Top 2026 defensive back recruits in Ohio high school football

Victor Singleton of Toledo Central Catholic and Elbert "Rock" Hill IV of Archbishop Hoban lead the junior defensive back recruits in Ohio high school football for the 2024 season

Archbishop Hoban's Elbert "Rock" Hill IV prepares for the 2023 OHSAA Division II state championship game. / Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports

The 2024 Ohio high school football season is upon us, and it is time to take a look at some of highest rated recruits in the state. In this series, we will focus on the top recruits at a handful of positions for a specific graduating class.

We started by introducing you to the top senior recruits at 10 different positions - quarterbacks, running backs, linebackers, edge rushers, wide receivers, defensive backs, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen.

Then we moved to the top junior recruits, where we started with the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, edge rushers and linebackers. Now we take a look at the top junior defensive back recruits in Ohio for the 2024 season.

The 2026 class of defensive backs in Ohio has a lot of talent up top, as three of the top nine overall recruits in the state's junior class are defenvise backs. Cornerbacks Victor Singleton of Toledo Central Catholic (No. 2) and Elbert "Rock" Hill IV of Archbishop Hoban (No. 3) lead the class with safety Kaden Gebhardt of Olentangy at No. 9.

None of the top five defensive back recruits in Ohio's 2026 class have committed as of yet.

All rankings are based off 247Sports.com.

Top 5 junior defensive back recruits in Ohio:

1. Victor Singleton, Toledo Central Catholic; 6-foot-0, 160 pounds (No. 2 overall in Ohio 2026 class)
Uncommitted

Had four interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, 15 pass breakups, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble last season in helping Toledo Central Catholic win the Division III state title. He also won the Division II state championship in the long jump at the OHSAA outdoor track and field meet last spring. His list of offers includes Ohio State, Wisconsin and Missouri.

2. Elbert "Rock" Hill IV, Archbishop Hoban; 5-foot-10, 170 pounds (No. 3 overall)
Uncommitted

Named First-Team All-Ohio in Division II last season when he grabbed seven interceptions, returning a pair for touchdowns. He had 10 pass breakups and nine touchdowns overall. His list of almost 30 offers includes Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan.

3. Kaden Gebhardt, Olentangy; 6-foot-2, 200 pounds (No. 9 overall)
Uncommitted

A three-star prospect, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Gebhardt holds 16 scholarship offers including from Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Wisconsin. Last fall, Gebhardt finished with 129 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and four pass breakups as the Braves went 11-2.

4. Henry Perrymond, Cleveland Heights; 5-foot-11, 167 pounds (No. 15 overall)
Uncommitted

As a sophomore, he had five interceptions and 11 pass breakups in being named All-Ohio First-Team in Division I. His offers include Michigan State, Penn State and the University of Miami (Florida).

5. RJ Holland, Pickerington Central; 6-foot-2, 175 pounds (No. 31 overall)
Uncommitted

His list of offers includes Cincinnati, Illinois and Michigan State.

Stay tuned to SBLive Ohio all season long for all of your high school football coverage. You can check out our Ohio high school football scoreboards all season long.

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh