Lexington 2026s to Watch: Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head into the month of March, the 2025 high school football offseason is in full swing! As we head into a new season, I wanted to take some time to preview some incoming seniors across the Bluegrass state, starting in the city of Lexington. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are some players from the city of Lexington to watch in the class of 2026 on the defensive side of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1562264"],"_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-67c8caed0be0f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1562264' first='John' last='Luke Minner'] is a player who jumped onto my radar with a strong junior season. He is dangerous off the edge as a pass rusher. Minner explodes out of his stance and has shown the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease. He finished this past season with 12 sacks in 15 games. John Luke has also shown the ability to stop the run, finishing his junior year with 40 tackles and three tackles for loss. Minner currently holds offers from Coastal Carolina and Georgia State, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971511"],"_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-67c8cc9cc7ccb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971511' first='Mac' last='Darland'] is a player who has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out this past season. Darland lines up at inside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys then coming downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier and make the tackle before they can get going. Mac finished his junior year with 79 tackles and two tackles for loss in 14 games. Darland also finished the year with one sack and made an impact on offense, finishing the season with 49 carries for 331 yards and six touchdowns. Mac doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up heading into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1176935"],"_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-67c8ce46f3163"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1176935' first='Brady' last='Wasik'] is another 2026 linebacker who has been high on my radar for a while now. He is coming off a strong junior year in which he accounted for a team-high 96 tackles along with four tackles for loss in 13 games. Wasik has impressive versatility, showing the ability to play inside the box and stop the run while also being able to come off the edge as a pass rusher. Brady finished this past season with 1.5 sacks and also came away with two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also playing a key role on offense as a junior, throwing three touchdown passes while also scoring two rushing touchdowns and catching three touchdown passes. Brady doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should be paying close attention to heading into his senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1635095"],"_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-67c8cf5b7123e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1635095' first='Jack' last='White'] is another member of the Lexington Catholic defense to keep an eye on heading into the 2025 season. He is an impressive pass rusher off the edge, finishing this past season with three sacks and several quarterback pressures in 13 games. White has the strength to fight through blocks with ease on his way to the quarterback and has also shown the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. He has also shown the ability to use his high motor to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field against the run, finishing his junior year with 50 tackles and five tackles for loss. White doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch heading into his final season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1635093"],"_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-67c8cf5b71297"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable 2026 defensive prospect to watch in the city of Lexington this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1635093' first='Jacob' last='Konate']. Konate lines up at corner where he is very reliable in coverage. He has shown the ability to drop into his zone and read route combinations to put himself in a good position to make a play on the ball. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a great job of reacting with perfect timing, coming away with three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) in 10 games as a junior. He has also shown the ability to provide support against the run, finishing this past season with 23 tackles. Jacob doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->