Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out as a senior. Whitten lined up at defensive end where he was dominant against the run. He is very explosive out of his stance and uses his strength to fight straight through opposing offensive linemen on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Whitten is a very reliable tackler, finishing this past season with a team-high 94 tackles and 46 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also recorded eight sacks and scored one rushing touchdown as a senior. Jackson is committed to Colgate where I can see him being a very productive player at the next level.

To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY . Whitten had a very impressive year at defensive end where he was dominant against the run. He is very explosive out of his stance then uses his strength and speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive linemen with ease on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to finish the tackle quickly. Whitten finished his senior year with a team-high 94 tackles and 46 tackles for loss in 12 games. He also showed the ability to rush the passer, recording eight sacks this season. Whitten also scored a rushing touchdown on offense as a senior. Jackson signed with Colgate where I can see him being an early contributor once he gets there.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to stand out in Bracken County’s opening round win over West Carter last week. Whitten lined up at defensive end where he was dominant against the run, finishing the game with a team-high 10 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Jackson sheds blocks quickly then uses his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle before they can get going. He also finished the game with one sack. Whitten currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect him to be a true impact player wherever he ends up playing at the next level. Jackson will look to have another big game in Bracken County’s intriguing second round matchup against Breathitt County this week.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY has continued to be one of the most productive defensive linemen in the state this season. He lines up at defensive end where he causes a ton of disruption against the run. Whitten has shown the strength to fight through blocks with ease and speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Jackson leads his team with 76 tackles and 37 tackles for loss in nine games. He has also recorded seven sacks and scored a rushing touchdown this season. Whitten currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect him to be a true impact player wherever he decides to play at the next level.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY has been high on my radar for a while now and has continued to impress as a senior. Whitten lines up at defensive end where he is dominant against the run. He explodes out of his stance and uses his strength to shed blocks quickly followed by his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler, recording a team-high 45 tackles and 26 tackles for loss in six games this season. He is also a very effective pass rusher off the edge, currently leading his team with six sacks so far this season. Whitten currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow this season.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY has been high on my radar for a while now and has continued to stand out as a senior. Whitten lines up at defensive end where he is very disruptive against the run. He uses his speed to blow by opposing offensive linemen with ease on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a very reliable tackler, leading his team with 21 tackles and 14 tackles for loss through three games this season. Whitten has also shown the ability to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher to get to the quarterback in a hurry. He has accounted for three sacks so far this season. Jackson currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect more to come his way throughout his senior year.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY is a player how has been high on my radar for a while now. Whitten line up at defensive end where he is a dominant force against the run. He explodes out of his stance and uses his strength to fight through blocks with ease on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Jackson is a very reliable tackler in the open field. He causes a ton of disruption as a junior, finishing the year with 82 tackles and 30 tackles for loss. Whitten has also shown the ability to use an impressive combination of strength and speed to blow by opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher, finishing last season with 9.5 sacks. Jackson has also spent some time at quarterback but he will be moving to offensive tackle this season to help out on the line. Whitten currently holds offers from Dayton, Cornell, Colgate, Penn, Morehead State, and Butler, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level.

To wrap up our top five defensive linemen in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY . Whitten lines up at defensive end where he is a dominant force against the run. He does a great job of stacking blocks and reading the play then shedding them quickly once he sees where the ball is going. After shedding the block, Whitten uses his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. He finished this past season with 82 tackles and 30 tackles for loss in 12 games. Whitten has also proven to be an effective pass rusher, finishing his junior year with 9.5 sacks. Jackson currently holds offers from Cornell, Morehead State, Butler, and Penn, and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up this offseason.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY is another defensive end who has been high on our radar for a while now. He had a dominant junior year against the run, finishing the season with 82 tackles and 30 tackles for loss in 12 games. Whitten is a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive tackles, using his combination of strength and speed to fight straight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle. Whitten also finished this past season with 9.5 sacks and served as his team’s quarterback, throwing for 683 yards and nine touchdowns while also scoring one rushing touchdown. Jackson currently holds offers from Penn and Cornell, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.

Jackson Whitten Jackson Whitten 6'3" | 265 lbs | DL Bracken County | 2026 State KY is another defensive end who has been on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out this season. He was very impressive as a pass rusher as a junior, showing the speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles and strength to bull rush straight through them. Jackson finished the season with 9.5 sacks in 12 games. He also showed the ability to stop the run, using his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field, finishing the year with 82 tackles and 30 tackles for loss. Whitten also served as his team’s quarterback, throwing for 683 yards and nine touchdowns while also scoring one rushing touchdown. Jackson doesn’t currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.