2025 Week 1 Defensive Top Performers

As we approach the end of August, the first week of the 2025 high school football season in the state of Kentucky has already come and gone. Week 1 was filled with several exciting matchups with very impressive individual performances. With that being said, I wanted to focus on some performances that stood out above the rest from the opening week. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are my defensive top performers from Week 1 in the state of Kentucky.    Despite his team's loss to Rockcastle County, [player_tooltip player_id='1665343' first='Larron' last='Westmoreland'] put together a strong Week 1 performance. Westmoreland lined up at safety where he was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to fill the lane in a hurry to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle. He finished the game with a team-high 15 tackles along with one tackle for loss. Westmoreland also came away with one interception and returned it for a touchdown, and caught two passes for 12 yards on offense. Larron currently holds multiple Power 4/Division I offers and I expect more to come his way this season.     Brayden Tupper caught my attention with an impressive performance in Calloway County's shutout victory over Webster County. He showed a ton of versatility, showing the ability to line up both at linebacker and on the defensive line. Tupper was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to use his strength to fight through blocks and speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. He finished Friday's game with a team-high seven tackles along with three tackles for loss. Tupper also set a school record with three forced fumbles, recovering two of them and returning one for a touchdown. He also scored a rushing touchdown on offense. Brayden will definitely be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.     [player_tooltip player_id='1715698' first='Brayden' last='Winchester'] is another Calloway County defensive prospect who stood out in Friday's win. Winchester lined up at defensive end where he was very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher. He uses his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease and did a great job of finishing at the quarterback. Winchester finished the game with two sacks with one of them being a strip sack. He also accounted for six tackles. Brayden is another player to keep a close eye on as he continues to develop.     Although the Broncos came up short against Highlands, [player_tooltip player_id='1284257' first='Tacori' last='Fields'] was very impressive in their season opener. He lined up at inside linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. Fields showed the ability to read the play quickly then explode out of his stance and use his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle in a hurry. He led his team with 24 tackles and forced two fumbles, recovering one of them himself. Tacori holds offers from Louisville, Toledo, Marshall, UT-Martin, and Southern Mississippi, and I expect that list to continue to grow this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='283976' first='Luke' last='Tompkins'] has been on my radar as a receiver over the past few seasons but it was his play on defense that caught my attention the most on Friday. Tompkins played a key role in his team's Week 1 win over Henry Clay. He lined up at corner where he was very impressive in coverage, showing the ability to read route combinations then breaking on the ball with perfect timing when the ball was thrown his way. Tompkins finished the game with two interceptions, returning one of them for a touchdown. He also accounted for four tackles and led his team in receiving with three catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Tompkins currently holds offers from Mount Saint Joseph and Georgetown (KY), and I expect more to come his way during his senior year.     Despite his team's loss against North Hopkins, [player_tooltip player_id='331725' first='Willem' last='McPeake'] put together a strong performance last week. He lined up at inside linebacker where he was very impressive in coverage. McPeake did a great job of dropping into coverage quickly then reading the quarterback and route combinations. When the ball was thrown his way, he showed the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing, finishing the game with three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also finished the game with six tackles and ran the ball nine times for 23 yards. Willem currently holds an offer from Thomas More and I expect him to be a player who a lot of college coaches have their eyes on this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1857212' first='Kaleb' last='Kelley'] caught my attention with a strong performance in Boyd County's win over Galia Academy (OH). Kelley lined up at safety where he was very reliable in zone coverage. He did a great job of reading routes and the quarterback to put himself in a position to make a play. When the ball was thrown his way, he showed tremendous ball skills, coming away with three interceptions. He also finished the game with four tackles. Kelley also led his team in receiving with seven catches for 100 yards and returned a punt for a touchdown. Kaleb currently holds an offer from Muskingum and I expect more to come his way this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1099757' first='Cage' last='Fannin'] has been on my radar for a while now and is off to a strong start to his senior year. He played a key role at outside linebacker in Fern Creek's shutout win over Seneca. Fannin showed the ability to read the play quickly then use his speed to get to the ball carrier before they could get going. Once he got to the ball carrier, he showed the ability to explode through contact with a ton of physicality. He finished the game with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble which he returned himself for a touchdown. Fannin also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the game with 1.5 sacks. Cage doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should have their eyes on this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1175823' first='Donee' last='Sutton'] is another senior linebacker who has been on my radar for a while now and put together an impressive Week 1 performance. Sutton lined up at outside linebacker where he was dominant as a pass rusher in Atherton's Week 1 win over Central Hardin. He was able to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease off the edge. Sutton finished the game with two sacks. He also showed the ability to stop the run, using his strength to stack/shed blocks with ease then his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Donee finished the game with a team-high eight tackles and four tackles for loss. Sutton currently holds an offer from Pikeville and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way soon.     My final defensive top performer from Week 1 in the state of Kentucky is [player_tooltip player_id='1706056' first='Santee' last='Brock']. Brock played a key role in Ballard's Week 1 victory over Lexington Catholic. Santee lined up at outside linebacker where he was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly then use his closing speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle, finishing the game with a team-high 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also came away with an interception in Friday's win. Brock is still waiting on his first offer but he definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.

As we approach the end of August, the first week of the 2025 high school football season in the state of Kentucky has already come and gone. Week 1 was filled with several exciting matchups with very impressive individual performances. With that being said, I wanted to focus on some performances that stood out above the rest from the opening week. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are my defensive top performers from Week 1 in the state of Kentucky.