Best of the Best: Looking at the top returners for the ‘27s in TXPS: Part 2: Defense

It is that time of the week again, time for me to give my 2 cents on who I think is the best. If you want to know why I decided to publish this series then look at part 1.

I made the first part special teams +ATH’s to give love to the people who help the team run smoothly. Now I am going over the people who win you championships. The defense. 

This is: Best of the Best: Part 2 of 3: Defense

Side note: any major transfers won’t be included since it’s returners-only.

DT: Kingston Beyer

School: All Saints (Fort Worth)

Head Coach: Aaron Beck

Height: 6 ‘2

Weight: 285

NFL Comp: Kobie Turner

Maxpreps: Kingston Beyer’s All Saints High School Career Home

X: Kingston Beyer – 6’2 285 (@Kingstonbeyer3) / Posts / X

Hudl: Kingston Beyer – Hudl

Offers: 15: Houston, Wyoming, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, North Texas, FAU, Navy, Tulsa, Arkansas State, Georgia State, UT Martin, Army, Toledo, Boston College

Accolades: 2025 Padilla Poll TAPPS D2 Defensive Player of the Year, 2025 TXPS Media TAPPS D2 Defensive Player of the Year, 2025 TAPPS D2 1st Team All State, 2025 TAPPS D2 District 1 1st Team All District, 2024 TAPPS D2 District 1 Second Team All District

Explanation: Beyer is the definition of a disruptor, and his 15.5 sacks, 40 TFLs, 4 blocked FGs/XPs, and an already bonkers 83 tackles speak to that all in 14 games (and he wears a single digit at DT so you know he’s cold). He is big at 6 ’3 285, strong, disciplined, versatile, fast for a DL; he can stuff the run, get the QB, force turnovers, can do some special teams work, and has really good ball instincts. He is, without a doubt, the best DT in TXPS, and he will be a good college player for one of the 15 colleges that have offered him.

Other Contenders

• Conner Evans: Dallas Covenant 
• Easton Jefferson: Oakridge (more of a DE in a three man front but in every other front he is a DT)
• Cole Knippa: Regents
• Rylan Kimpson: St. Thomas (Same as Jefferson)
• Ahzan Bacote: Cornerstone Christian
• Khairan McQueen-Clayton: St. Thomas

DE: Hunter Black

School: Brazos Christian (Bryan)

Head Coach: Jordan Black

Height: 6 ‘5

Weight: 215

NFL Comp: Will Anderson Jr.

Maxpreps: Hunter Black’s Brazos Christian High School Career Home

X: Hunter Black (@huntermblack) / Posts / X

Hudl: Hunter Black – Hudl

Offers: 8: Army, Air Force, NDSU, Navy, Illinois State, TCU, Baylor, Tulane

Accolades: 2x Homeschool National Champion with Tomball Christian Homeschool (‘23, ‘24), 2025 TAPPS D4 1st Team All State, 2025 TAPPS D4 District 2 1st Team All District

Explanation: When I say he was the best pure pass rusher I’ve ever seen with good college upside, I mean it. His official stat line (Side note: the guy who does our MaxPreps page misinputted a decent amount of stuff and later sent me a lot of the correct stats upon request, so when I say it is his real statline, I mean it.) 13 sacks, 25 TFLs, 28 pressures, 52 tackles, 2 FR, 1 blocked punt, and 2 PBUs in 13 games. He is an incredibly athletic DE with a very impressive vertical (as shown by all of his dunking highlights during basketball season), top of the line speed, a large wingspan helpful to getting around OLs, good pass rush moves, strength, discipline, great ball instincts, NFL bloodlines (his father and HC Jordan Black played for 13 years in the NFL as an OT), intense dedication (all he does with his free time in class is watch DE highlights), and better hands than you might think. He currently clocks in at 6’ 5 218 and if he gets to 230 or over either before or during the season I firmly believe that in late December we will be talking about which D1 program the TXPS sacks leader will sign with. He currently has 8 offers and is likely to get even more.

Other Contenders 

• Deacon Morgan: Bellaire Episcopal
• Amuri Sykes: Second Baptist (Technically a transfer but stayed within TXPS so I think it’s fine)
• Ryan Powers: All Saints
• Braden Raybuck: Mercy Culture Prep
• Joshua Dees: Oakridge
• Brendan Osborne: Pantego Christian
• Sidney Rouleau: Brook Hill
• Nicolas Istre: Central Texas Christian
• John Edge Sowa: Episcopal School of Dallas

MLB: Cooper Witten

School: Liberty Christian

Head Coach: Josh Martin

Height: 6 ‘2

Weight: 220

NFL Comp: Demeco Ryans

Maxpreps: Cooper Witten’s Liberty Christian High School Career Home

X: Cooper Witten (@CooperWitten_) / Posts / X

Hudl: Cooper Witten – Hudl

Offers: 29: To many to list but he is committed to Oklahoma

Accolades: 2024 TXPS Media D2 DB of the Year, 2024 TAPPS D1 First Team All State (DB), 2023 TAPPS D2 State Champion, 2024 TAPPS D1 State Champion.

