Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is a player that has continued to climb up our rankings over the past couple seasons. He had a strong senior year at outside linebacker where he was very impressive off the edge as a pass rusher. Smith explodes out of his stance and has shown the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. He finished the season with 13.5 sacks in 12 games. Smith also showed the ability to cause disruption against the run, finishing the season with 103 tackles and 31 tackles for loss. He also returned one interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns. Kaden also finished the season as his team’s leading receiver with 26 catches for 471 yards and four touchdowns while also running the ball 39 times for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Smith signed with Eastern Kentucky where I can see him becoming a key piece of their defense.

Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this season. Smith lined up at outside linebacker where he was very impressive as a pass rusher this season. He showed the ability to explode off the edge and use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles and get to the quarterback. Smith finished the season with 13.5 sacks in 12 games. He also showed the ability to cause disruption against the run, finishing the season with 103 tackles and 31 tackles for loss. Smith also finished the season with one interception which he returned for a touchdown, along with two fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown), and one punt return for a touchdown. He also played a role on offense, finishing the season as his team’s leading receiver with 26 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns while also running the ball 39 times for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Kaden is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key impact player for them once he gets there.

Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this season. Smith lines up at outside linebacker where is a very impressive pass rusher. He has shown the ability to tune the snap count to burst off the edge and use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles before they have a chance to block him. Smith finished the regular season with 12.5 sacks. He has also shown the ability to read the run and flow to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field, finishing the regular season with 77 tackles and 27.5 tackles for loss. Smith also showed that he has a true nose for the ball on defense, returning one interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns. Kaden is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.

A physically durable and athletic performer with the ability to play multiple positions on both sides of the ball, Smith demonstrated the full range of his versatility in his Cardinals’ recent 44-6 thumping of Russell County with 64 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 4 carries and another 112 yards receiving on 4 catches. As an outside linebacker in their 3-5 defense, he typically aligns on the line of scrimmage and off the frame of potential blockers, where he enlists his quick vertical take-off, leverage skills and high pursuit motor to continually disrupt blocking schemes and offensive timing. Collecting 3 solo tackles, 4 assists, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack most recently, for the season he has produced 57 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception (a 50-yard pick six). Considered a “hard commit” to Eastern Kentucky, he exhibits the frame, skill set and athleticism to project favorably as either an outside linebacker or a strong safety/nickel type defender and an immediate contributor on special teams.

Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is a player that I’ve had high on my radar for a while now and has continued to impress this season. Smith lines up at outside linebacker where he is dangerous as a pass rusher. He uses an impressive combination of strength and speed off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles. Kaden has eight sacks through his first six games. He has also shown the ability to defend the run, showing the ability to read the play quickly and get to the ball in a hurry to make tackles. Smith currently has 50 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He has also shown the ability to make plays in pass coverage, coming away with one interception and returning it for a touchdown. Kaden is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.

Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is another player that has been high on my radar for a while now that continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in Taylor County’s win over Wayne County. Smith lined up at outside linebacker where he was able to use his combination of strength and speed to dominate off the edge as a pass rusher. He finished the game with  three sacks. Smith also showed the ability to get to the ball in a hurry and make tackles in the open field against the run, finishing with nine tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also made a huge play in pass coverage, coming away with an interception and returning it for a touchdowns. Kaden also played a role on offense, catching a touchdown pass. Smith is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.

Kaden Smith Kaden Smith 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Taylor County | 2024 State KY is another highly-touted player that continued to impress to start their season. Although Taylor County fell short against Mercer County, Smith still had a strong game at linebacker. He showed the ability to read the play from the outside linebacker spot and come downhill in a hurry to cause disruption against the run, finishing with 10 tackles and six tackles for loss. Smith also showed the ability to come off the edge as a pass rusher, finishing Friday’s game with four sacks. Kaden is committed to Eastern Kentucky where I see him developing into a key player for them once he gets there.

I was fortunate to get to see Kaden participate in our Prep Redzone Kentucky’s Prospect Tour in April. Not only did he exceed our expectations with his stellar play, but he was one of the camp’s top performers across all positions. Smith, a 6’3 205lb  2024 grad OLB prospect from Taylor County High School had a great 2022 campaign as he recorded 43 total tackles and 9 defensive sacks in 10 games played (3rd in state 3A class in sacks). When watching Kaden play for the first time, the first trait that amazes recruiters is his speed. When we recorded his 40-yard dash back in April, he ran a 4.47 which was the fastest time in the entire camp. But it is not only his speed at a full sprint that makes him tough to block, but his lateral quickness and reaction time are spectacular. These traits enabled Smith to catch a lot of opposing blockers off-guard right off the snap and pin the QB quickly down to the ground. These types of situations make it extremely difficult for any opposing offense to try and counter Kaden’s blitz attack. Smith is also solid at mirroring the motions of opposing runners and receivers when in zone coverage. This enables him to stay locked onto the open receiver that steps in his zone. Although he currently holds a D1 offer from EKU, I expect him to receive more offers by the end of his senior season.

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