2027 Rankings Update 5.0: EDGE

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2027","_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-688289f2776c6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2025 high school football season quickly approaching, we are currently in another new round of rankings updates. The most recent class to be updated in the state of Kentucky is the class of 2027. With our new Top 150 posted, I have been breaking these rankings down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned 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 2027 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1610711"],"_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-688289f279d25"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1610711' first='Sebastian' last='Blue'] earned the top EDGE ranking in the state in his class with a strong sophomore season. Blue is very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher, using his burst of speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease. He does a great job of finishing at the quarterback, finishing this past season with seven sacks in 14 games. Blue also showed the ability to use his speed to shoot gaps and strength to fight through blocks to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle against the run, finishing his sophomore year with 21 tackles and two tackles for loss. Sebastian currently holds offers from Appalachian State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Southern Mississippi, and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way over the next couple seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1200562"],"_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-68829183a8434"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1200562' first='Cooper' last='Benke'] has been on our radar since his freshman year and continued to impress last season. Benke is very reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play then use his speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Cooper has also proven to be an effective pass rusher off the edge, using impressive pass rush moves to defeat blocks on his way to the quarterback. Benke currently holds offers from Middle Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as his role continues to grow. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1200563"],"_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-688291e4d4364"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Right behind Cooper in our rankings is his brother, [player_tooltip player_id='1200563' first='Griffin' last='Benke']. Benke does a great job of defending the run, showing the ability to use his strength to fight through blocks with ease then use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. He is also very reliable as a pass rusher, showing the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge along with the strength to bull rush straight through them on his way to the quarterback. Griffin currently holds an offer from Middle Tennessee State and I expect more to come his way as he continues to develop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["871920"],"_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-68829529ccded"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='871920' first='Austyn' last='Lawless'] has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out as a sophomore. He is dominant against the run, finishing this past season with 100 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 14 games. Austyn does a great job of stacking blocks while seeing where the ball is going then shedding them with ease once he finds the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle. He has also shown the ability to use his speed to his advantage off the edge to put pressure on the quarterback, finishing his sophomore year with 10 sacks. Lawless also recovered three fumbles and returned one of them for a touchdown last season. Lawless doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect a lot of eyes to be on him heading into his junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1610655"],"_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-68829673372da"} --> <!-- 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 2027 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1610655' first='Sean' last='Hurry']. Hurry is a very impressive pass rusher off the edge, using his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease while showing the bend to dip down and avoid being blocked. He does a great job of finishing at the quarterback once he gets there, finishing his sophomore season with nine sacks in 12 games. Sean has also shown the ability to stop the run, showing the physicality to fight through blocks with ease along with the speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. He finished this past season with 74 tackles and 21 tackles for loss. Hurry doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should have on their radar this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->