2027 Rankings Update 6.0: EDGE

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2027","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"5926","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6938a0b2ae7d4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we get deeper into the month of December, we have entered the final round of rankings updates for the year. The latest class to be updated in state of Kentucky is the class of 2027. With the class update being officially posted, I have been taking the past week to break the rankings down by position. 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 already taken care of, here are our top edge defenders in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1610711"],"_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-6938a0b2b06a2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1610711' first='Sebastian' last='Blue'] played a key role in Trinity's 6A State Championship run this season. Blue was very effective as a pass rusher off the edge, showing the ability to explode out of his stance then use his speed and bend to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease. He does a great job of finishing at the quarterback, finishing his junior year with nine sacks in 15 games. Blue also proved to be reliable against the run, recording 39 tackles and seven tackles for loss this season. Sebastian currently holds multiple Division I/Power 4 offers and I expect more to come his way going into his junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1200562"],"_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-6938a0b2b0713"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1200562' first='Cooper' last='Benke'] saw his role in the Highlands defense grow tremendously this season and he took advantage of the opportunity. Benke was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to use his strength to drive straight through defenders on his way to the ball carrier. Once he got to the ball carrier, he proved to be a very reliable tackler, finishing the year with 50 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 11 games. He was also effective off the edge as a pass rusher, finishing the season with five sacks. Cooper currently holds offers from Middle Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect him to be a player college coaches have on their radar this offseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1200563"],"_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-6938a1a2d4b57"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Much like Cooper, [player_tooltip player_id='1200563' first='Griffin' last='Benke'] had an expanded role in the Highlands defense this season and he was very impressive. He showed the ability to assert his dominance off the edge as a pass rusher, using his strength and length to gain good extension against opposing offensive tackles then shed blocks quickly on his way to the quarterback. Benke did a great job of finishing at the quarterback once he got there, finishing his junior year with seven sacks and several quarterback pressures in 12 games. He also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the season with 39 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. Griffin currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State, and I expect more to come his way moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1284259"],"_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-6938a2994e6ba"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1284259' first='Maddox' last='Jones'] recently jumped onto our radar with some impressive junior year film. Jones lines up as a stand-up defensive end/outside linebacker off the edge where he is very reliable against the run. He does a great job of reading the play effectively and showing the patience to see where the ball is going before flying to the football. Once he sees where the ball is going, Jones has shown the speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency. He is a very good tackler in the open field, finishing this past season with 34 tackles in 13 games. Maddox currently holds an offer from Southern Mississippi and he is an intriguing prospect who I expect to gain a lot of attention 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":["1610655"],"_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-6938a55818a9f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five edge defenders in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1610655' first='Sean' last='Hurry']. Hurry is a dominant run defender, exploding out of his stance then using his speed to shoot through the gaps and burst into the backfield before the play has a chance to develop. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of driving his feet through contact to secure the tackle, finishing this past season with a team-leading 86 tackles and 23 tackles for loss in 13 games. He also recorded six sacks this season, and made an impact on offense, scoring three rushing touchdowns and catching two touchdown passes. Hurry doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should definitely have on their radar moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->