Future Defensive Stars in the class of 2029

We just dropped a brand-new update to the 2029 rankings, and there's a massive amount of talent on the Watch List. It's a very fun class to follow thus far, as we have several high-upside prospects from all around the state. Below, I speak on five defensive players who I think can take a massive leap this offseason.    I'm expecting Ishmael to take a massive leap forward next season. He's already a very promising young prospect, and has a solid highlight tape.   Kicking off Ishmael's highlight tape is a decent tackle on a WR screen. Ishmael does a good job reading the play, but he didn't get downhill as quickly as I'd like. I like that Ishmael made the tackle, but I think he could have crashed down much quicker. His second highlight is far better. Ishmael is unblocked, reads the off-tackle run, and does a nice job making contact at the line of scrimmage.   Let's fast-forward to 3:39. I beleive this is Ishmael's best display of athleticism. Running between the tackles, Ishmael does a good job exploding upfield and running through arm tackles. This, combined with a number of special teams highlights, indicates upside. With a very good 2026 offseason, Ishmael could be ranked by midseason (October).      Blair will absolutely be ranked once we have a comfortable top 50-100. His highlights are far and away better than most 2029 DBs, and even better than some seniors.   Kicking off Blair's tape, we see him playing free safety in Cover 1. Blair reads the QBs eyes, immediately starts shading right, and once the ball is thrown, he does an excellent job of high-pointing the ball and cutting off the receiver. 0:40 is another impressive play. Again, playing free safety, Blair has his eyes on the TE running a seam, crashes on the TE once the ball is thrown, and delivers a great hit, forcing an incompletion. Lastly, 1:26 is a good example of Blair's open-field tackling. He takes a solid angle on the stretch play and brings the RB down before he reaches the 1st down marker. Blair could have taken a more aggressive angle, and he could have gotten much lower on the tackle. Though it's still a nice highlight.   Blair is already better than a lot of senior safeties when it comes to defending a zone. He does a good job reading the QB's eyes and attacks when the ball is thrown. Additionally, he's a good athlete. There are a few major weaknesses, and Blair is already looking like a good college prospect.      Harrison is an extremely promising DT prospect from Seaholm. He played some of his best ball at the end of the season, and has a few traits that make him high upside.   First off, Harrison is listed at 6'3" 255, and he's starting to use his size to his advantage. In the first highlight, Harrison does a great job using his strength to drive the OG backward, opening up a massive hole for him in the A gap. After a lackluster block attempt from the RB, Harrison earns a sack. At 0:20, Harrison does a good job utilizing his superior size and strength to push-pull past a smaller center. Another display of good pass rush.   1:05 is one of many examples of good anchor against the run. The opposing O-Linemen are actually lower than Harrison, and they're doing their best to drive him backward. Yet, Harrison does an excellent job holding his ground and earns a tackle assist.   All in all, Harrison seems to be developing into a monster on Seaholm's interior D-Line. It's one thing to be 6'3" 255, and it's another thing to play like you're 6'3" 255. Harrison is beginning to learn how to use his superior size and strength to his advantage. With an elite offseason, Harrison could be an absolute game-wrecker in the OAA Blue. I am incredibly excited to check up on Harrison once the 2026 season begins.      Lamar brings a unique build and skillset to the Brother Rice defensive line.   I like what Lamar showed this season, especially as a pass rusher. 0:30 in his week 1-3 tape showcases this. Lamar fires off the ball quickly and simply reaches his arm out at the center. The center fails to react, has a lot of trouble pushing back against Lamar, and ends up letting Lamar in as a free rusher. Great job on Lamar's part for A. getting off the ball quickly, B. making a simple, yet effective move on the center, and C. finishing the play with a sack. Next, 0:38 is a good example of Lamar's current abilities in the run game. Lamar does get pushed back initially, but eventually sheds the block once the center attempts to move to the LB. Lamar did a good job keeping his eyes in the backfield and an even better job making the tackle. Though I would like to see better strength and anchor from him next season.   If Lamar stays around 6'0", he probably remains a DT/NT. Regardless of whether he's a DT or DE, Lamar is looking like a breakout candidate this coming season.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LamarTarrant/status/1970992897605632009 </div></figure>    Gage checks a few incredibly important boxes. He plays hard, plays physical, and plays with confidence.   These traits carry his highlight tape. As an on-ball OLB/EDGE, Gage blows up plays by simply being faster than the opposing offense. In his first highlight, Gage easily gets around the OT, largely because of a good getoff and better effort. At 0:13, Gage out-physicals the TE, sheds his block, and crashes inside to stop the off-tackle run. Time and time again, Gage earns TFLs because of his decisiveness and physicality. I don't think he stands out in size or strength quite yet. Despite not having a super big physical leg up on the competition, Gage consistently blows up plays because of the traits I listed above. This highlight tape is a textbook example of how to play EDGE/OLB as a freshman, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Gage improves this year.

We just dropped a brand-new update to the 2029 rankings, and there's a massive amount of talent on the Watch List. It's a very fun class to follow thus far, as we have several high-upside prospects from all around the state. Below, I speak on five defensive players who I think can take a massive leap this offseason.