2026 Defenders Offenses Have to Watch Out For This Fall

Our 2026 class is filled with talented defenders from all over the state. Today, we are looking at a few dominant defenders who are set up for huge seasons next season.   Be sure to keep an eye on them this fall, it's going to be exciting watching them play out their senior seasons!    [player_tooltip player_id='1625575' first='Shondell' last='Harris'] is a highly athletic prospect out of Mary Montgomery who lined up and made a ton of plays on both sides of the ball at RB, QB, and DB last year. Harris is extremely fast and plays with a ton of speed wherever he's lined up- on defense, he flies around the field and can come up with a ton of plays against the run and pass. Harris is terrific out in coverage- he isn't easily beat downfield, has impressive closing speed, and does a great job tracking the ball and using his hands to come up with pass breakups and interceptions. Harris is also dominant against the run- he flies through blockers and has great pursuit skills, consistently hunting down and taking down the ball carrier near or behind the line of scrimmage. Harris was a huge factor on both sides of the ball last season, completing 103/169 passing attempts for 1416 yards and 15 touchdowns, rushing for 692 yards and 8 touchdowns, and racking up 49 total tackles (27 solo, 6 for loss), and one interception/4 PBUs on defense. With how well he played last fall, Harris has seen his recruitment open up a lot this offseason, picking up offers from Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville State, and more. Check out his film below, he has a ton of talent and deserves more eyes!      [player_tooltip player_id='1625583' first='Kejiaun' last='Johnson'] is a dominant DB out of Woodlawn who is coming off a great season last fall, making huge plays out in his team's secondary against some talented offenses. At 6'2 175, Johnson has great size and athleticism he uses to come up with huge stops against the run and pass. In coverage, Johnson is terrific over the top- consistently shutting down WRs deep downfield, tracking the ball, and coming away with huge interceptions. Johnson is also a great run defender, he flies downfield, is great at filling in lanes, and can deliver some huge hits to the ball carrier near or behind the line of scrimmage. It's seriously impressive watching how easy it is for Johnson to make plays from sideline to sideline- he's a rangy DB with a ton of speed and pursuit skills who is capable of making plays anywhere on the field. Johnson made a ton of plays for his defense last fall, finishing the season with 27 total tackles (17 solo, 3 for loss), multiple interceptions, and one forced fumble. Since the season's end, Johnson has received collegiate attention from some great programs, picking up offers from Ole Miss and Troy over the last few weeks. Be sure to watch Johnson's tape below, he's a seriously talented DB set up for a huge senior season this fall!      [player_tooltip player_id='1625588' first='Keshaun' last='Johnson'] is a dominant SS/OLB out of Parker who was a huge piece of their defense last fall, making massive plays against the run and pass all throughout their state title run. Johnson is a dominant run defender- he is excellent at using his speed to work around blockers and get to the ball carrier, no matter where he lines up pre-snap. It's seriously impressive how easy it is for him to fly to the ball and when he does, good luck- he is excellent at tackling and can also deliver some massive hits to the ball carrier, coming away with huge stops all around the field. Johnson is just as productive against the pass- he is excellent in man coverage, has great ball skills, and can generate tons of pressure and sacks as a blitzer. Since the end of last year, Johnson has picked up offers from WKU, UT Martin, and soon to be plenty more. I am seriously impressed with Johnson's tape- he's incredibly versatile and can do so many things well defensively and is set up for a huge year for Parker this fall. Be sure to watch him below!      [player_tooltip player_id='1625598' first='Monroe' last='Partin'] is a dominant EDGE/ILB prospect out of Bayside Academy who racked up tons of tackles against every team they faced last fall. Partin is a dominant run defender- he's excellent at reading and reacting to plays, fights off blocks with ease, is great at closing up rushing lanes at the line of scrimmage, and has the tackling skills to wrap up and take down several different RBs for little to no gain. Bayside is equally as productive on passing downs- he's excellent at blitzing off ball, using several different kinds of moves to work his way around OL and pressure/take down the quarterback. Two things that seriously stood out to me with Partin's tape were his strength and ability to destroy blocks, and how well he closed in and made plays from across the field on the ball carrier. Partin put up some absolutely ridiculous numbers last fall- ending his dominant junior season with 208 total tackles (114 solo, 6 for loss), 2 sacks, 3 hurries, and one interception. With production like that, teams have taken notice of Partin's potential at the next level- he picked up an offer from UAB a few weeks back, and it's certainly not going to be his last. Be sure to watch his tape below, it's well worth the watch, he made a ridiculous amount of plays last fall.      [player_tooltip player_id='1314954' first='Demetrius' last='Wilson'] is a dominant DT/NG out of Jackson who made a massive impact on his team's DL on their state title run last fall. It took one single play from Wilson's tape for him to have a fan in me- he is an absolutely dominant force up front that can completely ruin an offensive line's day. Wilson is massive and gets ridiculous penetration every down, no matter what offenses are trying to do. He gets off the line incredibly fast, has violent, quick hands, and completely overwhelms offensive linemen with his combination of speed and power. It's insane how well Wilson takes on blockers- he commands so much attention up front and still finds ways to work into the backfield and make tackles for loss. After watching his tape, I think Wilson might be one of the best run defenders in the entire state- he is a complete game wrecker up front with tons of potential at the next level. Wilson was unstoppable up front for Jackson last season, ending his year with 81 total tackles (50 solo, 20 for loss), 4 sacks, 8 hurries, and one forced/recovered fumble. Wilson is a monster in the trenches, and teams at the next level have started taking notice- in the past few weeks, he's picked up offers from Toledo, Troy, and plenty of others. With how well they played last season, Wilson and this Jackson team are going to be a must-watch program this fall- in the meantime take a look at Wilson's film, there is so much to like with a prospect like this!

Our 2026 class is filled with talented defenders from all over the state. Today, we are looking at a few dominant defenders who are set up for huge seasons next season.