Kentucky Preps 2018 preseason all-state 1st team football squad

August 3, 2018

Louisville, Kentucky

By Dave Lackford

It's about that time of year for two-a-days and preseason hype and my 2018 KyPreps all-state football squad.

What do I base my criteria upon you may ask yourself?

Well no one in the state has kept a more objective eye on prospects from Kentucky as they participated in camps over the past offseason than me. From The Best of the Midwest, Rivals Three-Stripe Camps, Purdue, Louisville, and Kentucky summer prospects camps, and even the Rivals Five Star Challenge, I have seen these players first hand against the best in the region, nation, and even dudes from Canada.

I have also watched extensive film on these players. I'm not talking hudl highlights either. I'm talking about hours of meticulous study where I watched players from rival teams’ film where these players were ancillary characters.

You may subscribe to numerous pay sites here in Kentucky but let there be no question, KyPreps is the ultimate authority on whose who in the Bluegrass. If you don't believe me ask the coaches at the college camps you're trying to get your kids offers from. Anyway, here's my top players who will be suiting up at the next level in the future. If you have a problem with any of my selections or omissions feel free to at me @RivalsDave on twitter.com.

That's enough of my resume, lets go.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE:

Quarterback:

Allen put up ridiculous numbers at Lex Catholic last year. He's smart, accurate, gets the ball out quick, and calls audibles at the line.

Running Backs

I had Markiese Warner here originally but he was lost for the season with a knee injury he sustained in the off-season. Therefore, 2019 RB Brandon Jones from Waggener made the squad. He currently holds offers from Howard, UT-Martin, and Morehead State but with a big year he should get more looks. He clocked a 4.60 40-yard dash on the laser at the Nashville Rivals combine which earned him an invite to the Rivals Three Stripe Camp the following day. Jones is a powerful runner with good vision. He's also a formidable linebacker for Waggener.

If I was a defensive coordinator at the high school level I would make Isreal my main focus. He can run by defenders with his speed, has elite wiggle and acceleration/deccelaration, and just makes defenders look foolish in open space.

He's only a sophomore but from what I have seen on film he reminds me of a young Wandale Robinson.

Coach Lucas and his staff will probably be mad I listed him this high but I expect major production from him in the wide open George Rogers Clark offense this season.

Not much needs to be said about Milton Wright. He is a proven commodity and one of the top receiving threats in the nation, let alone the state of Kentucky.

Put Crumes on the boundary and let him run zeroes and nines all night. His get off is lightning and he's on DB's toes before they knew where there cushion went. He also tracks the ball in flight like a natural. Slide that safety over to his side and watch me kill you with high-low routes all day.

Robinson is my pick for Kentucky Mr. Football.

There is simply not a more productive player who never leaves the field.

Line him up in the slot and I dare you to cover him with anything less than your Power-Five level corner. Oh you don't have one? First down, possibly touchdown. I can also use Robinson as a running back, return man, safety, or just run the wildcat with him when the lead is comfortably in hand.

Robinson is the most dangerous man on the field no matter the competition in the state of Kentucky.

Tight End:

Mayer is a big body I can move to the X,Y, or Z receiver slot or have him play inline and smash down on your end, linebacker, or send him out to find your safety.

The Notre Dame commit may very well be the best prospect in the state right now and he's a no-brainer for 1st team tight end.

Offensive Line:

Hudson is a big, mean, athletic lineman who can line up at any position on the offensive line. When he isn't smashing defenders in the mouth he's winning state championships in the shot put, discuss, javelin, and weight throws. A natural leader with a body guard mentality. If football or the Olympics don't work out for him he's got a future in the secret service.

Bolwes is a long, athletic guard with a mean streak.

He needs some work in pass pro but if he's good enough for Nick Saban he's good enough for me.

Dane isn't the biggest dude on the field but he's one of the smartest and most coachable. He comes from a football pedigree and I can't think of a better kid to call out the line checks than him.

Like Jackson, Parks comes from a football pedigree. A tireless worker and a nasty dude, Parks shows the want to it requires to be great. He also gets bigger every time I see him and his athleticism and hand placement at the second level begs coaches to pull him and destroy linebackers and defensive backs at the second level.

Young is huge and athletic. He gets to the second level quickly and has the upper body to sustain bull rushers from high school lineman without many moves in their repertoire.

I want him to be a little nastier but his size and athletic potential are a siren's song calling coaches to row toward the rocks. Count me in.

First Team Defense:

Defensive Line:

Herron is battle tested against some of the top talent in the country. He is a veteran of two Rivals 5-Star challenges and while he has split his reps over the last two years, he always dusts himself off and comes back for more.

Him an JJ Weaver are the top defensive players in the state this season and they both line up as rooks on my defensive line chess board.

Oxendine makes my team based upon the work he put in at the Nashville Rivals Three Stripe Camp. I wasn't sold on OX based upon his sophomore film. I thought he looked nonchalant at times and didn't dominate the way a big time prospect was supposed to. Then he showed up at Nashville and took as many reps as he could, showed good explosion and motor, and competed relentlessly. He also looked a lot trimmer than I expected him to look.

I expect him to wreak havoc in opposing backfields this season.

The Notre Dame commit form South Warren doesn't look like much when you se him in person. He admitted as much to me in person at the Chicago Rivals Three Stripe Camp. Then in one on ones he displayed savvy hand techniques by utilizing the fork lift, chop, and club/rip that made me think, "Oh yeah, that's why Notre Dame likes him."

