Arkansas High School Football Spring Watchlist: 2026 DBs

<p>We wrap up our spring watchlist with the defensive backs. Off-season training and weight room activities are active. Spring football and college camps are approaching. This report evaluates their 2024 season and current off-season development, highlighting six DBs from the class of 2026 to watch this spring.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1092086' first='Pleas' last='Gray'] is a prospect to keep an eye on this spring due to his solid size and skills in the secondary. He demonstrates solid diagnostic abilities, enabling him to quickly locate the football. His fluidity and awareness on the boundary allow him to read and react effectively to plays. Gray can change direction smoothly, which helps him stay close to receivers without giving them much room for separation. He consistently arrives at the catch point, making it difficult for receivers to secure the ball and often forcing PBUs or INTs.</p>   <p class="text-gray-700">Note – 3.0 GPA</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pleasgray2026/status/1832464791882887335 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1633263' first='Noah' last='Gamble'] may not have the ideal frame, but he possesses the work ethic you desire in a prospect. In addition to playing safety, he excels on special teams. His relentless motor enables him to cover the entire field, allowing him to chase down ball carriers from sideline to sideline. His impressive effort makes him a player to keep an eye on this spring.</p>   <p>Note - 3.0 GPA</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/NoahGamble3994/status/1888026041182212463 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401204' first='Matthew' last='Ferguson'] is a player to watch in 2025. He possesses an ideal frame and good athletic ability in the secondary. He displays solid read and react ability, allowing himself to transition and attack the football quickly. He's a ball hawk, consistently putting himself in a position to make a play on the ball. Ferguson demonstrates a good sideline-to-sideline motor against both the pass and run.</p>   <p>Note - 3.0 GPA</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Matthew74084836/status/1888751496264929771 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1455283' first='Marques' last='Thorns'] is an athletic prospect with the necessary physicality at the point of attack. He has a solid sideline-to-sideline motor and takes effective angles when pursuing ball carriers. Additionally, Thorns demonstrates good footwork and fluid backpedaling, which allow him to flip his hips effectively during transitions. He also showcases solid read-and-react skills, along with good change of direction, balance, and burst, enabling him to arrive at the catch point in time to force a PBU.</p>   <p class="text-gray-700">Note – 3.5 GPA</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/marques_thorns/status/1867089100374708699 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1530132' first='Decoria' last='Clemons'] is a prospect I expect to excel in the spring and throughout 2025. He is a hard-hitting safety with a sideline-to-sideline motor. Clemons displays solid read-and-react ability, attacking downhill against the run with good angles and physicality at the point of attack or arriving at the catch point to force a PBU or INT. He excels in zone coverage (knows how to play the ball and over the top) and has the speed to stick with his opposition in man coverage. </p>   <p>Note - Multi Position Athlete</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ClemonsDecoria </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1220864' first='Joshua' last='Gillette'] is an athletic defensive back and a prospect to watch this spring. He demonstrates solid hip fluidity, allowing him to transition effectively and stay inside the receiver's hip pocket. Gillette also possesses good recovery speed. In run defense, he showcases solid angles and physicality at the point of attack to chase down ball carriers.</p>   <p class="text-gray-700">Note – 3.7 GPA</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JoshGillette_2 </div></figure>

We wrap up our spring watchlist with the defensive backs. Off-season training and weight room activities are active. Spring football and college camps are approaching. This report evaluates their 2024 season and current off-season development, highlighting six DBs from the class of 2026 to watch this spring.