2023 Final Position Rankings: Defensive Line

<!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">With a majority of the class of 2023 already committing or signing to college programs, I have released my final rankings for the class. As these rankings have been finalized, I have decided to break them down by position. After covering the offensive side of the ball last week, I will now turn my attention to the top defensive players in the class of 2023. With that being said, I will kick things off with our final 2023 defensive line rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["145017"],"_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='145017' first='Tommy' last='Ziesmer'] came into this season very high on our radar and continued to exceed expectations during his senior season. He not only earned himself the top spot at his position but is also our top overall player in the class of 2023. I also named him my 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. Ziesmer played a huge role in Boyle County's 4A State Championship run, finishing the year with 83 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and three forced fumbles. He is a dominant force off the edge as a pass rusher, showing the speed to run by opposing offensive tackles and strength to fight through blocks. Ziesmer also does a great job of reading the play against the run and getting to the ball quickly to make tackles in the open field. Tommy is committed to Kentucky where I see him developing into one of the next great pass rushers for the Wildcats.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["145016"],"_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='145016' first='Micah' last='Carter'] is another player that was high in our rankings coming into this season that continued to impress. Carter finished his high school career on a high note, finishing his senior year with 56 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and one forced fumble. He is a very dangerous pass rusher, using an impressive combination of strength and quickness to beat offensive tackles off the edge. Carter also has shown a nice variety of pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Against the run, Carter plays with a very high motor and has shown the ability to run down ball carriers all over the field and make tackles in the open field. Carter is committed to Louisville where I see him developing into a key piece of their defensive line.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["386160"],"_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":"Moving the attention to the interior defensive line, [player_tooltip player_id='386160' first='Jamarrion' last='Harkless'] is the best in the state at his position. He lined up mainly at defensive tackle and played a key role in the Broncos' 5A State Championship run. His stats can be deceiving as he played limited snaps throughout the season due to blowout wins by the Broncos but he produced when on the field. Harkless finished his senior season with 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown. He is a very dominant run stopper, showing the strength to hold down his gap and shed blocks quickly to get to the ball carrier. Harkless also has the explosiveness to drive his blocker into the backfield to cause disruption. He also showed the ability to play defensive end at times and use his speed to rush the passer off the edge. Jamarrion is committed to Purdue where I see him finding a role quickly on their defensive line.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["386162"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='386162' first='Saadiq' last='Clements'] is a defensive end that I had high on my radar coming into this season but exceeded my expectations. Clements had a very impressive senior season, finishing with 62 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, and three forced fumbles. As a pass rusher, Clements has a very explosive first step and uses his strength to bull rush straight through opposing offensive tackles. He has shown the ability to drive his blocker into the pocket and shed them quickly to finish at the quarterback. Against the run, Clements does a great job of reading the play and has the speed to run down the ball carrier from the back side when the play is away from him. Saadiq will join Carter at Louisville and the two of them have the potential to be a very dangerous pass rush duo when their names are called.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["386166"],"_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":"Wrapping up our final top five defensive linemen in the class of 2023 is Great Crossing's [player_tooltip player_id='386166' first='Oryend' last='Fisher']. Fisher continued to show his dominance in his final season of high school football, finishing the year with 76.5 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He is a long, athletic defensive end that uses his speed and quickness off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles. Once he gets into the pocket, he does a great job of exploding through contact to finish the sack. Against the run, he is able to use his speed to burst into the backfield before the offensive line can react and to run down ball carriers all over the field. Fisher is committed to West Virginia where I see him developing into a key piece of their defense.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63ead2228b52a"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 200):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">6. [player_tooltip player_id='386161' first='Jalen' last='Hand'] (Frederick Douglass)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">7. [player_tooltip player_id='386163' first='Beni' last='Tshita'] (DuPont Manual)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">8. [player_tooltip player_id='386164' first='Kyan' last='Miller'] (Henry Clay)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">9. [player_tooltip player_id='287560' first='Byron' last='May'] (Rowan County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">10. [player_tooltip player_id='386170' first='Adam' last='Hobbs'] (Central Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">11. [player_tooltip player_id='490005' first='Mitchell' last='Toney'] (Trinity)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">12. [player_tooltip player_id='386174' first='Sahvon' last='Hines'] (Owensboro)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">13. [player_tooltip player_id='386165' first='Dominic' last='Shoulders'] (DuPont Manual)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">14. [player_tooltip player_id='386167' first='KJ' last='Hardesty'] (South Warren)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">15. [player_tooltip player_id='386171' first='Teddy' last='Meiers'] (Saint Xavier)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">16. [player_tooltip player_id='386175' first='Peyton' last='Taylor'] (Logan County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">17. [player_tooltip player_id='145759' first='Kaden' last='Briggs'] (Pleasure Ridge Park)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">18. [player_tooltip player_id='512641' first='Layton' last='Davis'] (Paducah Tilghman)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">19. [player_tooltip player_id='599012' first='Isaac' last='Poe'] (Logan County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">20. [player_tooltip player_id='521582' first='Daniel' last='Winburn'] (Fairdale)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">21. [player_tooltip player_id='386173' first='John' last='Sualla'] (Frederick Douglass)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"17px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:17px">22. [player_tooltip player_id='145774' first='Brayden' last='Spears'] (Belfry)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->