2026 Summer Rankings Defensive Stock Risers

The 2026 rankings have grown to 250 total prospects in the state of West Virginia, with many previously ranked athletes seeing a bump in their rankings. After a summer of getting out to camps and new college offers, here are the defensive players who made the biggest jumps in the rankings update.    After a highly successful junior campaign and summer of college prospect camps, 2026 Nitro DL [player_tooltip player_id='866256' first='Xavier' last='Patterson'] moves up two spots to #8 overall and maintains his #1 DL ranking. He's garnered D1 attention this year, picking up FCS offers from Morgan State, Elon, and Mercyhurst. Another strong senior season should open doors to G5 opportunities for Patterson, as he has the ability to play at that level in our eyes.     Capital's [player_tooltip player_id='1139000' first='Jamal' last='Dotson'] has had a strong showing at various college camps this summer and moves up to #2 in the defensive back rankings for the 2026 class. The Cougars now hold the Top 2 DB spots in our rankings, with classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1138997' first='Damian' last='Johnson'] holding onto the #1 spot. Breaking it down positionally, Dotson would be the top safety prospect in the state for 2026 and is rapidly developing heading into his senior year. There's still room for growth, but the potential for D1 looks is there for him this fall.     One of the most underrated players in the state of West Virginia for the 2026 class, in our eyes, is Woodrow Wilson DL [player_tooltip player_id='897574' first='Jamarques' last='Manns']. He's yet to post an offer to his X account, but is a name that colleges around the state and region need to get in on ASAP. Manns is a physical specimen who could play on either side of the line at the next level with a high ceiling for both. He has a D1 ceiling with his size, power, and athletic upside.     2026 Morgantown DB [player_tooltip player_id='1139034' first='Zaiiden' last='Lockett'] made a big jump in the rankings from outside of the Top 100 to inside of the Top 40 and the #3 DB spot. We're expecting him to build on his successful junior season with an even better senior year. Lockett is versatile with where he can line up on defense, primarily in the box OLB/S last season for the Mohigans. That made it difficult to evaluate him in coverage, but Lockett certainly has the athleticism and ability to execute that aspect of the position, too.     Getting to see 2026 Spring Mills DB Hope Boke in person earlier this year at camp was eye-opening for us. Previously ranked as a WR, touches were limited in the Cardinals' explosive receiver room last season, which didn't tell the full story of Boke's ability. His potential as a safety at the next level is very high based on watching him compete in 1-on-1s and shutting down his man on seemingly every rep that we caught. Bokwe is a large athlete with the frame to add further significant size once he's in a college program and can take his game to new heights.     Another Capital Cougar who we are high on heading into his senior year is 2026 LB/EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1139359' first='Jakori' last='Clark']. He has a lot of potential at either position at the next level, depending on how much his body develops in a college program. Clark has an athletic build with good size, which makes him versatile in what you can ask him to do. He holds just one offer from WV State according to his X account, but is deserving of many more this season.     Martinsburg's [player_tooltip player_id='895913' first='Terrell' last='Cofield'] has opened eyes this summer and is primed for a breakout year for the Bulldogs as a senior. He's waited patiently for his turn as a full-time starter behind some very talented player in their linebacker group the past few seasons. From a physical build standpoint, Cofield is one of the best-looking athletes in the state with a well-developed physique. He brings a quality wrestling background to the football field and has the potential to be another stock riser after his senior season, with a larger sample size of game film.     Another Morgantown DB who rose in our rankings was [player_tooltip player_id='1605281' first='Jayden' last='Smalls'], who should have a very good season for the Mohigans. He showed a lot of potential as a junior with his first real football action after being primarily a basketball player. His ceiling as a football prospect is very high with natural ability at defensive back. Smalls being green as a football player should make him even more intriguing to colleges, as he has the upside to develop significantly at the next level with more experience.     2026 Chapmanville LB [player_tooltip player_id='1139377' first='Preston' last='Kovach'] looks the best he has yet heading into his senior year. He picked up offers from Charleston and WV State this summer and has developed well in the weight room. Kovach has great size for the position at 6'2 230, and looks the part of a college middle linebacker prospect. He has the upside to climb even higher in the rankings after seeing his senior film and will add to his list of offers this fall.     Getting to see 2026 Wheeling Park LB [player_tooltip player_id='894628' first='Isaac' last='Sands'] in person earlier this summer made us realize we had him ranked too low. He's made waves as a wrestler this winter, but has a lot of football upside too as a prospect. Sands had a very productive junior campaign for the Patriots and will be a leader on their defense this season. He's a safety prospect who's comfortable patrolling the back end of the defense with the physicality to get downhill in the run game, too. Sands is currently unoffered according to his X account, but that will change this fall for both sports.     We also got to see 2026 Parkersburg South DB [player_tooltip player_id='894769' first='Derek' last='Sandy'] at our PRZ Combine Series camp earlier this year, where he impressed. He's another safety prospect who is continuing to develop in coverage, but is an excellent run-stopper. Seeing him in person, Sandy is physically impressive for his size with a wrestling background as well, which is apparent in his style of play and physical build. He posted his first offer from D3 Mount St.-Joseph, but is worthy of D2 looks in our eyes as a highly productive player for the Patriots.     [player_tooltip player_id='1475994' first='Landon' last='Crane'] will be suiting up for the Princeton Tigers this fall after coming over from Bluefield and should have a very strong senior year for them. He's someone we had too low in our last update and still has the potential to climb higher once we see his senior film. Crane has a great frame for a college LB prospect and quality athleticism to utilize. He should have a standout year for the Tigers this fall and be a great addition to their program.     2026 Martinsburg DB [player_tooltip player_id='1605272' first='Mason' last='Walley'] got sidelined with an injury last season, but was on pace for a very good year for the state champions. A fully healthy senior season will allow him to climb higher in the rankings, which we anticipate him doing with a bump beforehand. He'd benefit from added size, which he'll do at the next level, but Walley has the athleticism and ability to garner D2 looks this fall at a program that will have a lot of eyes on them yet again.     2026 Keyeser LB [player_tooltip player_id='1139378' first='Grayson' last='Lambka'] was previously too low in our ranking and may prove again that he still is this season. We saw him in person earlier this summer at the Fairmont State Prospect Camp, which proved we had him ranked too low. He's still growing into his body as a linebacker prospect, but Lambka has high-quality athleticism to build around and allows him to be versatile in how he's used at the position.

The 2026 rankings have grown to 250 total prospects in the state of West Virginia, with many previously ranked athletes seeing a bump in their rankings. After a summer of getting out to camps and new college offers, here are the defensive players who made the biggest jumps in the rankings update.