Explanation: I mean, no kidding, he is the best LB in TXPS, he is literally a 5-star OU Commit. I have been on the record saying that if Witten had played the entire season last year, Liberty would have won state, and he would have been a slam dunk for MVP. But alas, he injured his ankle, and Parish won state. Witten might be one of the most college-ready players I’ve already seen. He stands at 6 ‘2, 220, and can do it all. Defensively, he can be moved around to FS, SS, OLB, MLB, and DE on blitz packages. He can also ball out on offense; heck, he was on track to probably win a triple crown. His defensive stat line from this past season, across 7 games, is: 87 tackles, 9 TFLs, 2 sacks, 10 hurries, 1 INT, 4 PBUs, 7 FF, 4 FR, 1 scoop-and-score. Witten is big, fast, strong, hits like a freight train, tackles incredibly well, has impeccable hands, forces turnovers at an elite rate, reads offenses incredibly well, he can cover the pass, stuff the run, has NFL bloodlines (his father is a future Hall of Famer and his former HC Jason Witten), and can get the QB. He is easily the best player in TXPS and is worthy of that 5-star grade.

Other Contenders

• George Anagnostis: First Baptist 
• Ty Urban: Brazos Christian 
• Marcos Solais: St. Pius X

OLB: Colin Angelo

School: Regents

Head Coach: Kyle Shotwell

Height: 6 ‘0

Weight: 190

NFL Comp: Jamal Adams

Maxpreps: Colin Angelo’s Regents High School Career Home

X: Colin Angelo (@ColinAngelo2027) / Posts / X

Hudl: Colin Angelo – Hudl

Offers: 0

Accolades: 2025 TAPPS D2 1st Team All State, 2025 TAPPS D2 District 2 1st Team All District, 2025 Padilla Poll TAPPS D1+D2 All State

Explanation: I’m cheating a little bit here because he is listed as an SS, but is more of a positionless guy who alternates between OLB and SS, but more OLB (he was also First Team All State at LB last season). But he is such a good player that I still wanted to include him on this list. At 6 ’0 190, he is the kind of guy who moves around depending on who the other offense is. But it doesn’t matter what offense or where he lines up, since he is going to drop the hammer on any poor soul who has the ball near him. His statline last season was: 82 tackles, 14 TFLs, 1 sack, 9 PBUs, and 1 blocked punt in 13 games. He can tackle well, hit hard, be physical, defend the run, defend the pass, play the box, be moved all over the place, blitz, play special teams, cover all 3 thirds of the field, be put on the line for blitz packages, and he is fast and strong. To me, he is another diamond in the rough that a college will be very happy to have.

I am also excited to see him play week 1 when he comes to visit my boys in blue.

Other contenders 

• Andrew Ybarra: Holy Cross
• John “Jack” Williams: Brazos Christian
• Titus Brooks: Lutheran South

Slot CB/NB: Caleb Cruz AKA Cruz Control

School: Midland Christian

Head Coach: Phil Dawson

Height: 5 ‘11

Weight: 190

NFL Comp: Trent McDuffie

Maxpreps: Caleb Cruz’s High School Career Home

X: Caleb Cruz “Cruz Control” (@calebcruz2027) / Posts / X

Hudl: Caleb Cruz – Hudl

Offers: 1: UTEP

Accolades: 2025 TXPS Media Retreat DB MVP, 2025 TXPS Media ATH of the Year, 2025 TAPPS D2 1st Team All State (Both sides of the ball), TAPPS D2 District 1 1st Team All District

Explanation: Outside of having a personal favorite for a nickname (Cruz Control is cold for a CB) he is just him at any DB spot. The former Permian transfer burst onto the scene immediately after transferring into Midland after he won DB MVP for the TXPS retreat last year. The 5 ‘11 190 CB is a demon with the ability to line up at literally any DB spot, but due to his size (and also because there are other outside CBs I want to shoutout) I predict that he’ll go play Slot CB and/or NB but even then he could still play the outside incredibly well. Last season he had 40 tackles, 2 INTs, 23 PBUs, 2 FF, 1 FR, and 2 blocked FGs in 12 games. He is long for his size, has an incredibly good jump, reads the QB well, can just latch on on WRs, can bump WRs off their routes, has some solid hands, is a good tackler, is a special teams demon, and has some insane speed. I could go on and on about this guy but it would just get repetitive. He has 1 offer right now but I expect him to get even more as recruiting season heats up. Mark my words he is the best DB in TAPPS right now and a college will be incredibly happy to get him in the slot or just about anywhere on the field.

