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Top 10 defensive players who can make an impact in the class of 2025 ft. Na'eem Offord
With the upcoming 2024-25 high school football season fast approaching, defensive players across the country are looking to sharpen their skills before the first game. Some will look to make a veritable impact as they vie for coveted scholarships to elite college programs around the country.
This includes the top 10 defensive players around the country who can make an impact for the Class of 2025 as they prepare for their final season in the high school ranks and transition into the world of college football.
Top 10 defensive players who can make an impact for the class of 2025
#1. Na'eem Offord
Rising A.H. Parker High (Birmingham, AL) senior cornerback and free safety Na'eem Offord has already committed to Ohio State, as he looks to make his final season memorable.
Offord led his Thundering Herd with 27 total tackles, 20 solo and 7 assisted, through 22 games played at the varsity level. With a nose for the ball, he is a projected cornerback who can drop back into the free safety slot and patrol all six zones of the defensive backfield. He has 4 pass deflections and 5 interceptions with one sack.
On offense, each time he touches the ball it's almost a guaranteed score. Offord led his team with 18 touchdowns accounting for 108 points so far and will definitely be one to watch this season.
#2. Blake Woodby
St. Francis Academy's (Baltimore, MD) Blake Woodby made it official recently by making his final three schools Oregon, Auburn, and Maryland. His impact will be felt everywhere on the field as he received attention from almost every major SEC and ACC school with a sprinkling of top Big 10 and AAC programs as well.
Woodby is projected to play cornerback when he hits campus in the fall of 2025. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound standout has made it his business to disrupt everything around him and was the youngest player in the history of SFA football to be named captain during his sophomore season.
Woodby is looking to make his presence felt against opposing receivers, quarterbacks, and running backs. He will start his senior campaign on August 30, 2024, when high-powered St. Joseph's Regional of Montvale, NJ comes to Baltimore, Maryland. Blake Woodby originally committed to Ohio State in October but recently decommitted this past May.
#3. Faheem Delane
Faheem Delane is an impact safety who is a game-changer no matter where he lines up. The Ohio State Commit led his Our Lady Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) to the WCAC Championships with his in-your-face style of play. Delane can create havoc in the passing and running games, as well as be a true blitzing safety, rushing opposing quarterbacks and dropping running backs for big losses.
Faheem Delane currently leads his defensive backs in 11 games played with 66 total tackles (28 solo tackles, 38 assisted tackles), 2 sacks and 2 caused fumbles. His impact will be on full display when Our Lady of Good Counsel opens their 2024-25 season at DePaul (Wayne, NJ) on September 6, 2024.
#4. Eli Lee
Eli Lee is a 6'3" 230-pound force who calls the shots from his Middle Inside Linebacker position for Archbishop Hobart (Akron, Ohio). Lee is another Ohio State commit who is looking to impact opposing offenses with steady sideline-to-sideline play.
His lunch pail style of play impacts opposing offenses in many 1v1 running situations beating the line and dropping the ball carrier for loss of yards behind the line of scrimmage. He will get to continue to show his future Buckeye teammates and coaches how impactful he can be when Hobart debuts the 2024-25 season on Sept. 6, 2024, at 7 pm against Buchtel High School (Akron, Ohio).
#5. Christian Jones
Christian Jones is an impactful outside linebacker who forces opposing quarterbacks from sending plays his way or rethinking how they would pass the ball. The 6'3" 215 rising senior from Omaha Westside (Omaha, Nebraska), was part of a Class A State Championship defense that allowed 46 points on the way to an undefeated 2023-24 season.
Jones has been very busy filling up the stats sheet since his debut as a sophomore two years ago. He has a total of 62 tackles, 39 solo and 16 assisted, through 19 games played. He is averaging 3.3 tackles per game and 12 tackles for losses as well. His 3 interceptions along with 3 forced fumbles and recoveries were the impact to help propel his squad to the top billing in the state.
Jones recently took official visits to the University of Nebraska and the University of Oklahoma and is expected to announce his decision in the coming weeks. Other schools in contention are Auburn University and USC. On offense, Jones has 543 total yards as a wide receiver on 26 receptions, hauling in 10 touchdowns as well.
