2028 Rankings Update 3.0: DB

As we near the end of the month of April, the 2026 high school football offseason is in full force and we are in the midst of a new round of Prep Redzone rankings updates in the state of Kentucky. The latest class to get an update is the class of 2028, with our new Top 125 dropping last week. Now that these rankings have been released, I have been taking some time to break them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the front seven already taken care of, here are our top defensive backs in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='1638813' first='Grayden' last='Reid'] has established himself as one of the best players in the entire state, regardless of class. Reid lines up at corner where he is very impressive in man coverage. He uses his physicality and length to jam/redirect receivers with ease then follows it up by using his speed to run with them to mirror their routes. When quarterbacks do decide to test him, Reid has shown the ability to react with perfect timing to make a play on the ball. He finished this past season with one interception and multiple pass breakups in 14 games. Grayden also recorded 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack as a sophomore, and played a role on offense, catching five passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Reid holds a long list of Power 4 offers and I expect them to continue to pile up for him moving forward.     [player_tooltip player_id='953600' first='Kyle' last='Sledge Jr.'] has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out as a sophomore. This past season at Bowling Green, Sledge lined up at safety where he proved to be very reliable in coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and route combinations then flowing through the secondary accordingly. Once the ball is in the air, he reacts with great timing to break up the pass. Sledge has also shown the ability to provide support against the run, finishing his sophomore year with 47.5 tackles and one tackle for loss in 10 games. He also returned a punt for a touchdown this past season. Kyle has recently picked up offers from Eastern Kentucky, Tulsa, and East Tennessee State, and I expect a lot of eyes to be on him after transferring to Glasgow for his junior year.     [player_tooltip player_id='2156981' first='Jacobi' last='Watts'] caught my attention with some impressive sophomore year film. Watts lines up at safety where he is very effective against the run. He reads the play quickly then comes downhill with a sense of urgency to fill the lane. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Watts explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Jacobi finished this past season with 40 tackles and five tackles for loss in seven games. He is also reliable against the pass, both in coverage and as a blitzer off the edge, finishing his sophomore year with six pass breakups and two sacks. Watts holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I fully expect more to come his way this offseason.     [player_tooltip player_id='1089873' first='Andrew' last='Davis'] is another defensive back who has been high on our radar for a while now. He mainly lines up at safety but has shown the versatility to play both in the nickel and on the outside at corner as well. Davis has great recognition skills, showing the ability to read routes with ease then flow through the secondary to put himself in position to make a play. When the ball is thrown in his direction, he has shown good ball skills, finishing his sophomore year with two interceptions and multiple pass breakups in 13 games. He also recorded 45 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and half a sack this past season, and made a huge impact on offense, catching 32 passes for 593 yards and six touchdowns. Davis is a player who I expect to be on the radar of a lot of college coaches heading into his junior year.     To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='953020' first='Neo' last='Davis-Jones']. Neo lines up at safety where he is very impressive against the run. Once he sees where the ball is going, Davis-Jones explodes out of his stance to fill the lane with a sense of urgency. He is a very reliable open field tackler once he gets to the ball carrier, finishing this past season with 60 tackles and four tackles for loss in 14 games. Neo is also very dependable in coverage, recording one interception and five pass breakups as a sophomore. Davis-Jones has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this summer.