2025 Week 7 Defensive Top Performers

As we enter the month of October the first seven weeks of the 2025 high school football season in the state of Kentucky have already come and gone. Week 7 was filled with several exciting matchups with some very impressive individual performances. With that being said, I wanted to focus on some performances that stood out above the rest from Week 7. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are my defensive top performers from Week 7 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='1908432' first='Kirk' last='LaGrange'] has had a very impressive start to his senior year and he continued to stand out in last week's win over Muhlenberg County. Lagrange lined up at outside linebacker where he was dominant against the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly then use his speed to close in on 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, leading his team with 11 tackles along with three tackles for loss. He also proved to be reliable in coverage, coming away with an interception in the win. Kirk currently holds multiple offers and I expect more to come his way throughout his senior year.     Cayden Huff played a key role in Bell County's dominant defensive performance against Rockcastle County this past week. He lined up at safety where he was very impressive in coverage. Huff did a great job of reading route combinations then flowing through the secondary to put himself in position to make a play. When the ball was thrown in his direction, he showed tremendous ball skills, coming away with two interceptions. He also recorded four tackles in the win. Huff doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should keep a close eye on this season.     Jax Crowe caught my attention with a strong performance in Boyle County's win over St. Xavier this past week. Crowe showed impressive versatility, lining up at both linebacker and defensive end. He was very disruptive as a pass rusher off the edge, using his speed and pass rush moves to blow by opposing offensive linemen with ease on his way to the quarterback. Jax finished the game with three sacks. He also showed the ability to read the run and use his high motor to run sideline to sideline to make tackles in the open field, leading his team with 10 tackles along with four tackles for loss in last week's win. Crowe doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1175793' first='Parker' last='Higginbotham'] is another linebacker who stood out to me in Week 7. He played a key role in Daviess County's dominant win over Central Hardin. Parker lined up at inside linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. He exploded out of his stance and used his speed to meet the ball carrier in a gap before they could get going. Once he got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of running his feet to finish the tackle quickly, leading his team with 21 tackles. He also showed a true nose for the football, recovering three fumbles and returning one of them for a touchdown. Higginbotham should be a player to keep a close eye on over the next couple seasons.     [player_tooltip player_id='1638814' first='Kellan' last='Hall'] continued to show why he is the top-ranked player in the state in his class this past week. He only played in the first half due to CAL's blowout win over DeSales but he was very productive when on the field. Hall lined up at defensive end where he was disruptive off the edge as a pass rusher. Hall showed the ability to use his speed and strength to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease then did a great job of finishing at the quarterback, finishing the game with two sacks. He also showed the ability to come down the line and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles against the run, recording six tackles and three tackles for loss in the win. Kellan currently holds a long list of Power 4 offers and I expect the offers to keep piling up for him over the next three years.     [player_tooltip player_id='1200703' first='Donavon' last='Smith'] is off to a hot start to his junior year and he continued to impress on Knox Central's Week 7 victory over McCreary Central. Smith proved to be very reliable against the run, showing the ability to read his keys then use his speed to run all over the field to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of securing the tackle, finishing the game with a team-high 30 tackles along with two tackles for loss. Donavon doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should keep a close eye on over the next two years.     My final defensive top performer from Week 7 in the state of Kentucky is [player_tooltip player_id='1923314' first='Joshua' last='Vaughan']. Vaughan played a key role in Valley's dominant win over Waggener. He lines up at defensive tackle where he is very disruptive against the run. Joshua explodes out of his stance and uses his strength to fight through blocks with ease on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a very reliable tackler, finishing last week's win with a team-high eight tackles. He also caused disruption as a pass rusher, finishing the game with two sacks. Vaughan currently holds offers from Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Morehouse, and Webber International, and I expect more to come his way this season.

As we enter the month of October the first seven weeks of the 2025 high school football season in the state of Kentucky have already come and gone. Week 7 was filled with several exciting matchups with some very impressive individual performances. With that being said, I wanted to focus on some performances that stood out above the rest from Week 7. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are my defensive top performers from Week 7 in the state of Kentucky.