Omaha Westside will open up its 2024-25 season against Columbus (Columbus, NE) on Sept. 6, 2024 at 7 p.m. Jones will start the season looking to make a case for his prospective team that his impact will be felt as the Westside Warriors look to defend their title this year.
#6. Darren Ikinnagbon
Darren Ikinnagbon has been an impact player since his Pop Warner days. Ikinnagbon made his debut as a sophomore starting in two games for Hillside High (Hillside, NJ) during the 2022-23 season, and has been a Swiss army knife, playing tight end, fullback, and defensive end. Only playing a total of 10 games so far, he has made it a point to create havoc everywhere he lines up.
Ikinnagbon has quickly filled the stat sheet with 54 total tackles, 37 solo, and 27 assisted tackles. This includes 6 sacks, 14 tackles for losses, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.
His Comets lost a close quarterfinal playoff game last season and will look to seek retribution when they open up against Bernards (Bernardsville, NJ). Ikinnagbon announced his commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs this past April.
#7. Maxwell Roy
A highly recruited defensive lineman, Maxwell Roy out of Philadelphia, PA's St. Joseph Prep, has made it official. His impactful style of play helped the Hawks win the PIAA 6A State Championship this past year.
He will continue the long tradition of players attending Ohio State University. The Buckeyes already have a strong 2025 recruiting class and are looking to add more as the cycle rolls on.
The 6-foot-5 265-pound rising senior will have his work cut out for him this season as his Hawks will look to defend their title. Their first game of the season is on August 23, 2024, against Haverford School. Roy will have to set the tone on the defensive front line to keep the Hawks flying on all cylinders.
#8. Christopher Burgess Jr.
Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, IL) has an impact player in Christopher Burgess Jr., who will start slow and then suddenly change the temperature of the game from his strong side defensive end position. He made his varsity debut last season as a junior playing in 6 games.
Burgess was effective in those 6 games as he recorded 5 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles for a total of 12 tackles overall, a fumble recovery and 2 sacks. He has big aspirations and goals to fill this season. He gave a verbal commitment to Notre Dame towards the end of January of this year and is expected to sign later this year.
Burgess will first have to play lights out this season to make it back to the Illinois High School Football Prep Bowl. The first game of the season is August 31, 2024, against Rochester High (Rochester, IL).
#9. Brandon Caesar
There isn't much information in the form of statistics about Brandon Caesar, but to have garnered 22 offers over the past three years of high school must warrant some serious consideration. He is an all-star wrestler as well as a defensive lineman, who can play on the interior defensive line at tackle or rotate to the strong side defensive end.
Caesar has proven to be a handful in multiple games where he impacted the outcome of the opposing offenses as well as clogging the interior holes where running backs will likely attempt to come through.
As of late June, Caesar has yet to decide after being offered by Tennessee during his official visit. Along with the Volunteers, Caesar has West Virginia and Ohio State in his final 3 schools.
#10. Tyson Terry
Tyson Terry has a high motor that will be very impactful to opposing offenses. The rising senior who attends Omaha North (Omaha, Nebraska) has given his verbal commitment to the University of Nebraska and is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent at the end of the 2024-25 football season.
Terry has started every varsity game he's played in since his debut as a freshman. His 33 games allowed him to set up shop in the opposing offenses' backfields racking up 52 solo tackles, and 160 assisted tackles for a total of 212 tackles. He averaged 6.4 tackles per game with 38 tackles for losses.
Terry also leads his squad in sacks with a total of 12.5 averaging 0.4 sacks per game. He also has 4 passes defended, 5 fumble recoveries, and 1 blocked field goal throughout his high school career so far.
He's looking to lead his Vikings to the Nebraska High School Athletic Association state championships this year after losing 45-0 to Millard South (Omaha, Nebraska) in the 2023-24 Class 5A state playoffs. Omaha North will open the 2024-25 season against Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Nebraska) on September 6, 2024 at 7 pm.
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