The Ironwood Ridge DE made a massive jump in the rankings to #104 overall with excellent year over year improvement from his junior to senior year. At 6’2” 225 lbs. he combines his speed and power to be a force at the LOS. Flashes an explosive first step off the ball to quickly gain penetration and make a ton of plays at or behind the LOS racking up 23 TFL, 10 sacks and 83 total tackles. A plus athlete with good body control and bend coming off the edge. He’s able to beat blockers with his speed and dip to collapse the pocket or use his hands to maintain separation and shed as he locates the ball. Can move laterally and close space on the ball in the short area. Committed to Colorado School of Mines in October but picked up a PWO to NAU in mid-December. Also holds offers from Minot State and Fort Lewis.

Not only is David Baba David Baba 6'2" | 225 lbs | DL Ironwood Ridge | 2025 State AZ strong and powerful as a defensive lineman from Ironwood Ridge, but he’s also an incredibly intelligent player. His natural feel for the game often has him sniffing out screen passes and counters with ease. Once he’s identified where the ball is going, he does a great job of taking proper angles, even in the trenches. Baba currently has five sacks, seven tackles for loss, and two hurries to go along with it. He’s very effective against both the run and the pass, making him an every-down lineman. His versatility doesn’t end there, Baba is also currently averaging 18 yards per reception as a tight end.

An incredible versatile threat on both sides of the ball, I recently wrote about David Baba David Baba 6'2" | 225 lbs | DL Ironwood Ridge | 2025 State AZ and his abilities as a tight end for Ironwood Ridge. He’s got sneaky speed for a stalky player and very secure hands, but defensively is where he truly shines. I mention in the previous write-up, “Defensively, he’s a strong and aggressive presence that has incredible burst that those in the trenches can’t keep up with,” and that may be putting it lightly. He’s a player that both quarterbacks and running backs don’t want to see get through the line of scrimmage with his hard-hitting ways. Baba finished his junior year with six tackles for loss and four sacks and is in a prime spot to surpass both those numbers in 2024. He’s a player coaches should have on their big board.