2023 Final Position Rankings: Defensive Back

<!-- 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 been breaking them down by position over the past couple weeks. I will now be wrapping up the defensive side of the ball with the top play makers on the back end of the defense in the 2023 class. With that being said, here are our final 2023 defensive back rankings in the state of Kentucky. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["386923"],"_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='386923' first='Isaiah' last='Kenney'] came into the 2022 season as our top ranked defensive back and proved himself to be worthy of that ranking. Kenney played a huge role in Frederick Douglass' 5A State Championship run, finishing the season with 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, and seven interceptions. He lined up at safety in a very talented Broncos' secondary and did a great job of reading plays from the back end. Kenney has shown the ability to read both the quarterback and route combinations and cover ground quickly to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. He has tremendous ball skill, breaking on pass with perfect timing to catch interceptions in stride, returning two interceptions for touchdowns this season. Kenney has also proven himself to be reliable against the run game as he does a great job of reading the play, filling the running lane, and making tackles in the open field. Isaiah is committed to Findlay where I see him becoming a key piece of their secondary.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["331696"],"_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='331696' first='Jaden' last='Minkins'] is a defensive back that came into the season high on our radar and continued to impress. He had a very strong senior year, finishing with 33 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown. Minkins is a lockdown corner on the outside with great man coverage skills. He has shown the ability to open up and mirror receivers routes, staying in their hip pocket. When the ball is thrown his way, he times his breaks perfectly to knock down the pass or catch interceptions in stride, returning one interception for a touchdown this season. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, reading the play and getting to the ball in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Minkins also has tremendous value on special teams as he returned three punts for touchdowns this year. Jaden is committed to Louisville where I can see him developing into a solid player for them down the road.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["386931"],"_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":"Another senior defensive back from the Louisville area that stood out this season was Male's [player_tooltip player_id='386931' first='Demetrius' last='Dunlap']. Although he only played in six games, Dunlap was very productive when on the field, finishing the year with 24 tackles, one fumble recovery and four interceptions. Dunlap played strong safety and was tremendous in pass coverage. He showed the ability to play zone coverage and also cover receivers out of the slot in man coverage. When the ball was thrown his way, Dunlap showed tremendous ball skills, reacting to the ball in the air and catching it at its highest point. After the interception, Dunlap showed the ability to take the ball the other way for big plays, returning two interceptions for touchdowns this season. He also showed a the ability to come downhill and fill the lane to provide support against the run. Dunlap holds offers from Kentucky Wesleyan, Wayne State, and Mercyhurst and I can see him developing into a very productive player at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["386928"],"_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='386928' first='Augustin' last='Nyembo'] is another senior defensive back that came into the season high on our radar and continued to impress. He wrapped up his high school career on a high note, finishing with 82 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions. Nyembo is a physical corner that has also seen some snaps at safety during his high school career. He does a great job of reading the quarterback against the pass and breaking on the ball quickly to knock down the pass. Augustin is also a very physical tackler, showing the ability to make big hits in the open field against the run while also using his physicality to knock the ball loose from receivers. Nyembo doesn't currently have any official offers that he's reported but he has received some interest from college coaches and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["449761"],"_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 defensive back rankings for the class of 2023 in Kentucky is DuPont Manual's [player_tooltip player_id='449761' first='Julian' last='Wallace Jr']. Wallace had a strong senior year, finishing with 28 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions. He plays on the outside at corner and is very impressive in man coverage. Wallace does a great job of opening up and running with receivers to mirror their routes, staying in their hip pocket. When the ball is thrown his way, Wallace has shown the ability to break in front of the receiver to make a play on the ball. He also has the ball skills to go up and make a play on the ball at its highest point. Wallace is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play and get to the ball quickly to make tackles in the open field. Julian is committed to Thomas More University where I see him developing into a very productive corner for their defense.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63ebf0a82a15f"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 200):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='627896' first='Adam' last='Dunn'] (Highlands)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='287565' first='Korrey' last='Mattingly II'] (Male)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='287579' first='Zachary' last='Clark'] (Owensboro)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='357930' first='Cameron' last='Wooten'] (Trinity)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='386927' first='Tyler' last='Boggs'] (Saint Xavier)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='386924' first='Amare' last='Townsend'] (DuPont Manual)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12. [player_tooltip player_id='599019' first='Carson' last='Craycraft'] (Beechwood)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13. [player_tooltip player_id='385957' first='Bert' last='Kibawa'] (Bowling Green)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14. [player_tooltip player_id='145776' first='Corion' last='Gilbert'] (Pleasure Ridge Park)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15. [player_tooltip player_id='505841' first='Quincy' last='Barber'] (Newport)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16. [player_tooltip player_id='355231' first='Marcus' last='Floyd'] (Bourbon County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17. [player_tooltip player_id='386932' first='Jalen' last='Alfonso'] (North Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>18. [player_tooltip player_id='512643' first='Trevor' last='Beam'] (Nelson County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>19. [player_tooltip player_id='495303' first='Andrew' last='Watkins'] (Nicholas County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>20. [player_tooltip player_id='386930' first='Jack' last='Fitzgerald'] (Saint Xavier)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21. [player_tooltip player_id='331697' first='Lennox' last='Jackson'] (Ballard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->