2026 Rankings Update 5.0: Defensive Stock Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the month of April is coming to an end, the 2025 high school football offseason is in full swing. With the being said, we have begun a new round of rankings update, starting with the class of 2026. After already covering the top players at each position, I wanted to focus on some players outside of the top five at their position who saw their ranking rise in the latest update. With the offensive side of the ball already taken care of, here are some notable defensive stock risers 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":["971494"],"_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-68128e232e5e0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971494' first='Quilshaun' last='Baines'] is a player who has been on our radar for a while now and has continued to climb up our rankings over the past couple seasons. Baines lines up at safety where he is very impressive in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and flowing through the secondary to put himself in a good position to make a play on the ball. Baines finished this past season with two interceptions in 11 games, returning one of them for a touchdown. He has also shown the ability to provide support against the run, finishing his junior year with 21 tackles and one tackle for loss. Baines currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky 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":["1513801"],"_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-68128e232e641"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1513801' first='AJ' last='Paul'] is a player who caught my attention with a strong junior season. He lines up at defensive end where he is a dangerous pass rusher off the edge. Paul is able to use his speed and quick pass rush moves to his advantage off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease. He finished his junior year with seven sacks in 11 games. Paul has also proven to be reliable against the run, finishing this past season with 56 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. AJ doesn't currently hold any offers but he should definitely be a player for college coaches to have on their radar this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401688"],"_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-68128e232e688"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401688' first='Andrew' last='Ferguson'] is another defensive linemen who climbed up our rankings in our recent update. He lines up at defensive tackle where he is very reliable against the run. Ferguson does a great job of using his strength to stack and shed blocks effectively on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler, finishing this past season with 77 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 13 games. He has also shown promised as a pass rusher, using a strong bull rush to fight straight through blocks on his way to the quarterback. Ferguson finished his junior year with four sacks. Andrew doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1655632"],"_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-68128e232e710"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1655632' first='Rocco' last='Huffman'] is a player who jumped onto our radar with a strong junior year. He lines up at linebacker where he is dominant against the run, showing the ability to read his keys quickly then use his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Huffman finished this past season with a team-high 132 tackles and 11 tackles for loss in 12 games. Rocco also finished the year with 8.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles, returning one of them for a touchdown. Huffman doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to continued to watch 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":["1655633"],"_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-68128e232e775"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable defensive stock riser in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky is [player_tooltip player_id='1655633' first='JoaQuinn' last='Drake']. Drake lines up at corner where he is dominant in man coverage. He has shown the ability to open up and run with receivers to mirror their routes with ease. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a great job of fighting across the intended receiver to break up the pass. Drake finished this past season with 15 pass breakups and didn't allow a single touchdown all seasons. He also finished his junior year with 32 tackles and two tackles for loss. Drake doesn't currently hold any offers but he definitely deserves some attention from college coaches heading into his final season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->