Western KY 26s to Watch: ATH

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we enter the month of July, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, I wanted to take some time to highlight some incoming seniors in specific areas of the state of Kentucky. To continue these series, I have been taking the past week to highlight some incoming seniors at each position in Western Kentucky. After already covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, I will now wrap things up with some notable ATH in the class of 2026 in Western Kentucky who make an impact at multiple positions .</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971497"],"_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-686358d934cb3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971497' first='Isaiah' last='Martin'] is one of the top ATH in the state in his class. On offense, Martin lines up at receiver where he is a dangerous playmaker in the open field. Once he has the ball in his hands, Martin has the speed to run away from the defense and elusiveness to make defenders miss. Isaiah finished this past season with 46 receptions for 718 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games, and also scored one rushing touchdown. On defense, Martin lines up at safety, where he is a true ballhawk in the secondary, coming away with a team-high five interceptions as a junior, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also showed the ability to come downhill and provide run support, finishing the season with 103 tackles and one tackle for loss, while also coming away with half a sack. Martin currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, UT-Martin, and Murray State, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Division I caliber prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1176946"],"_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-686358d934d16"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1176946' first='Mak' last='Hoover'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now and continued to impress last season. Hoover is a dangerous deep threat at receiver, showing the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing defensive backs with ease to create separation. He has also proven to be dangerous after the catch, using his speed and elusiveness in the open field to turn short passes into big gains. Mak finished his junior year as his team's leading receiver, catching 44 passes for 733 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games. He also made an impact on defense last season, finishing this year with 38 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Mak currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State, and Indianapolis, and I expect more to come his way 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":["401921"],"_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-686358d934d5e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401921' first='Malik' last='Kirby'] is another talented two-way player from Mayfield. On defense, Kirby lines up at corner where he is very reliable in pass 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. Kirby finished this past season with a team-leading six interceptions in 12 games, returning one for a touchdown. He also finished the year with 37 tackles and three tackles for loss. Malik has also proven to be an electric playmaker on offense, using his speed and elusiveness in the open field to break away for a big play at any given moment. Kirby finished his junior year with 42 receptions for 674 yards and nine touchdowns, and also proved to be a dangerous returner on special teams. Malik recently picked up his first offer from Georgetown (KY) and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1176943"],"_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-686358d934d9f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1176943' first='Aden' last='Bolden'] is a player who stood out to me with a strong junior year. He did most of his damage on offense where he is a very impressive ball carrier out of the backfield. Bolden has explosive speed which he uses to burst through the running lane then run away from the defense on long runs. When defenders are able to catch up to him, he has shown the contact balance to break tackles without losing stride. Bolden finished this past season with 184 carries for 1,439 yards and 13 touchdowns in 11 games. He also caught four passes for 46 yards and threw two touchdown passes as a junior, and also made an impact on defense at outside linebacker, finishing the year with 62 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and half a sack. Bolden doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should have their eyes on this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971503"],"_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-68635a0278919"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable 2026 ATH to watch in Western Kentucky this season is [player_tooltip player_id='971503' first='Miles' last='Edge']. As a junior, Edge led his team in rushing with 81 carries for 764 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. Edge has impressive vision as a ball carrier, showing the ability to find open running lanes and hit them in a hurry. Once he hits the open field, he is a very shifty ball carrier, showing the ability to make quick cuts to make defenders miss. He also played a key role in the passing game last season, catching 32 passes for 338 yards and six touchdowns. Miles also played a key role on defense as a junior at linebacker, finishing the year with 99 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and an interception. Edge currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I expect a lot of eyes to be on him as a senior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->