Update Friday, Aug. 22: Congratulations to Ryan Harrington of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School for being voted 2025 Detroit Free Press preseason high school Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s time to vote for the 2025 Detroit Free Press high school football preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
This week’s poll features players from the Free Press’s preview of top defensive players for the upcoming MHSAA football season. Readers have already voted on our preseason Pass Catcher, Running Back and Quarterback of the Year polls.
Voting will be open until noon Friday, Aug. 22.
Here are the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Gideon Gash, Novi Detroit Catholic Central
Gash will look to build off his sophomore season with the Shamrocks. Last season he finished with seven pass deflections and one interception.
Nathan Gersh, Dexter
The rising senior will continue to anchor the defense for Dexter in his fourth year as a starter. Gersh, who is verbally committed to Toledo, collected 120 tackles and six sacks last season.
Ryan Harrington, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Harrington was an important player for St. Mary’s championship-winning season. As a junior, the Wake Forest commit finished with 12 sacks, nine tackles for loss and two defensive touchdowns.
Isaiah Harris, Saline
The senior edge rusher is a force to be reckoned with on the defense for Saline. Last season, Harris had 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for the Hornets.
Ronnie Hill, Sterling Heights Stevenson
Hill will continue to play on both sides of the ball for the Titans as the team’s receiver and safety. His speed and agility will allow him to make quick tackles.
Marcus Jennings, Cass Tech
The 16-year-old senior, will rotate between playing safety or cornerback for the Technicians. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Jennings’ frame and speed will make him an asset as Cass Tech looks to repeat as Division 1 state champions.
Recarder Kitchen, Muskegon
Kitchen will start for the third consecutive season for the Big Reds. Last season, he tallied 19 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. His 6-foot-6, 250 pound frame make him an impactful pass rusher.
Corey Sadler Jr., Cass Tech
Sadler, who was listed as the top entry in Free Press’ top pass-catcher preview, will also have an impact on the Technician’s defense along with Jennings. He finished last season with 55 tackles and four interceptions. The top recruit in the state announced on Aug. 15 that he will commit to North Carolina following his senior season.
Marcello Vitti, Divine Child
Vitti was the top pick in the Free Press’ defensive players to watch following an impressive junior season with the Falcons. He made more than 70 tackles and five forced fumbles. The Iowa commit is also Divine Child’s starting running back and a punt returner.
Jaidon Windom, Detroit King
The Cincinnati commit has great speed to provide hard tackles to add to Detroit King’s defense. As a junior last season, he recorded 70 tackles and four interceptions.
This week’s nominations include reporting from Jared Ramsey.
Come back to freep.com/sports/high-schools/ every Tuesday morning to vote for Athlete of the Week.
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Our Michigan high school football Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Harrington
Reporting by Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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