2026 Summer Defensive Linemen Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the month of June, we always give our rankings a fresh update and add more players to each class. We kicked off our <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2028-rankings/">ranking update series with the 2028 class</a></strong>. Last week, we continued with the 2027 class, ranking the top 125 juniors going into the 2025 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our 2027 rankings <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2027-rankings/">RIGHT HERE</a></strong>. And this week, we finished up the ranking update with a brand new 2026 ranking, featuring the <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2026-rankings/">Top 200 2026 prospects in Oklahoma</a></strong>. Following each ranking update, we also dive into the rankings and talk about the players that are standing out and what makes them among the best in their class. Earlier this week, we put out a breakdown on the <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/2026s-top-five-stock-risers/">top five stock risers</a></strong>, followed by the <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/2026s-top-five-newcomers/">top five newcomers</a></strong>. In this breakdown, we're putting that spotlight on the defensive line position, breaking down six of the top guys at the position in the latest update. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more 2026 prospect breakdowns!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1179991' first='Tajh' last='Overton'] - Owasso</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owasso standout [player_tooltip player_id='1179991' first='Tajh' last='Overton'] is one of the more dominant football players in the state and we're looking forward to seeing what that looks like this fall. Overton quickly emerged a little over a year ago as one of the state's top overall prospects and not just along the defensive line. Overton is your prototypical defensive tackle that just spends the entire game wrecking shop on the line of scrimmage. Last week, Overton would become the latest 2026 in-state prospect to commit to Oklahoma State. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402371' first='Colton' last='Yarbrough'] - Durant</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There aren't many 2026 prospects in the state that have been more widely known since their freshman year than [player_tooltip player_id='402371' first='Colton' last='Yarbrough'] at Durant. Before his freshman season even began, Yarbrough was already on the radar as a young prospect with a ton of potential. He's continued to grow and develop and he eventually committed to Arkansas, a program that was one of his first offers. Yarbrough checks just about every box from a prototypical edge rusher. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284115' first='Jae'Lin' last='Battle'] - Edmond Santa Fe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edmond Santa Fe's [player_tooltip player_id='284115' first='Jae'Lin' last='Battle'] is looking forward to a 2025 season full of healthy play and production. That's all he needs to finally put everything together. Battle is an absolute monster on the line of scrimmage and we've seen him in person countless times and each time, he's an absolute nightmare for opposing offensive linemen. He's had nagging injuries slow him down but when he's healthy, he's one of the state's best guys on the defensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='467410' first='Nehemiah' last='Kolone'] - Stillwater</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stillwater's [player_tooltip player_id='467410' first='Nehemiah' last='Kolone'] is in a similar position to Battle as he enters this season. As long as Kolone is healthy, he's going to be one of the top edge rushers in the state this season. Last year, Kolone got off to a slow start because of nagging injuries but when it comes to his game as a prospect, he's still one of the best in the state. He's an incredible talent and absolutely wears out opposing offensive linemen with his high energy and ability to attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607343' first='Tripp' last='Alexander'] - Putnam City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, Putnam City had another D1 prospect on their front seven that would get a lot of attention. [player_tooltip player_id='1607343' first='Tripp' last='Alexander'] came out and had a breakout junior season and it was clear that he was one of the state's best interior defensive linemen in this class. We got another chance to watch Alexander in person a month ago and he was one of the more dominant players there. He causes absolute chaos on the line of scrimmage and impacts the game in a variety of ways. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1539931' first='Lebron' last='Royal'] - Carl Albert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carl Albert's [player_tooltip player_id='1539931' first='Lebron' last='Royal'] was one of the state's most productive defensive linemen during the 2024 season. At this time last year, we didn't know much about Royal but it didn't take long. We caught the Titans early during their championship run and Royal was one of the best players on the field. And that included multiple OU signees and the team's all time leading tackler. Royal belonged in that group and he goes into this season as one of the top guys at the position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>COMPLETE DEFENSIVE LINEMEN RANKINGS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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":"2486","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6862df0916974"} /-->