Breakout Candidates: 6 Under-the-Radar DL

We're slowly approaching the 2026 high school football season in North Carolina. One of my favorite preseason exercises is looking at potential breakout candidates: guys who go from relative unknowns to household names. We usually start with the quarterbacks, but we're going defense first in this one. Let's look at six defensive linemen who could break through on the field this fall.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Predicting Breakout Linebackers</h2>   Editor's Note: Check out our other breakouts pieces:   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/07/breakout-candidates-5-dbs-expected-to-step-up/">DBs</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/breakout-candidates-6-linebackers-who-could-step-up/">LBs</a>    Myers Park loses two standout edge rushers from last year's team, allowing some younger guys an opportunity. Johnson is the rare exception to our general rule preventing players without ample varsity film from being ranked. Typically, players who end up ranked before game film tend to break out, and we'd expect Johnson to explode onto the scene once he cracks the rotation.     Gardner is as obvious a breakout candidate as any player in the state. He had two tackles last season, but his coaches, teammates, and trainer have all raved about him this offseason. We saw him at our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prz-exposure-camp-dl-analysis/">Prep Redzone Exposure Camp</a> in May, where he was highly impressive, exceeding expectations even after I'd been told to expect fireworks. His inclusion as a player representative at <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/cap-8a-coaches-name-their-under-the-radar-player/">CAP 8A Media Day</a> simply confirms that his Leesville Road coaching staff expects a big year out of him.     Southeast Raleigh returns most of its defense from last season, but there's a hole at edge rusher waiting to be filled. Could Poole, whom the coaching staff is high on, fill the void with a strong junior season? He's not the biggest lineman, but he has an outstanding first step and the bend to frustrate offensive tackles.     Smith shocked everyone with a complete performance at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/ccc-clayton-recap-award-winners/">Carolinas Coaches Combine</a> in the spring, handily winning defensive line MVP over a strong group of established players. He had only 12 tackles last season, but Northern Guilford loses most of its defensive front, and the massive nose guard could have a huge, late-breakout season.     Frieary has a bit more varsity experience under his belt than some of these other players, but he gets the nod here thanks in part to the internal expectations the staff have for the rising junior. People within the program are very, very excited about Frieary's potential. That's not to put pressure on him, only tot say that there are plenty of people who think he could have an outstanding year for the Crusaders.     Allen played here and there on varsity as a freshman last season, and we've seen him dominate in <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/prz-next-nc-defense/">past Prep Redzone events</a>. He plays on a Rolesville line that is re-tooling for a big year in 2026. He's attacked the offseason in the weight room and looks poised for a breakout sophomore season.    <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other Breakout Candidates</h3>   Gregory Blair III | South Point   Emmanuel DeBerry | Tarboro   Izayeha Brown | Chapel Hill   Caaden Lipsey | Freedom   Zechariah Belin | West Charlotte   The 2026 high school football season is nearly here. Think we missed somebody? Let me know on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>). Want to send this to a friend? Help them get 30% off their first billing cycle with promo code Helms30.

We're slowly approaching the 2026 high school football season in North Carolina. One of my favorite preseason exercises is looking at potential breakout candidates: guys who go from relative unknowns to household names. We usually start with the quarterbacks, but we're going defense first in this one. Let's look at six defensive linemen who could break through on the field this fall.