He still needs to work on pad level but not many Kentucky interior lineman have the technique to answer him, even the guys listed on the first team offense.

Imagine the practices if this was a real team.

Long, strong, with an explosive coil, if you let Weaver get a head of steam to the outside, he's either going to bend his long frame under you or just punch you back into the quarterback. At the Five Star challenge he embarrassed a few elite tackles.

On film he flashes elite disruption capabilities against the run by sealing the edge and chasing down stretch plays. Against the pass, he can drop and get his long arms in throwing lanes when he's not putting the clock on quarterbacks.

The knock on him from my perspective is that he needs to show more motor in backside pursuit but overall Weaver shows the ability to be an NFL caliber player.

Linebackers:

Adkins can play offense or defense. On offense he shows the ability to be a between the tackles runner, and an H-Back who tracks the ball well, but I prefer his length and weight at outside linebacker where he can knock tackles back into run lanes. He's a big body kid who can run and doesn't have a problem running over defenders.

I didn't catch much film of him at linebacker but his athleticism, length, and size project better at the next level in my opinion at linebacker. At La Rue County he is an offensive weapon. But on this team I can put him on defense and not skip a beat on offense at running back, H-back, or TE.

I couldn't care less where he plays in high school, he already has the frame of a Power Five linebacker and that's where I'm playing him on this squad. If he doesn't work out at linebacker, I'll just move him to the offensive side of the ball. He shows a lot of upside and Louisville has secured a solid prospect despite his low ranking.

Jared Casey is an athletic freak. He looks like a WWE wrestler in the making at 17-years-old. That being said, his selection to this team is more of a beauty pageant type of thing than a football film-based thing.

This year will be his first season where he gets some real film and snaps at the varsity level. I'm a gambling man however and I'm willing to wager that he puts up an early season display of dominance that bolsters his already high ranking and earns him a few more Power Five offers.

I've seen him in camp settings showing his athleticism and angle taking in "cat and mouse" drills and he looked like he can run with tight ends and slot receivers down field, but his technique off the line leaves something to be desired.

Casey will either make me look smart or a sucker for fools' gold, but I'm going to push my chips in the center and hope my instincts pay off.

Owen is the anti-Casey. That means he is a proven commodity on film who is always in the right position at the right time and has the film at the varsity level to prove it.

So why isn't he a big time recruit like Casey? Well he just isn't the athlete that Casey is but he shows the instincts and willingness to throw his hat in the mix that could make a coach take a chance on him.

He makes my team because he is a savvy leader on a good team who knows his assignments and knows everyone else's. Don't be surprised if an FBS school scoops him up late in the cycle.

Knight-Goff thinks he's a hand in the dirt edge rusher but he's a guy who can put in work at all three levels of the field. If I want him to move down and rush the passer he can do that. If I want him to drop into the secondary as a strong safety I can do that as well. So the natural position for him at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds is at outside linebacker where it affords me the ability to move him up, down, or hold fort, without substituting.

I honestly believe that if he showed up to more camps he would be rated much higher and he may be one of the most undervalued prospects in the nation.

Corners:

After watching Tisdale in man coverage in one on ones at the Nashville camp I left thinking maybe he was overrated. But then I went home and watched his film again and remembered why I am so high on him, he's a boundary corner who comes up and runs his feet through ball carriers and rolls his hips to finish them. He isn't a man corner and maybe better suited as a safety at the next level but in zone coverage he is devastating, with the ability to dislodge the ball through contact and take a pick to the house if the quarterback makes an errant throw.

Trel Riley and I go back to his sophomore season. I loved his aggressiveness on film as a varsity sophomore and then during his Junior season he played more zone/ off-man and recorded eight picks. Riley only has offers from WKU and three FCS schools and that's because he hasn't necessarily handled his business in the classroom. That's on him. Trel, if you're reading this than get at me and tell me I'm wrong. Anyway, if he was a 2.5 student with a 19 on his ACT he would be a Power-Five offer guy. He's better than Vito Tisdale in my opinion and honestly, should be ranked in the top-ten in the state for the 2019 class. If you don't agree ask Vito.

Riley dominated at the Rivals Tennessee Three Stripe Camp, didn't give up a reception at the Purdue camp, and looked like the best DB at the UK camp. If he gets his grades in order, he is going to be a top-prospect. If not, I hope to see him at one of the top JUCOS in the country because he's that type of player.

Safeties:

Dingle is a 4.6 laser dude with an NFL pedigree who plays like a lunatic but takes breaks from his insanity to intercept passes and take them back for six. He hits hard and plays smart. He's also 6-foot and 190-pounds.

The Bearcats are getting a steal in one of the fastest strong safeties in the country with great speed, physicality, and awareness when the bullets are flying.

Shout out to Gino Guidugli's eye for talent.

Reese Smith played in the basketball playoffs after breaking his pinky and ringer finger on his left hand. He went on to score 24 points after that in the regional playoff game against South Western in an overtime loss. Smith is a dude. He has clocked 4.5 times on the watch and currently holds offers from Ball State, Cincinatti, Austin Peay, and Troy.

I saw him take over a game verse Waggener last year with multiple interceptions and touchdown receptions. He's already 5-foot-11, 175-pounds and can run, catch, and hit. He's also instinctive and highly coachable.

What more can you ask of a free safety other than being two inches taller?