2026 Rankings Update 6.0: EDGE

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"5926","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68756fb6d0370"} /--> <!-- 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 defensive line already taken care of, here our top edge defenders 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":["283954"],"_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-68756fb6d21d6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='283954' first='Baron' last='Hardesty'] continued to prove that he is the top edge defender in the state in his class with a very impressive junior year. He was dominant off the edge as a pass rusher, finishing the season with 15 sacks in 11 games. Hardesty has the speed to run right by opposing offensive tackles but has also shown the strength to bull rush straight through them on his way to the quarterback. He has also shown the ability to stop the run, using his high motor to run sideline to sideline to make tackles in the open field. Baron finished this past season with 61 tackles and 20 tackles for loss. Hardesty currently holds several 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":["1562264"],"_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-687571194e34e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1562264' first='John' last='Luke Minner'] jumped onto our radar with a strong junior year. He is a very impressive pass rusher off the edge, using his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease on his way to the quarterback. Minner has also shown the ability to bend and dip below blocks on stunts to avoid being blocked when shooting the inside gap. John Luke finished his junior year with 12 sacks in 15 games. He also finished this past season with 40 tackles and three tackles for loss. Minner currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1175815"],"_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-687572048d5d1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1175815' first='Malik' last='Coburn'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to impress as a junior. He was dominant against the run this past season, finishing the year with 92 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss in 15 games. Coburn is explosive out of his stance and has shown the speed to burst into the backfield before the opposing offensive line has a chance to block him. He has also shown the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier and is a very reliable tackler in the open field once he gets there. Coburn has also proven to be reliable as a pass rusher, using his strength to bull rush straight through opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. He finished this past season with 9.5 sacks. Coburn currently holds offers from Southeast Missouri State, UT-Martin, Missouri Southern, and Indianapolis, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber talent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1236577"],"_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-6875739aacd3a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1236577' first='Xander' last='Contreras'] is another edge defender who continued to stand out as a junior. He was very impressive against the run, finishing the year with 72 tackles and one tackle for loss in 11 games. Xander does a great job of using his strength to fight blocks with ease on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he runs his feet through contact to secure the tackle and not allow any extra yards to be gained. Contreras currently holds an offer from Memphis and I can see more coming his way as he has received a strong amount of college interest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1584363"],"_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-6875767a5b3d7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five edge defenders in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1584363' first='Bo' last='Gay']. Gay is impressive off the edge as a pass rusher, showing bend to avoid blocks and the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. He does a great job of finishing at the quarterback once he gets there, finishing his junior year with nine sacks in 15 games. Gay also showed the ability to stop the run as a junior, finishing the season with 40 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Bo recently picked up his first offer from the Citadel and I expect more to come his way going into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->