   <li>Dives for tackles (good effort)</li>   <li>Above average agility for size</li>   <li>Has shown improvement each and every year in high school</li> </ul>   Weaknesses   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Not very explosive</li>   <li>Not as agile as my D1 graded DTs in the class</li>   <li>Lack of explosivity causes problems when rushing passer or stopping outside run</li> </ul>   Jaquan has shown significant improvement every single year that I've watched him. Really seems to have trained hard. Still, not as polished as the other DTs who (I suspect) have better coaching (Roseville/King very good programs, Ypsi is not). That said, Miller has an excellent swim move and is able to cut off inside run lanes as well as any. He's strong enough to resist being moved, especially when he already has an angle. With excellent coaching perhaps at a D2 school, Jaquan could improve significantly.      I JUST wrote about Max a couple of times, but he's very deserving of inclusion in this article. Even though he doesn't line up inside a ton, that is where he'll probably be asked to play in college (or place him at LB)   Again, here's my evaluation from my spreadsheet.   Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Elite effort and tenacity (I do not say this lightly)</li>   <li>Two-way player</li>   <li>very physical</li> </ul>   Weaknesses   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Short arms*</li>   <li>Struggles keep legs moving while rushing</li>   <li>Played 5-tech which almost certainly won't be his position in college</li>   <li>Relentless effort but sometimes gets himself out of position on run plays- every play looks like a pass rush</li> </ul>   Whoever gets Max will be getting a very high-floor player. Excellent physicality and effort on both sides of the ball. Several offensive plays where he's driving a defender back 5+ yards before pancaking. Several defensive plays showcasing excellent motor and playing through the whistle.   Watched in-person against Groves. Teammates looked up to him, he was a little vocal, but way more of a leader by example. By far the most physical player on Seaholm. Looks big and strong. Played at least until whistle on every play.   A low D2 evaluation. Would be an excellent fit for a lot of schools. Gut says he'll end up going D3.

I'm about halfway through my Defensive Line evaluations for the upcoming rankings update. This year, we have a handful of very good interior defensive players.