Vote for who will be best high school football defensive player in '26

With the 2026 preseason defensive players to watch lists released during the first week of high school football practices, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wants to hear from you.

Who do you think will be the best defensive player during the upcoming 2026 season?

You can vote below from our 15 nominees over the next few days with the poll set to end Thursday, Aug. 13, at noon. You can vote as many times as you like over the course of the poll being open. There’s also an option to vote for a write-in nominee.

Note: This is a fun exercise for fans, coaches, players, teammates of listed players, community supporters, etc., to display some pride for their outstanding athletes. With our new polling tool, bot protection has also been put into place. This is just for folks to earn a few bragging rights and support these young athletes in their respective communities.