2029 Rankings Update: LB

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2029","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2496","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a56962d067c2"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 and edge defenders already taken care of, here are our top linebackers in the class of 2029 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1668609"],"_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-6a56962d0715b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1668609' first='Braiden' last='Ford'] is coming off a very impressive freshman year at middle linebacker for Danville. He has a true nose for the football against the run and is able to use his speed to get to the ball carrier before they have a chance to get going. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a reliable open field tackler, finishing this past season with a team-high 126 tackles along with five tackles for loss in 12 games. He also recorded three sacks and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, and scored two rushing touchdowns on offense as a freshman. Ford currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect a lot of eyes to be on him heading into his sophomore year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1172375"],"_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-6a56962d0722a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1172375' first='Jeremiah' last='Brown'] is a player who has begun to make a name for himself this offseason. Brown lines up at inside linebacker where he has proven to be very effective against the run. Once Brown reads where the ball is going, he has shown the speed to get to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency along with the strength to fight through blocks in his path. Brown has proven to be a very good tackler once he gets to the ball carrier as he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle quickly. Jeremiah currently holds offers from Miami (OH) and Grambling State, and I can see more coming his way as he continues to develop moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1665532"],"_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-6a569be18d455"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1665532' first='Maddix' last='Vaughn'] is a versatile linebacker who has shown the ability to play both outside off the edge and in the box. He does a great job of diagnosing plays quickly and then using his speed to flow to the ball carrier in a hurry. Vaughn is a very good open field tackler, finishing his tackles quickly and not allowing any extra yards to be gained. He finished his freshman year as his team's leading tackler with 155 along with 10 tackles for loss in 11 games. Maddix also came away with an interception this past season. Vaughn has started receiving some college interest and I wouldn't be surprised to see some offers start coming his way before too long. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1872836"],"_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-6a569be18d48f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1872836' first='Easton' last='Slone'] is another player who impressed as a freshman. Slone lines up at inside linebacker where he is at his best against the run. Easton reads his keys quickly then comes downhill with a sense of urgency to meet the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Slone explodes to through contact to secure the tackle quickly. Easton finished his freshman year with 85 tackles and two tackles for loss in 12 games. He also recorded a sack this past season. Slone is a player who college coaches should start to pay close attention to this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2123618"],"_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-6a569be18d4b4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five linebackers in the class of 2029 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='2123618' first='Lane' last='Brock']. Lane lines up at inside linebacker where he is a dominant run stopper. Brock reads the play quickly then uses his impressive lateral movement to flow sideline to sideline with ease to get to the ball carrier. He has also shown the strength to shed blocks quickly on his way to the ball. Lane is a very impressive open field tackler, finishing this past season with 97 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 15 games. He also recorded a half sack as a freshman. Brock has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->