Although we had Josh Thornton Josh Thornton 6'3" | 240 lbs | ATH Boyd County | 2023 State KY listed as a tight end in our initial 2023 rankings, he has had a very impressive year on the defensive side of the ball. The senior defensive end finished the regular season with 63 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and eleven sacks. Thornton has shown a tremendous amount of speed and bend off the edge as a pass rusher, blowing by offensive tackles on their outside shoulder. Against the run, Thornton does a great job of stacking the offensive lineman and holding his ground to read the play. Once he sees the ball, he takes great angles and is a very reliable tackler in the open field. He continued to show promise on offense, finishing as his team’s second leading receiver but I liked what I saw more from him on defense. Josh currently holds offers from Mount Union and Kentucky Christian and I can see him developing into a very productive player on either side of the ball in college.

Although we have him ranked as our seventh best tight end in the class of 2023, Josh Thornton Josh Thornton 6'3" | 240 lbs | ATH Boyd County | 2023 State KY made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball this past Friday. He made plays all over the field, finishing with eight tackles, four tackles for loss, and four sacks. Thornton plays in a stand up outside linebacker/defensive end role and is a very disruptive pass rusher. He has a quick first step out of his stance and uses his speed and bend to win off the edge. Once he gets to the quarterback, he does a great job of running his feet on contact and securing the sack. Against the run, Thornton does a great job of holding his ground and reading the play then taking the right angle to get to the ball, and is a very reliable tackler in the open field. He has continued to show his skill as a pass catcher but has really thrived on defense this season. Josh currently holds offers from Mount Union and Kentucky Christian, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more come as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.