Outside CB: Logan Debose

School: St. Thomas Catholic

Head Coach: Raymond Davis

Height: 6 ‘1

Weight: 180

NFL Comp: Smaller Patrick Surtain II

Maxpreps: Logan Debose – St. Thomas Catholic

X: Logan Debose (@DeboseLogan4) / Posts / X

Hudl: Logan Debose – Hudl

Offers: 17: Missouri, Texas State, Navy, Air Force, Texas Southern, Army, Utah State, BYU, Rice, Houston, UTSA, Oregon State, Wisconsin, SDSU, Kansas, Pitt, Oklahoma State, Iowa State 

Accolades: 2025 TAPPS D1 First Team All State, 2025 TAPPS D1 District 2 First Team All District

Explanation: This was a position that I split hairs over whilst picking. This CB class is absolutely LOADED so when it came time to pick a player I did long amounts of film study until I ultimately saw a graphic on Texas Private School Football page saying he got an offer from Mizzou I turned on the tape and I knew immediately I had found my guy. At 6 ‘1 180 Debose plays CB in a fast physical style that helps him dominate WRs in TAPPS D1. His tape and his stats were minorly inconsistent but after watching his tape this is the stat line I saw (going strictly off of the tape since tape don’t lie): 25 tackles, 9 PBU’s, 2 FF, 4 TFL, and 1 INT. He reads the QB well, gets up there to make plays, jumps well, is fast, sticks on like glue to WRs, is physical, is a pretty good run defender if the RB makes it past the front 7, tackles well, reroutes WRs, has a great frame, and is a special teams ace. Expect big things from the rising senior.

Other Contenders: (ngl this class is truly loaded on all fronts/levels and might be generationally good)

• Clark Palomo: Brazos Christian
• Kingston Thorton: Parish Episcopal
• Luke Lineberger: Prestonwood Christian
• Ethan Perkins: Bishop Lynch
• Luke Stevens: Fort Worth Christian
• Will Lemond: Oakridge
• Zyel Thornton: Liberty Christian
• Nolan Luffey: FW All Saints

FS: James Gebhardt

School: All Saints (Fort Worth)

Head Coach: Aaron Beck

Height: 6 ‘3

Weight: 190

NFL Comp: Jessie Bates

Maxpreps: James Gebhardt’s All Saints High School Career Home

X: https://x.com/JamesGebhardt17

Hudl: James Gebhardt – Hudl

Offers: 4: Nevada, UNLV, Georgia State, Incarnate Word

Accolades: None

Explanation: The former Aledo transfer balled out for the Saints this past season with 5 INTs, 3 PBU’s, 3 TFLs, and 40 total tackles in 13 games. He led the team in INTs. When I watch his tape, I see a very versatile guy, playing primarily FS, some SS, and a tiny bit at OLB, but I think he is best at FS. James stands at 6 ’3, 180, with room to add to the frame. He can cover in all 3 thirds of the field (short, middle, deep), he reads the QB and the offense incredibly well, he has some incredibly fluid movement, he tackles pretty well, he can get up there with a good jump, he is fast, he can blitz, he can stuff the run, he is versatile, he can play the box, he has good hands, speed, is a certified ballhawk, and he played his best ball down the stretch to capture a title. He is the definition of a diamond in the rough and I firmly believe he is the best FS in TXPS. But I firmly believe that he will get some looks, get a few offers, and finally make a college very happy to have a Swiss Army knife like him on the back end of their defense.

Other Contenders 

• Nate Chambers: Kinkaid 
• Jaxon Coleman: Concordia Lutheran
• Curtis Mathes: Episcopal School of Dallas
• Tim Burton: Fort Worth All Saints

SS: Kendal “Ken” Jones

School: Houston Christian

Head Coach: Cecil Shorts

Height: 6 ‘0

Weight: 195

NFL Comp: Derwin James

Maxpreps: Ken Jones – St. Pius X

X: Kendall “Ken “ Jones (@Mrjones_21) / Posts / X

Hudl: Kendall Jones – Hudl

Offers: 0

Accolades: 2025 TAPPS D1 District 2 1st Team All District, 2025 TAPPS D1 HM All State

Explanation: This one might have genuinely been the most difficult one to not only pick, but just to find a good SS with some ideal size and college upside. Initially I had Collin Angelo but he lined up more at LB so I am instead going to pivot to the only guy who is a transfer on this list, but he qualifies purely because he remained in TXPS: Kendal “Ken” Jones. He just transferred from St. Pius X to Houston Christian and will be the top transfer DB this season. Last season for the Panthers he recorded 74 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PBU’s, 1 INT, 3 FF, and 2 FR as a SS and on special teams. He can cover everywhere on the field, he can blitz, stuff the run, hit hard, tackle well, play the box, get moved around, come down field quickly, force turnovers, he is strong, has good instincts, is a special teams ace, and just plays good football. He is another diamond in the rough out of the SPC.

Other Contenders

• Tucker Brown: Dallas First Baptist
• Coulter Ragsdale? (not even sure if he is a SS or a FS): Central Texas Christian
• Jack Dial: St. Andrews
• Ben Allen: San Antonio Christian
• Reed Jackson: Brazos Christian
• Elijah Fayall: Cornerstone Christian

If you want to see more of these guys, stay tuned for the TXPS retreat on July 11th at the AP Ranch, where these gentlemen (assuming they say yes to the invitation) and many more will compete for glory and recognition for their talents against the best of the best in TXPS.