2026 Rankings Update 6.0: DB

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2495","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6876a7b2d9aba"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head deeper into the month of July, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, we have entered a new round of rankings updates in the state of Kentucky, with the class of 2026 being the latest class to be updated. Now that these rankings have been posted, I have been breaking down our updated Top 275 by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turner my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the front seven already taken care of, here our top defensive backs 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":["1326126"],"_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-6876a9967955f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326126' first='Hank' last='James'] has made his case as one of the best players in the entire state in his class over the past couple seasons. James lines up at safety where he is very reliable in zone coverage, showing the ability to read the quarterback and flow through coverage quickly to put himself in position to make a play. When the ball is thrown in his direction, he has shown the ability to react to make a play on the ball, coming away with one interception and several pass breakups in 12 games as a junior. He has also shown the ability to read the run and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field, finishing this past season with 41 tackles and one tackle for loss. James also caught a touchdown pass as a junior. Hank currently holds several Power 4/Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow heading into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401928"],"_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-6876aabc70417"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401928' first='Stone' last='Perkins'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to impress as a junior. Perkins lines up on the outside at corner where he is very impressive in zone coverage. He does a great job of reading route combinations then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. Perkins finished last season with one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, and multiple pass deflections in 15 games. He also finished the year with 32 tackles and one tackle for loss, and made a huge impact on offense at receiver, catching 23 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns. Perkins is committed to Ball State where I can see him making an early impact once he gets there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401701"],"_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-6876b4a38b33a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401701' first='Corey' last='Warner'] is another 2026 defensive back who has been high on our radar for a while now. Warner lines up on the outside at corner where he has shown the ability to lock down his receiver in man coverage. Corey plays with a ton of physicality, showing the ability to jam and redirect receivers with ease at the beginning of their routes. He has also shown the speed to run with receivers to mirror their routes and the ability to react with perfect timing to make a play when the ball is thrown his way. Warner finished his junior year with one interception and multiple pass breakups in 12 games. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, finishing the year with 34 tackles and two tackles for loss. Corey is committed to UMass where I expect him to be a key addition to their secondary once he gets there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1326127"],"_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-6876b5ebba125"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326127' first='James' last='Briscoe'] spent most of his time at safety as a junior but he has shown the versatility to line up at corner as well. He has proven to be very reliable in zone coverage, showing the ability to read the quarterback and route combinations then flow through the secondary accordingly. When the ball is thrown in his direction, Briscoe has shown the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play, coming away with a team-high four interceptions in 13 games as a junior, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also finished this past season with 42 tackles and one tackle for loss, and made an impact on offense at receiver, catching nine passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. James currently holds offers from UT Martin, Austin Peay, Western Illinois, and Eastern Kentucky, 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":["401927"],"_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-6876b8a0da314"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='401927' first='Steron' last='Davidson']. Davidson is a versatile defensive back, showing the ability to line up on the outside at corner and in the slot at nickel. He is very dependable in zone coverage, showing the ability to sit in his zone and read route combinations then break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. Davidson finished his junior year with one interception and multiple pass breakups in 11 games. He has also shown the ability to mirror receivers' routes in man coverage and support the run, finishing this past season with 28 tackles and one tackle for loss. Steron has also proven to be a dangerous returner on special teams and made an impact on offense at running back as a junior, carrying the ball 22 times for 202 yards and a touchdown. Davidson is committed to Austin Peay where I can see him developing into a key member of their secondary. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->