2025 Preseason All-State Team: 3A Defense

The time has finally come, Week 1 of the 2025 high school football season is officially here! With this in mind, I wanted to highlight the top players in each class in the state of Kentucky with my Preseason All-State Teams. After already covering classes 4A-6A, I have now turned my attention to class 3A. With the offense already taken care of, here is my Preseason All-State 3A defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='1638814' first='Kellan' last='Hall'] has quickly established himself as the best defensive lineman in the entire state, regardless of class. Hall lines up at defensive tackle where he is very disruptive against the run. He is explosive out of his stance and uses his strength to drive straight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets through blocks, he uses his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Hall had a very impressive freshman season, finishing with 61 tackles and 21 tackles for loss. He has also shown the ability to rush the passer, finishing last season with two sacks. Kellan currently holds several Power 4 offers and I expect that list to continue to grow over the next three seasons.     [player_tooltip player_id='1236577' first='Xander' last='Contreras'] is a player who has been making a name for himself over the past couple seasons. Contreras lines up at defensive end where he is at his best against the run. He does a great job of using his strength and length to stack/shed blocks effectively once he sees where the ball is going. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Xander has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field, finishing his junior year with 72 tackles and one tackle for loss. He has also shown the ability to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher to put pressure on the quarterback. Contreras currently holds an offer from Memphis and I expect more to come his way this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1665346' first='Jesse' last='Clark'] jumped onto my radar with a strong sophomore year. Clark lines up at defensive end where he is very reliable against the run. He explodes out of his stance and uses his speed to shoot through the inside gap before opposing offensive linemen can react. Clark has also shown the strength to fight though blocks with ease. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Jesse is a very reliable tackler, finishing last season with 51 tackles and one tackle for loss. Clark also finished his sophomore year with one sack. Jesse currently holds an offer from Murray State and I expect more to come his way over the next couple seasons.     [player_tooltip player_id='773225' first='Jake' last='Crump'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now. He lines up at defensive end where he is at his best against the run. Crump does a great job of reading the play quickly then using his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle. Jake finished last season with 113 tackles and 22.5 tackles for loss. He also finished his junior year with 2.5 sacks and made an impact on offense at tight end, catching four passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Crump currently holds an offer from Hanover and I expect more to come his way during his senior year.     [player_tooltip player_id='283969' first='Jackson' last='Settle'] is coming off a breakout junior season in which he led his team with 85 tackles along with 19 tackles for loss. He lines up at inside linebacker where he does a great job of reading his keys then flowing to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. Settle has also proven to be an effective blitzer, showing the ability to time the snap count perfectly then use his speed to burst into the backfield before the opposing offensive line can react. Jackson finished his junior year with five sacks. Settle currently holds offers from Appalachian State, Gardner Webb, Morehead State, Presbyterian, Southern Mississippi, UT-Martin, Indianapolis, and Kentucky State, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber linebacker prospect.     [player_tooltip player_id='482999' first='Gage' last='Chapman'] was only able to play in five games last season but he was very impressive when on the field. Chapman lines up at middle linebacker where he is very reliable against the run. He diagnoses the play quickly the uses his speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency to make the tackle. Chapman finished last season with 66 tackles. Gage also scored one rushing touchdown as a sophomore. Chapman currently holds offers from UT-Martin and Murray State, and I expect more to come his way during his junior year.     Another linebacker from Murray who has stood out to me is [player_tooltip player_id='1706059' first='Simon' last='Rickman']. Rickman lines up at outside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He reads the play quickly then uses his closing speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle before they can get going. As a junior, Rickman led his team with 121 tackles along with three tackles for loss. He also finished last season with 4.5 sacks and made an impact on offense, rushing for over 400 yards and five touchdowns while also catching 19 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Simon doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should be paying close attention to this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1176935' first='Brady' last='Wasik'] is a player who has been on my radar for a while now. He had a very impressive junior season, leading his team with 96 tackles along with four tackles for loss. Wasik has shown the versatility to play both inside the box and off the edge. As an inside linebacker, he does a great job of flowing sideline to sideline to make tackles in the open field. When lining up off the edge, he has shown the ability to use his speed to effectively rush the passer, finishing last season with five sacks. He also came away with two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) as a junior and made an impact on offense, catching 29 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns while also running for over 300 yards and two touchdowns and throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Wasik currently holds an offer from Wabash and I expect more to come his way this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='971497' first='Isaiah' last='Martin'] is a player who has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to make a huge impact as a junior. Martin lines up a safety where he is very reliable in coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback then flowing through the secondary to put himself in a position to make a play. When the ball is thrown his way, he has shown impressive ball skills, coming away with a team-high five interceptions as a junior, returning one of them for a touchdown. He has also shown the ability to fill the lane and provide run support, finishing his junior year with 103 tackles and one tackle for loss. Martin also finished last season with half a sack and played a key role on offense, catching 46 passes for 718 yards and nine touchdowns while also scoring one rushing touchdown. Isaiah currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, UT-Martin, Murray State, and Bethel (TN), and I expect more to come his was as he is a Division I caliber prospect.     [player_tooltip player_id='401928' first='Stone' last='Perkins'] is another defensive back who has been high on my radar for a while now. He lines up on the outside at corner where he is very reliable in zone coverage. Perkins does a great job of reading route combinations then flowing through his zone to put himself in a position to make a play. When the ball is thrown his way, he breaks with perfect timing to make a play on the ball, finishing last season with one interception which he returned for a touchdown and several pass breakups. He also finished his junior year with 32 tackles and one tackle for loss and made an impact on offense at receiver, catching 23 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns. Stone is committed to Ball State where I can see him being a true impact player at the next level.     To wrap up my Preseason 3A All-State defense, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1665340' first='Jalen' last='Dantzler']. Dantzler lines up at corner where he is very impressive in pass coverage. He has shown the ability to effectively read routes followed by the reaction ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. Dantzler finished his sophomore year with one interception and several pass breakups in six games. He also finished last season with 15 tackles. Jalen currently holds offers from Miami (OH) and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way over the next two seasons.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mention</h2>   Defensive Line: [player_tooltip player_id='1638818' first='Brody' last='Cherry'] (Christian Academy of Louisville, 2026); [player_tooltip player_id='1282717' first='Ke'avian' last='Massey'] (Glasgow, 2026); [player_tooltip player_id='1715680' first='Matthew' last='Stephens'] (LaRue County, 2027)   Linebacker: [player_tooltip player_id='1638830' first='Ben' last='Schlarman'] (Lexington Catholic, 2028); [player_tooltip player_id='1652072' first='Lincoln' last='Tomlinson'] (Lloyd Memorial, 2028); Hunter Pingleton (Rockcastle County, 2027); [player_tooltip player_id='1200703' first='Donavon' last='Smith'] (Knox Central, 2027)   Defensive Back: [player_tooltip player_id='1516130' first='Blake' last='Burnett'] (Bell County, 2026); [player_tooltip player_id='1200704' first='Noah' last='Partin'] (Knox Central, 2027); [player_tooltip player_id='1689313' first='Jayden' last='Pennington'] (Russell, 2026); [player_tooltip player_id='1200714' first='Colin' last='Winters'] (Murray, 2027)

The time has finally come, Week 1 of the 2025 high school football season is officially here! With this in mind, I wanted to highlight the top players in each class in the state of Kentucky with my Preseason All-State Teams. After already covering classes 4A-6A, I have now turned my attention to class 3A. With the offense already taken care of, here is my Preseason All-State 3A defense.