2028 Rankings Update 3.0: DL

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2028","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2406","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d6d30b5cc22"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we get deeper into 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 will turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball, starting with our top defensive linemen in the class of 2028 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638814"],"_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-69d6d9e818f8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1638814' first='Kellan' last='Hall'] has separated himself as the clear top player in the state in his class. Hall lines up at defensive end where he is able to assert his dominance as a pass rusher. He is very explosive out of his stance and plays with a high motor. Hall uses his strength and speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive tackles with ease on his way to the quarterback. As a sophomore, Hall recorded 6.5 sacks in 11 games. He has also impressed against the run, finishing this past season with 53 tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss. Kellan holds a long list of Power 4 offers and I expect more to pile up for him moving forward as he is one of the top prospects in the entire country. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1299967"],"_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-69d6dd4cb77c1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1654927' first='Caleb' last='Lovely'] is coming off a strong sophomore year at Magoffin County. He is a versatile defensive lineman who has shown the ability to line up inside at tackle and outside at end. Lovely is a skilled pass rusher, using his quick pass rush moves and strength to defeat blocks with ease on his way to the quarterback. Once he gets to the quarterback, Lovely does a great job of finishing the play, finishing his sophomore season with 6.5 sacks in 10 games. He was also dominant against the run, recording a team-high 60 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore. Lovely is a player who college coaches should definitely have on their radar heading into his junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1299937"],"_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-69d6dd4cb7867"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1299937' first='Julian' last='Smith'] is another defensive lineman who impressed as a sophomore. Smith lines up at defensive tackle where he is a very effective pass rusher. Julian has an explosive first step which he follows by using his strength to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen. He has also shown the ability to use a good variety of pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Smith finished his sophomore season with eight sacks in 11 games. He also proved to be very reliable against the run, finishing the year with 62 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. Smith will be a player to pay close attention to this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["478102"],"_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-69d6dd4cb78f1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='478102' first='Bode' last='Darland'] played a key role in the LCA defense this past season. Darland lines up at defensive end where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading the play quickly then using his strength to shed blocks with ease and speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Bode finished his sophomore year with 55 tackles and 15 tackles for loss in 14 games. As a pass rusher, Darland has shown the ability to use his bend and speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge with ease. Darland finished this past season with five sacks. Bode has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1638820"],"_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-69d6de4bb7fab"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the class of 2028, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1638820' first='Logan' last='Meredith']. Meredith takes the majority of his reps at defensive tackle but has shown the ability to play defensive end as well. He is very reliable against the run, using his strength to fight through blocks with ease then use his speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Meredith drives his feet through contact to finish the tackle quickly. Logan finished his sophomore season with 42 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in nine games. He also recorded one sack this past season. Meredith will be a player worth keeping an eye on as he prepares for his junior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->