NKY 26s to Watch: ATH

As we head deeper into the month of June, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, I wanted to take some time to highlight some incoming seniors in specific areas of the state of Kentucky. Over the past week, I have been highlighting incoming seniors at each position in Northern Kentucky. After already covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball , I will wrap up this series with some notable ATH to watch in the class of 2026 in Northern Kentucky who make an impact at multiple positions.    [player_tooltip player_id='401710' first='Jacob' last='Savage'] is one of the top overall returning players in the state in his class. On defense, Savage lines up at linebacker where he is dominant against the run. He does a great job of diagnosing the play quickly then using his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Savage finishes this past season with a team-high 141 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in 15 games. He also finished his junior year with three sacks and an interception. On the offensive side of the ball, Savage is an explosive running back who uses his speed to break away for a big play at any given moment. Jacob finished last season as his team's leading rusher with 156 carries for 1,085 yards and 22 touchdowns while also catching 29 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Savage is committed to Indiana where I can see him being a true impact player at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='371230' first='Daulton' last='Tarter'] is a player who has been high on my radar for a while now. He had an outstanding year out of the backfield as a junior, carrying the ball 223 times for 2,083 yards and 32 touchdowns in 12 games. Tarter is a physical runner who has shown the ability to lower his shoulder and run straight through defenders without breaking stride. He also caught 10 passes for 92 yards as a junior. On defense, Tarter lines up at linebacker where he proved to be very reliable in pass coverage this past season, coming away with a team-high six interceptions, returning five of them for touchdowns. He also finished this past season with 92 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and three sacks. Daulton has received some college interest and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this offseason.     [player_tooltip player_id='971505' first='Dameyn' last='Anness'] is another two-way player who has been high on my radar for a while now. On offense, Dameyn is a very elusive ball carrier, showing the ability to either make quick cuts in the open field to make defenders miss or use his strength to run straight through them. He has also shown the breakaway speed to run away from the defense once he hits the open field. Dameyn finished his junior year with 140 carries for 1,472 yards and 16 touchdowns in 12 games. Anness also finished this past season with 16 receptions for 344 yards and a touchdown, threw one touchdown pass, and returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns. He also made a big impact on defense at linebacker, finishing his junior year with 64 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception which he returned for a touchdown, and three fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown). Dameyn doesn't currently hold any offers but he definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1176972' first='Kay' last='Sharp'] is a player who caught my attention as a sophomore and continued to stand out this past season. On offense, he is a dangerous deep threat at receiver, using his speed to create separation with ease. He also is very reliable in contested/jump ball situations, using his athleticism to catch the pass at its highest point, regardless of what type of coverage is around him. Sharp finished this past season with 26 receptions for 320 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. He also played a key role on defense at safety, finishing the year with 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Kay doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player who college coaches should keep an eye on this season.     My final 2026 ATH to watch in Northern Kentucky this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1673137' first='Tommy' last='Maddox']. Maddox did a little bit of everything on offense for Holy Cross last season. He saw a good amount of time at quarterback where he proved to be a rushing threat, using his speed and elusiveness to break away for big gains. He finished the year with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown in 11 games. Maddox also threw for 342 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Maddox made an impact at safety, showing the ability to read the quarterback and put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. He finished this past season with one interception along with 44 tackles and two tackles for loss. Tommy currently holds multiple offers and I expect more to come his way going into his senior year.

As we head deeper into the month of June, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, I wanted to take some time to highlight some incoming seniors in specific areas of the state of Kentucky. Over the past week, I have been highlighting incoming seniors at each position in Northern Kentucky. After already covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball , I will wrap up this series with some notable ATH to watch in the class of 2026 in Northern Kentucky who make an impact at multiple positions.