Underrated Defensive Linemen Across the State

We are seeing offers going out to players across the state. From the FBS level to the D3 level, dozens have come across the timeline on X. With all the excitement from this flurry of activity it had me wondering who is becoming a steal at each position? Or who is proving to be even more of a stud than we thought? So today we are going to look at the Class of 2026 primarily, and then wrap things up with a look at a couple underclassmen that recruiting staffs are going to want to get on their radars early on. Let's dive into the defensive line to start this series out!    The first defensive lineman that comes to mind when writing this article is SJCA's [player_tooltip player_id='948106' first='Sincere' last='Williams']. The junior DL is a high impact trench athlete who has tape demonstrating his ability to win in a variety of ways. It is impressive watching the 6'1" 255 lbs athlete play the DE position. Sincere does really well of playing with a high motor that lead to a lot of big plays on second efforts, counter moves, or chasing down the ball out in space. It is also very noticeable how strong he is from his hands to his lower body, bull rushing and ripping his way through offensive linemen. Sincere also shows that he can win with hand fighting technique such as his push-pull move. Definitely get eyes on this junior.      Ellis is a super intriguing. athlete in the Class of 2026. He brings coveted length to the DE position at 6'4"/6'5". That long frame is very lean right now, allowing for plenty of space to add size and strength at the next level. Timothy does so well winning with speed, quickness, and agility. The junior is fast off the line and can make OTs miss with their initial strike as he cuts laterally and then accelerates through the gap into the backfield. Timothy also does well getting skinny as he dips his shoulder to get through gaps. Timothy is only going to get more disruptive as he gets bigger and stronger, opening up even more ways for him to beat OLs.      Listed at an impressive 6'3" 260 lbs, Corey's frame looks like it has so much room to continue to pack on size that will help him be a force on the interior. Despite the bigger frame, Corey has a lot of highlights where he is winning with his athleticism. With his ability to get off the line quickly, to be able to dip his shoulder, or with balance and ability to move laterally while attacking the IOL. Brown also has clips showing that he can hold his ground with power while finding the ball in the backfield and then showing the upper body strength to shed the OL off him and get to the ball. I love the potential within Corey. His best football is ahead of him.      Don't overlook the 2026 DL out of Kaukauna. Mike has highlight reel plays at essentially every alignment a dl could have. From nose guard in a 3 man front to DE in a 4 man front. The 6'1" 260 lbs junior offers a balanced skill set. He can take on blocks and control the line of scrimmage while his LBs fill behind him. Or you will see him spring into the backfield and pressure the QB all on his own with his quickness. I really like the high football IQ that he shows as well. He is quick to feel pressure, fight across it or fly through gaps when his man pulls away from him. The big man is a disruptive athlete up front that more need to get their eyes on.      We will have to update our size for Ty as he is currently listed at 6'5" 295 lbs on his Hudl, and I believe it when the tape starts. The big man is a force in the middle. Ty's power jumps off the tape as he is shedding blocks. His ability to shove an OL completely off of him with one arm shows special power. That power also flashes in a lot of his punishing tackles. Moore is going to be a big riser in our next rankings update because of that size and power. It is also supplemented by solid lateral agility and his ability to play low and with leverage at that size is hard to find. Ty is looking like a massive steal for a program in the Class of 2026. Get on him today.      Moving on to a Class of 2027 athlete that people need to have on their radars today is the dominant [player_tooltip player_id='1620332' first='Deangelo' last='Clay']. Clay is coming off a sophomore season where he won Defensive Player of the Year for the Badger Large Conference. A conference that is one of the best in the state. The sophomore finished the year with an insane 111 tackles, 28 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks in 2024. Once the tape starts rolling you are instantly wowed by his blend of explosive athleticism and power. Clay is quick off the line, has fast and heavy hands, agile in tight quarters, and the underclassman already has several consistently effective hand fighting and pass rush moves. The sophomore is a nightmare matchup because he is able to win in so many ways. The kid seems to always have a plan of attack and executes it perfectly. Big things are ahead of him at the HS level, and I expect it to lead to plenty of options beyond HS as well.      The freshman DL I want to draw attention to today is Reedsburg's [player_tooltip player_id='1618910' first='Landen' last='Knuth']. As a freshman Landen played both sides of the ball on varsity, but today we focus on his DL play. The first big takeaway is how well developed his 6'2" 255 lbs frame is for a freshman. He looks like a grown man on the field. Knuth was able to already do his part in holding the line of scrimmage, and was even able to against offenses that got the trenches flowing laterally. Landen is a solid athlete with tackle to tackle range on top of the size and strength. The freshman looks even better on the offensive side of the ball too. Get eyes on this kid early.

We are seeing offers going out to players across the state. From the FBS level to the D3 level, dozens have come across the timeline on X. With all the excitement from this flurry of activity it had me wondering who is becoming a steal at each position? Or who is proving to be even more of a stud than we thought? So today we are going to look at the Class of 2026 primarily, and then wrap things up with a look at a couple underclassmen that recruiting staffs are going to want to get on their radars early on. Let's dive into the defensive line to start this series out!