Ten Disruptive 2027 Defensive Linemen

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   A few weeks ago, our final ranking update went up on Prep Redzone Oklahoma! We updated the rankings in the 2028 and 2029 classes and we finished off this update sequence with the 2027 class and the newly unveiled Top 175. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/updated-2027-oklahoma-rankings/">We released the rankings in late April</a>. This week on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we've continued our breakdowns on various 2027 prospects that are among the best in the state. In this breakdown, we're taking a look at ten of the best defensive linemen in the state's 2027 class. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma this week and next for more 2027 prospect breakdowns!    Valliant defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1171159' first='Kyng' last='Golston'] has been a name that has been at the top or near the top of the DL ranks in the state's 2027 class since we started ranking this class. Golston is a name that we knew about when he was a freshman and his stock has only continued to raise over the last few years. Last season, we got a chance to watch Golston in person for the first time in the fall and he lived up to expectations. He's a ferocious defender that is an automatic double-team from opposing offensive linemen. Especially considering the level of play, where he's going against offensive linemen that he has a distinct size advantage. But even with opponents throwing two guys his way, he still finds a way to impact the play and even beat double teams to live in the backfield.     Booker T Washington defensive lineman and Kansas State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1035135' first='DaWayne' last='Jones'] is right there at the top of this position group in the 2027 class. Jones has been a dude since early on in his career and has only continued to get better over the last few years. When watching Jones in person or on film, the first thing that has always stood out to us about his game is how deep his toolbox is. Jones is an absolute technician on the defensive line and he's only added more and more tools to make him a complete player on the defensive line. Whether he's lined up on the interior or the edge, he finds a way to beat the guy (and sometimes guys) in front of him. This offseason, Jones committed to Kansas State, reopened his recruitment but then settled back in with the Wildcats.     Whenever the Jenks coaches point to a young player (freshman or sophomore) as being a name to watch out for, you listen and you take notes. [player_tooltip player_id='1297665' first='Luke' last='McInelly'] was identified by the Jenks coaches early on in his high school career as a guy that would turn some heads. And over the last few seasons, he's backed up that hype, becoming one of the unquestioned leaders on the Jenks defense. He might not have the prototypical size as some of the other prospects that play his position. But throw on the tape, watch him in person and you see a player that doesn't let size questions even come up. Competing against Oklahoma's best at the highest level for the last few years, McInelly has firmly established himself as one of the more dominant defensive linemen in this class.     Looking back at the 2025 season, there aren't many players that came out of the gates faster than [player_tooltip player_id='1831885' first='Damon' last='Davis'] from Southeast. It seemed like he had double digit sacks before the first month was even over. The competition level ratcheted up over the last two months but Davis still performed very well. During his junior season, he emerged as yet another name to know in the state's 2027 class. He ended up being one of the most productive players along the defensive line and he certainly picked up the attention of college coaches in this region. That should only continue as we go into the spring and summer months. We'll get our first look at Davis in person coming up during team camps in a few weeks. We've seen the film, now we're fired up to see him in action in person.     Mount St. Mary defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='913667' first='Kade' last='Barton'] is one of several 2027 prospects we're fired up to see in person coming up in the next few weeks during spring ball. We've written this before but it's worth repeating here when talking about Barton. While a junior at Guthrie in 2025, Barton had arguably the most dominant individual defensive performance we watched in person when they beat Altus in overtime. Barton was an absolute machine coming off the edge. And Mount St. Mary is not lacking talent on the defensive line so he's going to be another piece that make the Rockets a very fun team to follow heading into this fall. Barton was not only a force for the Blue Jays last fall, he also had a really strong showing at our showcase camp back in February, firmly establishing himself as one of 2027's best on the DL.     Pryor defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1208264' first='Mason' last='McAlvain'] is a name that we were told about around this time last year. He was a 2027 prospect going into his junior year that we were told to just keep an eye out for in 2025. He certainly lived up to the hype, helping the Tigers have arguably their best season in program history. Now, he's back for even more during his senior campaign. McAlvain is a player that is going to be an absolute force on the line of scrimmage with another year of experience, along with work in the weight room under his belt. You look at his film and his overall production from last year and he's one of several Pryor 2027 prospects that we think should get some more attention from college coaches. Perhaps that begins for him this spring and summer, heading into his senior season.     Lincoln Christian defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1101282' first='Lincoln' last='Torres'] has been an absolute force on both sides of the line of scrimmage for the Bulldogs over the last few seasons. Torres is starting to establish himself as one of the top defensive guys on the line of scrimmage in the state. College coaches are starting to pick up on that as well. Torres has had a really strong offseason, getting offers and interest from college programs across the country. He's also been improving his numbers in the weight room, which is incredibly scary for the opponents on Lincoln Christian's schedule this fall. And as Lincoln Christian drops down to 2A-1 this season, they'll lean on the experience and overall impact of Torres to enter their new class this season and continue to dominate.     Anytime we do a ranking update, it usually doesn't take long for us to realize someone should be probably much higher. In this update, we think that Norman defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1262599' first='Oakley' last='Caruthers'] fits that category. Caruthers was incredibly productive last season, competing against 6A-1 competition. He's another interior defensive lineman that causes a ton of problems for opposing offensive linemen. Not only is he one of those defensive tackles that impacts the game greater than what you see in the stat line. But he also has the stats to back up the hype. Caruthers has been quite a force during his career and he'll be interesting to follow this fall. Norman is dropping down to 6A-2 this season and Caruthers is immediately going to be a name to watch this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1035134' first='Rain' last='Ragland'] is the second Lincoln Christian Bulldog on this breakdown. Ragland feels like he should be graduating this month considering how much high school football he's already played. He started for Lincoln Christian as a freshman and goes into his senior season having never lost a game. From his freshman year on, Ragland has been a guy that has terrorized opposing backfields. It hasn't mattered where he's lined up, although he's primarily gotten the job done by coming off the edge. We don't know where Ragland projects to at the next level with his size but we know that he's a next level player. All you need to do is look at the career he's had (up to this point) and you see a guy that's going to make a college program better at the next level.     We wrap up this breakdown with Choctaw's [player_tooltip player_id='1198491' first='Jayce' last='Watson'] and he's a '27 prospect that we should have been talking about more throughout the 2025 football season. You go back and look at his film and he is an absolute disruptor on the line of scrimmage. Then you look at the production he had and he checks a lot of boxes. He's another example of a prospect that is probably in the "tweener" category but it's hard to argue with his production and overall impact on the game. We're fired up to see what Watson does for an encore during his senior season. Because looking back, he was one of the better defensive linemen in the state during his junior season. He certainly has our attention now and we'll get our first look at him in 2026 with team camps coming up this month.

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