KY ‘27 Position Rankings Breakdowns: DB

As we enter the month of August, the start of the 2026 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, we have begun a new round of rankings updates. The latest class to be updated in Kentucky is the incoming senior class of 2027. With our newest Top 250 being released for the class, I have been taking some time to break them down by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the front seven already taken care of, here are our top linebackers in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky.    [player_tooltip player_id='1217741' first='Allen' last='Evans IV'] is one of the best players in Kentucky, regardless of class or position. He lines up on the outside at corner where he thrives in man coverage. Evans doesn't give any cushion to opposing receivers as he jams them off the line of scrimmage to redirect their routes then uses his speed to stay in their hip pocket. On the rare occasions that quarterbacks decide to test him, Evans has shown the ability to react with perfect timing to make a play on the ball. Allen finished last season with two interceptions and several pass breakups in 15 games. He also recorded 28 tackles and one tackle for loss as a junior. Evans is committed to Vanderbilt where I can see him being a key contributor in their secondary when he gets there.     [player_tooltip player_id='378835' first='Jordan' last='Haskins'] has consistently been one of the top defensive backs in the state in his class from his freshman year until now. He is very reliable in coverage at the safety spot. Jordan has outstanding instincts, showing the ability to read both route combinations and the quarterback then flow through the secondary to put himself in position to make a play. When the ball is thrown in his direction, he has displayed great ball skills, finishing last season with three interceptions (tied for team lead) in nine games. He also recorded 50 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a sack as a junior. Haskins also made a big impact on offense last season, scoring four rushing touchdowns and throwing four touchdown passes. Jordan is committed to Louisville where I can see him developing into a key piece of their secondary.     [player_tooltip player_id='1596532' first='Elijah' last='Burns-Crump'] has truly made a name for himself over the past couple seasons. He lines up at safety where he is a ballhawk in the secondary. Crump reads routes with ease then uses his speed and quick reaction ability to break on the ball when it is thrown in his direction to make plays on the ball without breaking stride. Elijah finished his junior year with four interceptions in 15 games, returning two of them for touchdowns. He also recorded a half sack last season and showed the ability to provide support against the run, recording 56 tackles and four tackles for loss. Elijah is committed to Duke where I can see him having a very successful career at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='408628' first='Jordan' last='Holman'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continues to get better each season. He is utilized mostly as a strong safety but has shown the versatility to line up in a nickel/outside linebacker role as well. Holman is very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read the play then come downhill with a sense of urgency to fill the lane. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a very reliable tackler, leading his team with 77.5 tackles in 14 games as a junior with eight of them being for a loss. He also recorded 2.5 sacks last season, and has proven to be reliable in both zone and man coverage. Holman currently holds offers from Missouri, Purdue, Kentucky, Miami (OH), and Toledo, and I expect more to come his way this upcoming season.     To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2027 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1314812' first='Cionne' last='Conn']. Cionne lines up at safety where he is very impressive in coverage. He does a great job of reading routes then flowing through his zone accordingly to put himself in position to make a play. Once the ball is in the air, Conn has shown the ability to break with perfect timing to either come away with the interception or break up the pass. Cionne finished his junior year with a team-high three interceptions in 13 games. He has also shown the ability to come downhill to provide run support, recording 55 tackles and two tackles for loss last season. Conn holds several Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow heading into his senior year.