2029 Rankings Update: EDGE

As we get deeper into the month of July, the 2026 high school football offseason is in full swing and the regular season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, we have begun a new wave of rankings updates in the state of Kentucky. To start things up in this round of updates, we have officially released our updated Top 125 players in the class of 2029. With these updates being published, I will be 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 defensive linemen already taken care of, here are our top edge defenders in the class of 2029 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='2230689' first='Kadin' last='Williams'] has been making a name for himself as one of the top players in the state in his class this offseason. Williams is a skilled pass rusher who has the bend to avoid blocks with ease along with the strength to rush straight through opposing offensive linemen. Against the run, Williams has shown the ability to use his high motor to come down the line when the play is away from him to run the ball carrier down to make the tackle across the field. Kadin currently holds offers from Louisville, Purdue, Miami (OH), and Grambling State, and I expect more to come his way as he continues to grow and develop over the next few years.     [player_tooltip player_id='1803304' first='Kobe' last='Reed'] is coming off a strong freshman year. This past season, he created havoc in opposing backfields as he was able to use his explosive speed to run by opposing offensive linemen before they had a chance to block him. Reed recorded 10 tackles for loss and three sacks in 11 games as a freshman. He also finished the year with 58 total tackles and showed the ability to drop into coverage, coming away with two interceptions. Reed is a player who I expect college coaches to start paying close attention to this upcoming season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1663813' first='Rage' last='Henderson'] is another edge defender who made an impact at the varsity level as a freshman. Henderson proved to be very effective against the run, using his speed to shoot gaps with a sense of urgency and get to the ball carrier before they had a chance to get going. Once he gets to the ball carrier , he has proven to be a reliable tackler in the open field, finishing this past season with 39 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss in 14 games. He also recorded 1.5 sacks as a freshman. Henderson will be an intriguing player to keep an eye on as his role in the Paducah Tilghman defense continues to grow.     [player_tooltip player_id='1685691' first='Jack' last='Basinger'] is a player who put together some impressive freshman year film. He is a very skilled pass rusher off the edge who has the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles and strength to fight straight through them. Once he gets into the pocket, Basinger does a great job of finishing at the quarterback with either a sack or pressure. He is also a very talented kicker and has spent some time on offense at tight end. Jackson will be a player worth keeping an eye on as his career progresses over the next few seasons.     To wrap up our top five edge defenders in the class of 2029 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1670663' first='Jaxon' last='French']. French has proven to be very reliable against the run as he has shown the strength to hold his ground to set the edge then awareness to read the play to see where the ball is going. Once he reads the play, he has shown the ability to use his speed to run all over the field to make tackles. He has also shown promise as a pass rusher as he is able to use his speed to his advantage to run by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Jaxon will be a player to watch closely as he continues to develop moving forward.