Western KY 26s to Watch: DB

<!-- 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 side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line and linebackers already being taken care of, here are some notable defensive backs to watch in the class of 2026 in Western 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-686351bb8c634"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1326126' first='Hank' last='James'] is the best defensive back in the entire state in his class. James lines up at safety where he is very impressive in coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback then flowing through the secondary accordingly to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. When the ball is thrown his way, he has shown an impressive ability to react with perfect timing to make a play, coming away with one interception and several pass deflections in 12 games as a junior. He has also shown the ability to use his closing speed to fill the lane to make tackles against the run, finishing this past season with 41 tackles and one tackle for loss. James also caught a touchdown pass last season. Hank currently holds multiple Power 4/Division I offers and I expect more to come his way this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1176958"],"_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-686351bb8c6c4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1176958' first='Nicholas' last='Sims'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out as a junior. Sims lines up at safety where he is very dependable in coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Sims finished his junior year with two interceptions in 13 games, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also finished this past season with 46 tackles. Sims currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I can see more coming his way going into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1584302"],"_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-686352a599291"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1584302' first='Nolan' last='Winstead'] is a player who stood out to me when evaluating junior year film. He lines up at corner where he is very impressive in man coverage. Winstead does a great job of mirror receivers' routes the reacting with perfect timing to either knock the pass away or come away with an interception. He finished his junior year with one interception and several pass breakups in 12 games. Winstead also finished this past season with 35 tackles and one tackle for loss, and threw a touchdown pass. Nolan doesn't currently hold any offers but I wouldn't be surprised to see some come his way soon as he has received some college interest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1697792"],"_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-68635378dc2a4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final notable 2026 defensive back to watch in Western Kentucky this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1697792' first='Jude' last='Cecil']. Cecil lines up on the outside at corner where he is at his best in man coverage. He does a great job of mirroring receivers' routes then breaking in front of them with perfect timing to make a play when the ball is thrown his way. Cecil came away with a team-high four interceptions in 15 games as a junior. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, finishing the season with 47 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Cecil doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should definitely have their eyes on this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->