2026 Check In- Revisiting Talented Prospects Across the State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Happy Hump Day!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're checking out some of the talented 2026s we haven't covered in a while, and man, these guys have been killing it!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always, be sure to watch their tape below- these guys deserve more eyes!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1603675"],"_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-6809172d0b2b9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1603675' first='Daniel' last='Burns'] is a dominant OL who recently transferred to Benjamin Russell and played incredibly well upfront for Montgomery Catholic the last few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burns is a highly athletic OT who creates huge impacts for his team's rushing and passing attacks. I'm seriously impressed with how well Burns moves at his size- although he's massive, he can easily pull and create some huge blocks on the move at the line of scrimmage and further upfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along with that, Burns has the strength, leverage, and quickness to be a huge asset in pass protection. Last season, he frequently walled off pass rushers to give [player_tooltip player_id='1354216' first='Kingston' last='Preyear'] plenty of time to make huge plays from the pocket, and his arrival at Benjamin Russell is just going to bring more of the same offensive dominance this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burns has seen his recruitment open up over the last year- currently listing offers from Kentucky, North Alabama, and more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out Burns' junior tape below- he's a talented player with a big senior season on the horizon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17654964/66f46895df159f70b39891d1' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-680917f136c71"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1337992"],"_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-6809172d0b312"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1337992' first='Xavier' last='Starks'] is a talented DB out of Clay Chalkville who has brought a ton of talent to his team's secondary over the last few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starks is a hybrid safety who can dominate opposing rushing and passing attacks in a ton of different ways. He's highly instinctual and can read and react to opposing offenses within seconds of the snap, consistently putting himself in great position to impact plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starks is excellent out in coverage- he isn't easily baited by play fakes, doesn't let anyone behind him, and has the ball skills to consistently pick off and break up passes.. Starks is just as good at defending the run- he flies downhill, doesn't shy away from contact, and has great skills in pursuit and as a tackler.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starks committed to Cincinnati a little while back, giving the Bearcats a top-tier safety recruit in their 2026 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watch out for Stark's and this Clay Chalkville defense this fall, they have a huge year ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17734176/673fe98a2e7ac2cc255abe4b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-680917f136cb8"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1211631"],"_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-6809172d0b357"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1211631' first='Henry' last='Smith'] is a dominant DL prospect out of Moody coming off his best season yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith has a huge presence on the defensive line and can produce in a lot of different ways down in the trenches. Against the run, Smith uses his size and strength to eat up tons of space, close down rushing lanes, and work around OL to get his hands on the ball carrier to create stops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith is just as productive rushing the passer. He has violent hands and speed he uses to quickly work around offensive linemen and get to the quarterback, consistently generating pressure, racking up sacks, and forcing bad decisions with the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith made some huge plays for his defense last fall, ending his junior year with 109 total tackles (20 for loss) and 10 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith currently lists offers from Western Kentucky, Liberty, and UAB- watch out for him going forward, I won't be surprised to see more schools reach out to him!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16000568/6755cc1f9006720ed657a912' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-680917f136cf1"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["362729"],"_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-6809172d0b397"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='362729' first='Keilan' last='Jefferson'] is an athletic RB out of Hoover who put together a really impressive season last fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jefferson is an explosive threat out of the backfield who thrives off his vision and patience with the ball. He does a terrific job finding and waiting for rushing lanes/blocks to develop before he takes the ball upfield, helping him consistently rack up great yardage every carry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jefferson also has the speed and athleticism to carve up defenses in the open field- he can make defenders miss and change his direction to create some explosive plays on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jefferson made a bunch of plays last fall, ending his junior season with 70 carries for 357 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, with another 4 receptions for 35 yards through the air.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out some of Jefferson's tape below, he's a talented back with a big senior season ahead for the Buccaneers!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15002519/6728e010c232bc05077229a9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-680917f136d3e"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401091"],"_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-6809172d0b3d5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401091' first='Cruz' last='Lee'] is a dominant EDGE prospect out of Northridge who put together a big junior season last fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6'5 200, Lee has terrific size and athleticism and can completely overwhelm opposing OL in the trenches almost every down. Lee is quick off the snap, has a wide variety of pass rush moves, and can work his way into the backfield to consistently generate pressure and place big hits on the quarterback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lee is just as dominant against the run. He's great in pursuit and frequently wraps up the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage for some huge plays upfront. I'm really impressed with Lee's skill set, he's absolutely going to be a player to watch out for on Northridge's defense this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lee has some great tape from last year you can watch below, he's got a big senior season ahead of him this fall- watch out!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18740120/67452f1a526c3c319c11b007' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-680917f136d7a"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->