Top 30 defensive linemen in Texas high school football

With the 2024 Texas high school football season about to start, here's a closer look at the best defensive linemen in the state

DeSoto's Keylan Abrams was named UIL 6A Division II state championship Defensive MVP after a 2023 rout of Summer Creek. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

It’s nearly go time for the 2024 high school football season in Texas.

In the lead-up to Week 1 (beginning Aug. 29), SBLive is taking a position-by-position look at the top returning players across the Lone Star State.

We’ve already identified some of the top top quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen returning to Texas this fall.

Now, we shift our focus to the defensive line. Who are some of the top players in that category entering the 2024 season?

We have narrowed it down to the 30 best players, based on past impact and contribution toward team success. Dive into the names below.

TOP 30 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN TEXAS

This list is in alphabetical order.

Keylan Abrams, DeSoto, sr.

DeSoto's Keylan Abrams was named UIL 6A Division II state championship Defensive MVP after a 2023 rout of Summer Creek. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

Measurables: 6-1, 205

Abrams may be considered the heart and soul of the Eagles’ defense. The phenomenal edge rusher, a TCU commit, improved on his sophomore season, when he had 74 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. As a junior, Abrams registered 90 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 18 sacks as DeSoto made it back-to-back 6A Division II champs.

Jimmy Phrisco Alo-Suliafu, Katy Jordan, jr.

Measurables: 6-4, 255

He certainly has a standout name and with his size and strength, this defensive tackle also has the game to go along with it. Others have noticed, as Alo-Suliafu has reported offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, UTSA, Baylor and Houston. But Phrisco Alo-Suliafu just wants to stay healthy all season, as injuries derailed his sophomore campaign, though he did have five tackles in Jordan’s first-round playoff defeat.

Dilan Battle, Mansfield Timberview, sr.

Measurables: 6-2, 315

Battle is part of a promising group of Wolves seeking to build upon last season’s 9-2 finish. An LSU commit who plays tackle, Battle - a three-star prospect - is coming off a junior season in which he had eight tackles for loss and 27 tackles total, along with four sacks and forcing one fumble.

Blake Bergeson, Graham, sr.

Measurables: 6-1, 210

Bergeson dramatically extended his numbers from his sophomore season. He went from 21 total tackles in 2022 to 52 his junior year. In addition, he went from two sacks as a sophomore to 11.

Jackson Blackwell, Lorena, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 305

Blackwell won’t have too far to travel for his college ball, going to nearby Waco as he has committed to play for Baylor. His production increased as a junior from his sophomore season with the Leopards, as he has finished with 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Jamarion Carlton, Temple, jr.

Measurables: 6-5, 240

Carlton is one of the top Class of 2026 prospects coming out of Central Texas. Nearby schools Baylor and Texas have offered, as well as Houston, SMU, TCU and Texas A&M, among others. In just eight games as a sophomore, Carlton had 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and seven pressures for the Wildcats.

Gus Cordova, Lake Travis, sr.

Measurables: 6-5, 250

Cordova has committed to play at USC. He was the District 26-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore and turned in strong numbers as a junior, getting 65 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks, part of a Cavaliers’ squad that finished 11-3 and made the fourth round of the 6A DI playoffs.

Jesse Ford, Arlington Martin, jr.

Measurables: 6-4, 235

Ford has reported offers from various schools, from Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech to Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. The defensive end is determined to take full advantage, coming off a junior season in which Ford registered 40 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles. 

Measurables: 6-3, 225

The Panthers suffered heavy losses in graduation up front, but are thankful Ford is back in the fold. The Class of 2026 end will be one of the more highly sought after players in the state in the coming months and already has offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, SMU, LSU and Penn State, among others. Already a four-star recruit by several outlets, Ford saw significant action last season in Duncanville’s drive to back-to-back 6A DI titles.

Floyd Guidry, Spring, sr.

Measurables: 6-2, 275

Guidry, who plays tackle, is a TCU commit. In 2023, he had 47 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and six sacks a season after being selected as the District 14-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

Vaughn Hamill, Holliday, sr.

Measurables: 5-10, 180

Hamill is one of the more unsung linemen in the state. A season ago, he finished with nine sacks and will be a three-year starter for an Eagles’ squad that went 11-2 a season ago.

Tiki Hola, Bastrop, jr.

Measurables: 6-3, 270

Hola was a first-team All-District 11-5A DII selection as a sophomore as he recorded 79 tackles and two sacks. He’s wanting even more his junior year, not only for him but his team as Bastrop brings back 10 starters on both sides of the ball for a team that went 5-5 and missed out on the playoffs. Hola has also received plenty of recruiting attention, being pursued by teams such as Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon and Arizona.

Lance Jackson, Texarkana Pleasant Grove, sr.

Measurables: 6-5, 245

Jackson is an unstoppable force from his end position, and he has parlayed that into a commitment to play at the University of Texas. After receiving first-team All-District honors as a sophomore, Jackson finished his junior season with 69 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and three forced fumbles for a Hawks’ squad that finished 12-1.

Keiundre Johnson, Terrell, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 230

The senior edge rusher has committed to play at Arkansas. Johnson’s stock tremendously increased his junior season, as he had 63 total tackles - improving that stat by nearly 40 from his sophomore year - along with 19 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He even swatted away two passes and registered a safety during a game for the Tigers.

Dalton Knapp, Fort Worth All Saints, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 210

Knapp, a senior end, is a Kansas State commit. He is coming off a solid junior season for the Saints, having recorded 43 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Justin Lee, Round Rock, sr.

Measurables: 6-1, 220

The edge rusher was named the District 25-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore. Then last season, Lee enhanced his status, recording 76 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and 12 quarterback pressures. Lee has committed to play at UTEP.

