Previewing the 2023 high school football season: Colin Simmons, David Stone headline top 10 defensive linemen

By Zack Poff Jul 24, 2023, 11:20am

Nasir Wyatt of top-ranked Mater Dei among four standouts featured from Class of 2025.

MaxPreps shifts to defense in its position-by-position breakdown of the 2023 high school football season. We already zoned in on the offensive side looking at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen. Now we move to the other side of the ball and start with the defensive line. 

This list includes both edge rushers and interior linemen. Colin Simmons of Duncanville (Texas) headlines the players featured and the five-star playmaker led the Panthers to their first state title since 1998 last season. They beat North Shore (Houston) 28-21 in the 6A Division 1 championship.

He was one of six defensive linemen selected from the Class of 2024. The remaining four selections are juniors, headlined by Elijah Griffin of Savannah Christian (Savannah, Ga.). He was a MaxPreps Sophomore All-America first-team selection.

Florida and Georgia are the only two states that had two players featured. David Stone of IMG Academy (Bradenton) and Armondo Blount of Central (Miami) represent the Sunshine State while Eddrick Houston of Buford joins Griffin from the Peach State. Alabama, Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Missouri and Texas all feature one defensive linemen.
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 225
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2024)
Finished his junior campaign with 33 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks for the No. 7 team in final MaxPreps Top 25. Simmons was a MaxPreps Junior All-America first-team selection.



Height: 6-4 | Weight: 270
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2024)
Dominated in the trenches playing against the best competition last season. A first-team selection on the MaxPreps Junior All-America squad.

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 250
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2024)
Led the Broncos to their first state championship game appearance in 2022. Racked up 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 285
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2025)
The top-ranked player in his class, according to 247Sports composite rankings, posted 82 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks last season. He was a first-team choice on the MaxPreps Sophomore All-America team.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 250
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2025)
The top-rated player in Florida in his class racked up 29 sacks over the last two years at Dillard (Fort Lauderdale).

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 210
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2025)
Had a monster sophomore season playing against elite competition, posting 27.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 250
Status: Committed to Arizona | Class: Senior (2024)
Recently became the highest-rated player to ever commit to the Wildcats. The five-star edge rusher is the No. 8 player, according to 247Sports. He had 73 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks last season.



Height: 6-4 | Weight: 220
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2025)
Finished his sophomore campaign with 108 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, three forced fumbles and blocked three field goals.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 255
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2024)
The five-star is one of the hardest players to block in the country. He accounted for 64 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 235
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2024)
The top-rated player in the DMV area had 16 sacks and led the Knights to a DCSAA Class AA state title.