Predicting the Top 50 of 2026: Who's Next on Defense?

In December, we released our first-ever <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/12/top-50-of-2025/">Top 50 of 2025</a>, honoring the 50 players who told the story of the 2025 season. It's never too early to get a start on the 2026 season, and here, I'm going to attempt to predict which players will make their mark in 2026. After the year, I'll revisit this to see what I got right and where I went wrong. Earlier this week, I looked <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/top-50-of-2026-whos-next-on-offense/">position-by-position on offense</a>, and today I'll look at the defense.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Predicting the Top 50 of 2026: Defenders</h2>   We had 18 underclassmen on the list this season, who we'll list as we go position by position to predict this year's players. We'll list a few players at every position who could be next up.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Interior Defensive Line</h3>   Underclassmen on 2025 List: [player_tooltip player_id='2085724' first='CJ' last='Dickerson'] (Hunt)   Dickerson had a huge junior year for Hunt in a march to the state championship game. It wasn't just his raw numbers, but also how his contributions led to wins, as he showed that players don't have to be elite recruits to land on postseason impact lists.   Best Bet To Join in 2025: [player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McKoy'] | St. Pauls   To make the list at defensive tackle, a player needs to have a massive statistical season (at least for the position), and his team needs to have enough success that the player's success actually impacts the playoff picture. McKoy missed some time last year on a 10-2 St. Pauls team, but when he played, he lived in the backfield, averaging almost three tackles for loss per game.   Up Next: [player_tooltip player_id='1408808' first='John' last='Archer'] has all the talent in the world, and he's starting to put it all together on the field. If he has a big year, I expect Seventy-First to bounce back. If that happens, he could find himself on the list.   Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1353067' first='Jesiah' last='Fields'] (Corvian Community); [player_tooltip player_id='1607430' first='Cory' last='Cunningham'] (Providence)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Edge</h3>   Underclassmen on 2025 List: [player_tooltip player_id='1953561' first='Devin' last='Cotton'] (Dudley)   A rule of thumb is that if you finish in the top 3 in the state in sacks while playing for a team at the 6A level, you'll probably make the Top 50 team. Cotton had a breakout year for Dudley, racking up 21 sacks on a fierce defensive line. Dudley's defense allowed more than 17 points to a 6A team just once in 2025.   Best Bet To Join in 2025: [player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets'] | Millbrook   Our top overall prospect in the 2027 class, Streets had a big junior year, with 15 sacks and nearly 40 tackles for loss, just missing the top 50. In fact, had Millbrook won the state championship game, he probably would have made the list. We almost expect him to be near the top of the group as a senior.   Up Next: [player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers'] had a massive sophomore year at Dudley before transferring to state-champion Grimsley for his junior season. It took him a bit to fully settle in, but by the end of the season, he was operating at the Power Four level we've come to expect from him. After a full offseason with the Whirlies, could he be in for a massive senior year?   Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1607844' first='Xavier' last='Perkins'] (Jordan), [player_tooltip player_id='1687752' first='Tyson' last='Williams'] (Shelby), [player_tooltip player_id='1113123' first='Landen' last='Harding'] (Jay M. Robinson)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Linebacker</h3>   Underclassmen on 2025 List: [player_tooltip player_id='651173' first='Quinton' last='Cypher'] (Millbrook), [player_tooltip player_id='1044292' first='Skylar' last='Alston'] (Cardinal Gibbons), [player_tooltip player_id='950969' first='Ryan' last='Peterson'] (Hough)   It's no surprise we had multiple underclassmen linebackers on the list, especially given the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/scouting-the-elite-2027-prospects-linebackers/">elite nature</a> of the 2027 class. These three run their respective defenses, three units that were among the best in the state.   Best Bet To Join in 2025: [player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield'] | Lincolnton   We have five linebackers ranked in the top 10 of either the 2027 or 2028 class, and it's Mayfield who may have the best college potential. He nearly made last year's list after 125 tackles and six forced fumbles for a strong Lincolnton team.   Up Next: [player_tooltip player_id='1616142' first='Lej'end' last='Lockwood'] is really starting to put it all together. Butler has a young enough team that it is a candidate to take a step forward. If the Bulldogs make a push for the conference title, Lockwood could easily make the list.   Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='949642' first='Michael' last='Griffin Jr']. (West Charlotte), [player_tooltip player_id='1176263' first='Ennis' last='Stiles'] (Jay M. Robinson)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Back</h3>   Underclassmen on 2025 List: None   We didn't include any underclassmen at the defensive back position, but that doesn't mean there weren't players who came close. In most cases, we leaned toward an older teammate on defense for several of the biggest-impact players in the secondary   Best Bet To Join in 2025: [player_tooltip player_id='320308' first='Xavier' last='Hasan'] | Cardinal Gibbons   If not for Samari Matthews in the 2026 class, Hasan would have an easy claim as the best pure corner to come out of North Carolina in several cycles. The Notre Dame commit has both the opportunity and talent to make the 2026 list.   Up Next: [player_tooltip player_id='366314' first='AK' last='Crumel'] can play safety or corner. If Clayton can reload offensively enough to make another deep playoff run, don't be surprised if Crumel makes some huge defensive plays in key moments.   Others Considered: [player_tooltip player_id='1610603' first='Tre' last='Geathers'] (Providence Day), [player_tooltip player_id='1259782' first='Nate' last='Dollard'] (Charlotte Country Day)   We'll have plenty of coverage this offseason, including rankings updates, All-State teams, hyper-local deep dives, and more. Disagree with this assessment or think I missed a player? Let me know on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>)

In December, we released our first-ever Top 50 of 2025, honoring the 50 players who told the story of the 2025 season. It's never too early to get a start on the 2026 season, and here, I'm going to attempt to predict which players will make their mark in 2026. After the year, I'll revisit this to see what I got right and where I went wrong. Earlier this week, I looked position-by-position on offense, and today I'll look at the defense.