2025 Rankings Update 2.0: Linebacker

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that another season of high school football is behind us in the state of Kentucky, it is time for some rankings updates. The updated top 175 for the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky has been officially published. With that being said, I wanted to take the next week or so to break down these rankings 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 defensive line out of the way, I will now focus on our top linebackers in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["422907"],"_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_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='422907' first='Hunter' last='Adams'] climbed his way up to the top spot at his position in this class following another impressive season. Adams is very impressive against the run, showing the speed to run sideline to sideline and right by offensive linemen to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets there, he is a very reliable open field tackler. Adams finished this past season with 76 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also showed reliability as a pass rusher, finishing the season with 2.5 sacks. Hunter currently holds offers from Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Division I caliber linebacker prospect.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["735552"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='735552' first='Brock' last='Driver'] is another junior linebacker that has remained high in our rankings. Driver played a key role in Boyle County's 4A State Championship run, finishing the season with 76 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss in 14 games. Brock lines up at outside linebacker where he does a great job of reading the play and using his speed to run sideline to sideline to make tackles. He has also been impressive as a pass rusher off the edge, finishing this past season with five sacks. Driver currently holds offers from Kentucky, Akron, and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Division I caliber linebacker prospect.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["735604"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='735604' first='Logan' last='Busson'] is another linebacker that has been high on our radar for a while now that continued to stand out this past season. Busson lines up at outside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of using his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field before they can get going. Busson finished his junior year with 51 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss in 12 games. He has also shown reliability against the pass, finishing this past season with one sack while also showing the ability to play man coverage against receivers out of the slot. Logan also scored one rushing touchdown on offense. Busson currently holds offers from Miami (OH) and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play for a Division I program.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["735603"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another Frederick Douglass linebacker that continued to stand out this past season is [player_tooltip player_id='735603' first='Kaden' last='Clay']. Clay lines up at inside linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball carrier quickly to make tackles in the open field. Clay finished his junior season with 53 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also proved to be reliable against the pass, finishing the year with five sacks and a team-high two interceptions, returning one of them for a touchdown. Kaden currently holds offers from Miami (OH) and Akron, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber talent at linebacker.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["373040"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"To wrap up our top five linebackers in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='373040' first='Tucker' last='Roth']. Roth had a very strong junior year at inside linebacker for PRP. He was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read his keys and come downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier before they could get going. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Roth does a great job of running his ferry and exploding through contact to finish the tackle and not allow for any extra yards to be gained. Tucker finished this past season with 120 tackles and six tackles for loss in 11 games. He also showed the ability to get to the quarterback when called on to blitz, finishing the season with 2.5 sacks. Roth also caught one touchdown pass on offense. Tucker currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber inside linebacker prospect.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65b8670a406d5"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 175):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] (Owensboro Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='373081' first='Solomon' last='Conley'] (Male)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='311506' first='Preston' last='Williams'] (Madison Southern)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='373075' first='Ian' last='Williams'] (Mayfield)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='735605' first='Davion' last='Sturgis'] (Woodford County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='725010' first='Ryan' last='Rayhill'] (Bullitt East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12. [player_tooltip player_id='1149637' first='Amarein' last='Atkinson'] (Ballard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13. [player_tooltip player_id='331755' first='Jeremiah' last='Parker'] (Atherton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14. [player_tooltip player_id='373785' first='Dereon' last='Crowe'] (Owensboro)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15. [player_tooltip player_id='985134' first='Jaylen' last='Hayes'] (DuPont Manual)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16. [player_tooltip player_id='735611' first='Josh' last='Lainhart'] (Collins)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17. [player_tooltip player_id='1149620' first='Cameron' last='Moore'] (John Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>18. [player_tooltip player_id='673546' first='Brady' last='Cornell'] (Bullitt East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>19. [player_tooltip player_id='735602' first='Jaden' last='Samuels'] (Fern Creek)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>20. [player_tooltip player_id='735553' first='Brenan' last='Griffin'] (Hart County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21. [player_tooltip player_id='373827' first='Layne' last='Alford'] (Franklin-Simpson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>22. [player_tooltip player_id='1149633' first='TJ' last='Williams'] (John Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>23. [player_tooltip player_id='735689' first='Ismail' last='Naji'] (Frederick Douglass)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>24. [player_tooltip player_id='735608' first='Logan' last='Clayton'] (Great Crossing)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>25. [player_tooltip player_id='735565' first='Braydon' last='Underwood'] (DuPont Manual)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->