Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY continued to solidify himself as one of the best players in the state this season. He lined up at defensive tackle where he was very impressive against the run. Hope explodes out of his stance and uses his strength to drive through blocks with ease then follows it up by using his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very reliable tackler, finishing his senior year with 76 tackles and 18 tackles for loss in nine games. Josiah also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the season with 3.5 sacks. Hope signed with Purdue where I can see him becoming a key piece of their defensive line unit.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY continued to solidify himself as one of the top players in the state this season. He lined up at defensive tackle where he caused a ton of disruption against the run. Hope showed the ability to hold up opposing offensive linemen while finding where the ball is going then shedding blocks with ease to get to the ball carrier. He has shown the speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry then finish the job once he gets there, finishing his senior year with 76 tackles and 18 tackles for loss in nine games. Hope also scored 3.5 sacks as a senior. Josiah signed with Purdue where I can see him making an early impact when he gets there.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY will be one of the best overall players in the entire state this season. Hope lines up at defensive tackle where he is dominant against both the run and pass. Against the run, he does a great job of using his strength to stack and shed blocks with ease then has shown the speed/high motor to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. He caused a ton of disruption last season, finishing the year with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss. As a pass rusher, he is able to use the same strength to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen but he has also shown impressive pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Josiah finished his junior year with seven sacks. Hope is committed to Louisville where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY is one of the top overall players in the state in his class. Hope lines up at defensive tackle where he is dominant against the run. Josiah has shown the speed to shoot the gap before opposing offensive linemen can react and the strength to fight straight through them on his way to the ball carrier. He finished this past season with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 11 games. Hope is also impressive as a pass rusher, showing the ability to use his strength and quick pass rush moves to defeat blocks on his way to the quarterback. Josiah finished his junior year with seven sacks. Hope is committed to Purdue where I can see him making an early impact once he gets there.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY has continued to establish himself as one of the top overall players in the state in his class. Hope has the versatility to play both defensive tackle and end, but he is at his best on the interior. He is dominant against the run, using the strength to fight through blocks in a hurry followed by the speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Hope finished his junior year with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 11 games. He is also impressive as a pass rusher, showing an impressive bull rush and pass rush moves, finishing this past season with seven sacks. Hope currently holds multiple Power 4 offers and I expect more to come his way going into his senior year.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY showed why he is one of the top ranked players in the state as he dominated at Saturday’s camp. Hope was very impressive during 1v1 drills showing the ability to line up both in the interior and off the edge. He has a strong bull rush as he is able to drive straight though opposing offensive linemen with ease on his way to the quarterback. Hope also showed the ability to fight with his hands to defeat blocks. Josiah also took some reps at tight end where he was able to showcase his athleticism when running routes. Hope currently holds multiple Power 4 offers and I expect more to come his way going into his senior year.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY is another player from North Hardin who I’m excited to watch in person this weekend. Hope lines up at defensive tackle/end where he is dominant against the run. He does a great job of using his strength to fight through blocks then using his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Hope finished this past season with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 11 games. He also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the year with seven sacks. Hope currently holds several Power 4 offers and I expect that list to grow as he is a very talented prospect.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY continued to establish himself as one of the top players in the state this season. Hope lined up at defensive tackle where he was very impressive against the run. He does a great job of stacking blocks and reading the play then shedding them quickly once he sees where the ball is going. Hope then gets to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle before they can get going. He finished this season with 61 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 11 games. Josiah also showed the ability to put pressure on the quarterback, finishing his junior year with seven sacks. Hope currently holds multiple Power 4 offers and I expect more to come his way as he is a high-caliber prospect.

Josiah Hope Josiah Hope 6'4" | 265 lbs | DL North Hardin | 2026 State KY has continued to show that he is one of the best overall players in the state in his class this season. Hope has shown the versatility to line up both at defensive end and tackle where he is dominant against the run. He does a great job of shedding blocks quickly then using his speed to get to the ball carrier to make the tackle before they can get going. Hope finished the regular season with 59 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 10 games. He has also shown the ability to rush the passer, finishing the regular season with seven sacks. Josiah currently holds offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Wisconsin, Auburn, and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect more to come his way as he is a high-caliber defensive line prospect.