2026 Rankings Update 5.0: Defensive Backs

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2495","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-681140ea35c55"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we near the end of April, the 2025 high school football off-season is in full swing! With that being said, we have begun another round of rankings updates for the state of Kentucky, starting with the class of 2026. Now that these rankings have been updated, I have been breaking them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line, edge defenders, and linebackers already taken care of, here are our top defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1326126"],"_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-681140ea3879f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326126' first='Hank' last='James'] is a player who has quickly climbed up our rankings over the past couple seasons. He lines up at safety where he is very reliable in pass coverage. James is a true ball hawk in the secondary, sitting back in his zone and reading the quarterback then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play once it is in the air. Hank finished his junior year with one interception and several pass breakups in 12 games. He has also shown the ability to fill the lane and provide support against the run, finishing this past season with 41 tackles and one tackle for loss. James also played a role on offense, catching one touchdown pass as a junior. Hank currently holds multiple Power 4/Division I offers and I expect more to come his way 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":["401928"],"_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-681141c22b7b7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401928' first='Stone' last='Perkins'] climbed up our rankings following a strong junior year. He lines up a corner where he has shown the ability to thrive in both zone and man coverage. In zone coverage, he does a great job of reading route combinations and putting himself in position to make a play. When playing man, he has shown the ability to open up and run with opposing receivers to mirror their routes. Perkins came away with one interception in 15 games last season and returned it for a touchdown. He also finished the year with 32 tackles and one tackle for loss, and made an impact on offense at receiver, catching 23 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns. Perkins is committed to Ball State where I can see him developing into a key piece of their secondary once he gets there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401701"],"_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-6811433c2a6c2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401701' first='Corey' last='Warner'] is a player who has been consistently high on our radar for a few seasons. Warner lines up at corner where he locks down his side of the field in man coverage. He has the speed to mirror opposing receivers' routes with ease and great reaction skills, breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. Warner finished his junior year with one interception and several pass breakups in 12 games. He also finished this past season with 34 tackles and two tackles for loss. Corey currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect more to come his way as he is a very talented prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1326127"],"_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-6811450d18944"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326127' first='James' last='Briscoe'] is another defensive back who has been high on our radar for a while now. Briscoe is a versatile player who can be moved all over the secondary, taking reps at both corner and safety over the past few seasons. He has very impressive ball skills, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing and attack it at its highest point when it is thrown his way. Briscoe finished this past season with a team-high four interceptions in 13 games, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also finished his junior year with 42 tackles and one tackle for loss, and played a key role on offense at receiver, catching nine passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. James currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I can see more coming 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":["401927"],"_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-681149f90ab2f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='401927' first='Steron' last='Davidson']. Davidson lines up at corner where he is very reliable in zone coverage. He does a great job of sitting in his zone and reading route combinations then flowing through the secondary to put himself in a position to make a play. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a great job of reacting with perfect timing, finishing this past season with one interception and several pass breakups in 11 games. He also finished this past season with 28 tackles and one tackle for loss, and scored one rushing touchdown on offense. Steron also showed some special teams value as he is a very dangerous kickoff returner. Davidson currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way heading into his senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->