From players like Ole Miss signee Maison Dunn to five-star recruit Bralan Womack, the talent at the defensive position is there. A few weeks before the start of MHSAA Football Season and MORE 2024here are Mississippi’s top defenders.
Players are listed in alphabetical order.
Preston Ashley
Brandão
5-foot-11, 170 pounds | Junior
Ashley, a four-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite, recorded 66 total tackles with 133 return yards. He has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Demarcus Baker
Hattiesburg
6-1, 190 | Senior
Baker, a Southern Miss commit, is the No. 30 overall recruit in the 2025 class and chose the Golden Eagles over offers from Western Kentucky, Arkansas State and Southern.
Kohl Bradley
George County
6-0, 170 | Senior
Bradley, a three-star recruit, has 58 total tackles with 45 solo and two interceptions in 2023. The safety has offers from Florida State, Arkansas, Army, South Alabama and Jackson State.
Jaekwon Collins
Jefferson County
6-0, 190 | Senior
Collins had 98 total tackles with six tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions last season.
Trevon Deans
Central Harrison
6-0, 200 | Senior
Last season, Deans had 47 tackles, 35 solo and four tackles for loss and had six interceptions.
KEY RETURNS BY POSITION: QBs | RB | WRs | AO | ATH
Allen Dobbs
Amory
6-2, 210 | Senior
Dobbs has recorded 81 total tackles, 47 solo and 10 tackles for loss, and has one interception in 2023.
Dunn House
Tupelo
6-4, 180 | Senior
Dunn, an Ole Miss commit, had 21 total tackles, including 15 solo tackles. He also had two interceptions last season.
Jer’Kel Ivy
East Webster
6-1, 170 | Senior
Ivy recorded four interceptions with 39 total tackles and 23 solo tackles in 13 games played last season.
Kesler Jenkins
Oak grove
5-11, 175 | Senior
Jenkins, a three-star recruit, produced 10 tackles and a tackle for loss and received an offer from Wright State.
Demon Martins
Pique Sul
6-0, 170 | Senior
Martin recorded seven interceptions last season and had 48 tackles, including three tackles for loss.
Tylen Mathews
Cormorant Lake
6-0, 175 | Junior
Mathews, a three-star recruit, has 28 total tackles and five interceptions with 637 all-purpose yards in 2023. He has offers from Arkansas, Auburn and Ole Miss.
Dolph McDonald
Morton
6-1, 155 | Second year student
In his freshman season, McDonald had 65 total tackles, 43 of which were solo, five tackles for loss and seven interceptions. He has offers from Mississippi State, Florida State and UCF.
MORE HS FB: 50 Questions About 2024 Mississippi High School Football
Lucas McKenzie
Starkville Academy
6-4, 180 | Senior
McKenzie had 69 total tackles with 36 solo and five interceptions with 114 interception return yards last season.
Trevionn Morton
Wingfield
6-1, 195 | Senior
The Southern Miss commit had 89 total tackles, 54 solo and caused six turnovers in Wingfield’s final football season in 2023.
Delwin Perkins Jr.
McComb
5-11, 160 | Second year student
Perkins had 44 tackles, including 31 solos, and three interceptions last season. He has an offer from Florida A&M.
Zach Ruffin
Neshoba Central
6-3, 180 | Senior
Ruffin has recorded 121 total tackles with five tackles for loss and six pass deflections in 2023.
Clavin Scott
Taylorsville
5-9, 170 | Junior
Scott produced 42 total tackles with six interceptions and 310 yards on 50 carries last season.
Cortez Tomás
Holmes County Central
6-1, 180 | Senior
Thomas is an Ole Miss commit and helped Holmes County Central to a 12-1 record while producing 45 tackles and two interceptions.
MORE HS FB: Meet Mississippi football’s top seniors for the 2024 MHSAA season, MORE
Zach Townsend
Grenade
6-2, 170 | Senior
Last season, Townsend had five interceptions with 41 total tackles, helping Granada win the MHSAA Class 6A title.
Samuel Watkins
Madison-Ridgeland Academy
6-2, 210 | Senior
The Arkansas State commit had 27 tackles and 22 solos in eight games in 2023 at Jackson Academy. He transferred to Madison-Ridgeland Academy this season.
Tylan Wilson
Pascagoula
6-3, 175 | Junior
The four-star recruit is the state’s No. 8 overall prospect in the class of 2026. He had 69 total tackles, 34 solo and five interceptions. Wilson has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis, Miami, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
Bralan Womack
Hartfield Academy
6-1, 200 pounds | Junior
Womack, a four-star recruit and the state’s No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, had 26 total tackles with seven interceptions in 2023. He also had 562 receiving yards. Womack has offers from Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports and more for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or contact him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Top Mississippi high school football players: Best DBs in MHSAA, MORE
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