2026 Rankings Update 5.0: Defensive Line

<!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_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-680eb3356c171"} /--></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- 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 will now turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with our top defensive linemen 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":["971538"],"_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-680fd4dd8ea9c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971538' first='Josiah' last='Hope'] has continued to establish himself as one of the top overall players in the state in his class. Hope has the versatility to play both defensive tackle and end, but he is at his best on the interior. He is dominant against the run, using the strength to fight through blocks in a hurry followed by the speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Hope finished his junior year with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 11 games. He is also impressive as a pass rusher, showing an impressive bull rush and pass rush moves, finishing this past season with seven sacks. Hope currently holds multiple Power 4 offers and I expect more to come his way going into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1264301"],"_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-680fd4dd8eb18"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1264301' first='Sam' last='Dawson'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to impress as a junior. Dawson lines up at defensive end where he is very reliable against the run, finishing this past season with 60 tackles and eight tackles for loss in 11 games. He does a great job of reading the play then shedding blocks quickly. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Sam also showed the ability to make plays against the pass, finishing this past season with one sack and an interception. Dawson is committed to Louisville where I can see him developing into a productive defensive lineman at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401709"],"_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-680fe2047b102"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401709' first='Jackson' last='Whitten'] is another defensive end who has been high on our radar for a while now. He had a dominant junior year against the run, finishing the season with 82 tackles and 30 tackles for loss in 12 games. Whitten is a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive tackles, using his combination of strength and speed to fight straight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle. Whitten also finished this past season with 9.5 sacks and served as his team's quarterback, throwing for 683 yards and nine touchdowns while also scoring one rushing touchdown. Jackson currently holds offers from Penn and Cornell, 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":["283960"],"_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-680fe2047b167"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"> [player_tooltip player_id='283960' first='Cole' last='Rose'] is another defensive lineman who has continued to impress over the past few seasons . He lines up at defensive end where he is dominant against the run. Rose is very explosive out of his stance, using his speed to blow by opposing offensive linemen to shoot into the backfield before they can block him. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of finishing his tackles quickly. Cole finished this past season with 82 tackles and 17 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also finished the year with two sacks. Rose currently holds offers from Army,Air Force, Eastern Kentucky, Penn, and Columbia, and I expect more to come his way 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":["1284466"],"_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-680fe3d5f0b08"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1284466' first='JJ' last='Goodman']. Goodman lines up at defensive end where he is very disruptive against the run. He uses his strength to either drive straight through or shed blocks quickly. Once he sheds the block, he has shown the speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Goodman finished his junior season at Mercer County with 60 tackles and three tackles for loss in 10 games. He has also shown the ability to bull rush straight through opposing offensive tackles to put pressure on the quarterback. Goodman doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect a lot of eyes to be on him after transferring to Boyle County for his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->