2028 Rankings Release: Defensive Line

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2028","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2406","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddbd73ebfe8"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we get deeper into the month of March, the 2025 high school football season is in full swing! With that in mind, we will now be beginning another round of rankings updates. To kick off this round of updates, we have released our first rankings for the class of 2028. With these rankings being officially posted, I will be taking the next week or so to break them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I will now turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with our top defensive linemen in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638814"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddc03900c91"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1638814' first='Kellan' last='Hall'] established himself as one of the top overall players in the state in his class with a dominant freshman year. Hall showed the ability to play both defensive tackle and end, but mainly lined up at tackle. He was very impressive against the run this season, showing the ability to explode out of his stance then use his speed to shoot the gap and get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they could get going. Hall finished his freshman year with 61 tackles and 21 tackles for loss in 13 games. He also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the season with two sacks. Kellan currently holds several Power 4/Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow over the next few years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638818"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddc03900ce9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1638818' first='Brody' last='Cherry'] is another member of the CAL defensive line unit who had a strong freshman year. Cherry lines up at defensive tackle where he causes a ton of disruption against the run. He has shown the ability to use his strength to stack and shed blocks with ease then use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Cherry is a very reliable open field tackler. Brody finished this past season with 57 tackles and 17 tackles for loss in 15 games while also recording two sacks. Cherry doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect his recruitment to start heating up heading into his sophomore year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638820"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddc425dd807"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1638820' first='Logan' last='Meredith'] is a player who caught my attention with a solid freshman year. He lines up at defensive end where he has proven to be very reliable against the run. Meredith does a great job of stacking his blocks then reading the play quickly to find the ball carrier. Once he sees where the ball is going, he sheds blocks quickly then uses his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle in the open field. Meredith finished his freshman year with 35 tackles and eight tackles for loss in 11 games. He also showed the ability to get to the quarterback, finishing the year with two sacks. Logan doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1299937"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddd4737e256"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1299937' first='Julian' last='Smith'] is another defensive lineman who stood out to me as a freshman. Smith lines up at defensive tackle where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of exploding out of his stance then using his strength to power straight through opposing offensive linemen on his way to the ball carrier. Smith has proven to be a very reliable tackler once he gets to the ball carrier, finishing this past season with 47 tackles and seven tackles for loss in 12 games. He has also shown the ability to rush the passer, finishing his freshman year with two sacks. Smith should definitely be a player to keep an eye on heading into his sophomore year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["952928"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ddd4737e2af"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five defensive linemen on the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='952928' first='Kolin' last='Baker']. Baker played in mainly a reserve/JV role this past season but he shows some promise when watching his freshman year film. Kolin lines up at defensive end where he very reliable as a pass rusher, showing the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Against the run, Baker does a great job of reading the play then fighting through blocks to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Kolin should be a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop over the next few years .</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->