2026 Rankings Update 5.0: Offensive Stock Risers

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. To kick things off, here are some notable offensive stock risers in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='1584313' first='Cash' last='Harney'] caught my attention quickly with an impressive junior year. This past season, Harney completed 86/148 passes for 1,303 yards, 13 touchdowns, and two interceptions in 14 games. Harney has a strong arm which he is able to use to stretch the field in the deep passing game. He also has impressive accuracy, showing the ability to hit his receivers out of their breaks with ease. While he has shown some promise as a passer, he is even more impressive as a ball carrier as he has the speed to break away for big gains at any given moment when running the read option or on designed quarterback runs. He finished this past season as his team's leading rusher with 150 carries for 1,476 yards and 19 touchdowns. Haney doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to continue to watch heading into his senior year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1175799' first='Luke' last='Ballard'] climbed up our rankings in a hurry with a very strong junior year. He finished this past season with 267 carries for 2,019 yards and 26 touchdowns in 14 games. Ballard explodes out of his stance and hits the running lane in a hurry then shows the strength and contact balance to run straight through defenders with ease. Once he hits the second level, he has also shown the speed to run away from the defense. Ballard also caught nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown as a junior. Luke currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky and Kentucky State, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.     [player_tooltip player_id='1489400' first='Cavalli' last='Pittman'] had a season to remember as a junior, leading the entire state in rushing with 318 carries for 3,174 yards and 40 touchdowns in 12 games. Pittman has dangerous speed which he uses to burst through the running lane then run away from the defense on long runs. When defenders are able to catch up to him, he has shown the strength to break tackles with ease without losing stride. Pittman surprisingly doesn't hold any offers yet but he will definitely have a lot of eyes on him this upcoming season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1655653' first='Nate' last='Shields'] caught my attention with some very impressive junior year film. He lined up mainly at left tackle this past season but has shown the versatility to play inside at guard as well. Shields is a true mauler in the run game, exploding out of his stance then driving his man down the field through the whistle. He finishes his blocks with a ton of physicality, resulting in frequent pancake blocks. Shields is also reliable in pass protection, keeping a strong base while absorbing contact, not allowing for my penetration into the pocket. Nate currently holds offers from Butler, Southern Mississippi, and Southeast Missouri State, and I expect more to come his way going into his senior season.     My final notable offensive stock riser in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky is [player_tooltip player_id='1176921' first='Carson' last='Bugg']. Bugg lines up at left tackle where he is a dominant run blocker. He does a great job of running his feet through contact to create movement off the line of scrimmage with ease. Carson has also shown the ability to pull from the tackle spot and pick up blocks in the open field. In pass protection, he has shown the footwork to mirror opposing pass rushers off the edge along with the ability to fight with his hands to defeat pass rush moves. Bugg recently picked up his first offer from Rhode Island and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level.

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. To kick things off, here are some notable offensive stock risers in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.