Next Man Up: KY Defensive Backs to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are deep into the off-season for the 2023 high school football season, I wanted to start a new series on some players to watch in the state of Kentucky at each position. For this series, I want to focus on some “Next Man Up” prospects. These players include young players that have begun to make a name for themselves, players coming into a bigger role this season, and key players coming off injuries. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive line and linebackers out of the way, I will wrap up the defensive side of the ball with some intriguing defensive backs in the state of Kentucky to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 high school football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Darionte Ragsdale","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Paducah Tilghman ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Darionte Ragsdale is an incoming senior defensive back that recently jumped onto my radar. He had a strong junior season, finishing with 51 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and four interceptions. Ragsdale lines up at safety and is very impressive in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and route combinations to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. When the ball is thrown in his direction, he has shown tremendous ball skills with the ability to go up and catch the ball at its highest point. He is also very reliable against the run. Ragsdale does a great job of reading the play and filling the lane in a hurry to provide run support. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Ragsdale has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. While he doesn't currently hold any offers, Darionte is a player that should definitely be on college radars going into his senior year as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["408044"],"_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='408044' first='Isaiah' last='Watts'] is a defensive back that caught my attention last off-season but unfortunately had his junior year cut short. In the two games that Watts was able to play in, he finished with nine tackles and one tackle for loss. Watts plays on the outside at corner and is very impressive in man coverage. He has shown the ability to open up and run with receivers to mirror their routes and has a tremendous ability to turn and make play on the ball with perfect timing. When the ball is thrown his way, he has the ball skills to make a play on the ball at its highest point. He is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to come downhill and provide run support. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Isaiah doesn't currently hold any offers but has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["735612"],"_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":"Joining Watts in a very talented Bryan Station secondary is incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='735612' first='Jaiden' last='Shegog']. Jaiden had a strong sophomore year, finishing with 20 tackles and one interception which he returned for a touchdown. Shegog lines up at corner and has shown the ability to thrive in both man and zone coverage. He has the speed and athleticism to turn and run with receivers to mirror their routes and has the ability to react quickly to make a play on the ball. Shegog has shown the ability to time his breaks perfectly to catch interceptions in stride. He is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to come downhill and make tackles in the open field. Jaiden currently holds one offer from Miami (OH) and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1252779' first='Kemonte' last='Braxton'] ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Sayre","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another incoming junior defensive back that has stood out to me lately is [player_tooltip player_id='1252779' first='Kemonte' last='Braxton'] from Sayre. Before recently transferring to Sayre, Braxton had a strong sophomore season for East Jessamine, finishing with 34 tackles and one interception which he returned for a touchdown. Kemonte lines up at corner and is impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading the play and filling the lane to provide support. Once he gets to the ball, he is a very reliable open field tackler. Kemonte is also very reliable in pass coverage, showing the speed to run with receivers to mirror their routes. He also does a great job of timing his breaks on the ball when it is thrown his way, showing the ability to catch interceptions in stride. Braxton doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to watch over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["735619"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='735619' first='Deonte' last='Stevens'] is another defensive back from the 2025 class that has stood out to me. He played a key role in Pikeville's 1A State Championship run this past season, finishing with 66 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries with one returned for a touchdown. Stevens  shows great positional versatility with the ability to play safety and in the slot in a nickel role. He is very reliable in coverage , showing the ability to read the play and flow to the ball quickly to make a play. Stevens is also reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the run quickly and get to the ball in a hurry. He has shown the ability to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier and is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Deonte has yet to receive any official offers but has received some college interest and has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["735618"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Another incoming junior defensive back that has caught my attention is [player_tooltip player_id='735618' first='Jackson' last='Dillow'] from LCA. Dillow had a strong sophomore season, finishing with 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three interceptions. He lines up on the outside at corner and is very reliable in man coverage. Jackson is able to use his speed to turn and run with receivers to mirror their routes. When the ball is thrown his way, Dillow has shown the ability to go up and make a play on the ball at its highest point. Against the run, Dillow has shown a willingness to come downhill to provide support and is very reliable tackler in the open field. Jackson doesn't currently hold any offers but is definitely a player to watch over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-645e75072fdc3"} /-->