Kamauryn Morgan, South Oak Cliff, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 230

A defensive end and Baylor commit, Morgan was part of a state title team his sophomore season and nearly won another ring his junior year when the Golden Bears returned to the 5A DII championship game. In that 2023 season, Morgan finished with 61 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. 

Smith Orogbo, Alief Hastings, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 220

Orogbo, who plays defensive end, is a Texas commit. He had a huge junior season for the Bears, as Orogbo recorded 103 tackles and sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times. Cue the famous quote from the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Nine times? Nine times.

Keltyn Raymond, Glen Rose, sr.

Measurables: 5-11, 230

Raymond is a first-team All-State defensive lineman and has helped the Tigers reach the state semifinals each of the past two seasons. He is already the school’s all-time leader in tackles for loss after finishing with 28 his junior year. Raymond also recorded 127 tackles, 73 of those solo stops, along with 13.5 sacks in 2023.

Sheldon Rice, Houston Fulshear, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 220

Rice won’t be traveling too far to play his college ball, having committed to play - no, not at Rice University but the Owls’ inner-city rival, the University of Houston. The senior end had a strong junior season for the Chargers, finishing with 63 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles.

Steven Richardson, Corpus Christi Miller, sr.

Measurables: 6-2, 220

Richardson can play both at end and outside linebacker. He turned in phenomenal numbers his junior season, generating 135 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Plus, Richardson had 30 quarterback hurries.

Michael Riles, Port Arthur Memorial, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 230

Riles is a big-play specialist up front for the Titans. The Oklahoma State commit is even the preseason favorite for the defensive MVP in District 9-5A DI by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine. Judging by the stats from his junior season (64 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery), that may be a very good pick.

Landon Rink, Cy-Fair, sr.

Cy-Fair defensive lineman Landon Rink (No. 8). / SBLive archives

Measurables: 6-3, 265

A tackle, Rink has committed to first-year head coach Mike Elko and Texas A&M, although Rink’s father, Shane, was a former defensive lineman in the 1990s for Texas. The younger Rink is seeking to end his Bobcat career with a flourish, coming off a junior season in which he registered 70 tackles and successfully brought down the quarterback 15 times, and now has 24 career sacks over his first three seasons at Cy-Fair.

DJ Sanders, Bellville, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 290

Sanders is arguably the premier defensive tackle in the state. He committed to Texas A&M after receiving offers from schools like Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Alabama and Miami. The four-star prospect boosted his numbers across the board as a junior, finishing with 115 tackles (up from 58 in 2022), 28 tackles from loss (nine in 2022) and 15 sacks (five in 2022). He also forced three fumbles and recovered three more fumbles, returning two of those for touchdowns in helping Bellville reach the 4A DII championship game.

Malcolm Simpson, Hitchcock, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 240

Simpson is one of the top defensive ends in the state, but is planning to go out of state, having committed to former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule and Nebraska. Though his total tackles dropped from his sophomore season, finishing with 19 compared to 39 in 2022, Simpson’s sack total increased, up to five in 2023 after recording two the season before. He also had five tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and recovered another.

Chace Sims, Richmond Randle, sr.

Measurables: 6-2, 280

Sims is yet another prominent tackle in the state who has cast his lot with Elko and Texas A&M, committing to the Aggies. Sims had nearly 50 more tackles as a junior, ending up with 86 stops to go along with 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

Xavier Ukponu, Denton Guyer, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 270

Ukponu, a senior tackle, is back for one more go-round with the Wildcats before he plans to play college ball at Wisconsin, where he has verbally committed. He had 31 tackles, six tackles for loss and a sack in 11 games for Guyer, which is returning two starters from a team that went 7-4 in ’23.

Measurables: 6-4, 235

The senior edge rusher is one of the top uncommitted players in the state, and is coming off a junior season in which he finished with 27 tackles, six for loss and three sacks. Vasek - who has received offers from North Texas, Louisiana and UNLV in recent months - seeks to improve on those numbers while helping the Chaps make it to play for a championship after falling in the 6A DI semifinals last season.

Zion Williams, Lufkin, sr.

Measurables: 6-3, 295

If DJ Sanders is considered the state’s top defensive tackle, Williams could be a close second and even have a say at being the best. The LSU commit is coming off a junior year in which he finished with 37 tackles, five for loss and three sacks. Williams selected LSU over Texas A&M, TCU, Arkansas and Alabama.

Chad Woodfork, Humble Summer Creek, sr.

Measurables: 6-4, 215

Woodfork, a defensive end, has committed to TCU. He’s had three sacks in each of his past two seasons, and as a junior, finished with 33 tackles and nine tackles for loss to help Summer Creek reach the 6A DII state championship game. Woodfork is one of seven returning starters on defense back to help the Bulldogs make another run to Arlington.

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2024 Texas high school football preview

Stay with SBLive's preseason coverage in the lead up to the 2024 Texas high school football season.

We're taking a position-by-position look at the top players returning in the Lone Star State this fall, starting with 50 quarterbacks, 70 running backs, 40 wide receivers, 25 tight ends, 25 offensive linemen and 30 cornerbacks.

Which teams are district favorites? Top sleepers? We're going district-by-district and choosing both, starting with 6A Districts 1-16, 6A Districts 17-32 and 5A Division I.

We examined offseason player movement and the 12 transfers that will have the biggest impact in the fall.

Who are the most underrated teams in the Lone Star State entering the season? We're taking a look by region at the programs poised to out-perform expectations, starting with North Texas, Southeast Texas and Central Texas.

The Lone Star State is home to many of the country's top prospects. We examined the top 20 committed recruits in the state and where they're headed. And we narrowed down the 25 best uncommitted players in the state — and where they're at in their respective recruitments.

-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx