After tragedy and triumph, Ben Myers becomes a name to know in the 2026 recruiting class

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Editor’s Note: This story was produced in partnership with First Choice Recruiting, highlighting standout high school athletes across the nation. Learn more about top prospects like Ben Myers at First Choice Recruiting on X and pff.com.

Six mornings a week, Ben Myers’ mom would start his day with a reminder: “Be kind. Be respectful. Be a leader.”

But not on Fridays. Amy Myers knew better than to encourage kindness when football was involved, that it was a time for punishing performances on the field rather than cordiality.

Ben, a 2026 three-star offensive lineman from Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky, is a self-described “quarterback of the line.” He prides himself on diagnosing defenses in front of him, relaying information to his quarterback and leading by example.

“I try to bring that aggressiveness to the line, but also the cool-headedness as well, to lead everybody else and come out on the other side on top at the end of the day,” Myers said.

Myers’ ability and mentality helped Paducah Tilghman claim a 4A state championship this past season with a perfect 15-0 record. He garnered several college offers, including from Troy, Murray State and Southeast Missouri State. And if the NFL isn’t an option later on, he hopes to become a neurosurgeon.

While that timeline presents itself as straightforward, even idealistic, the foundation of Myers’ journey is hardship.

At a cookout, an unknowing 7-year-old Myers walked past a bonfire where a trash bag with some cooking oil had just been thrown. The resulting explosion left him screaming in pain. He was life-flighted and spent two weeks in the ICU and another two in the burn unit. 

The incident and its aftermath are now moments he comes back to as motivation.

“Whether it be a workout or anything like that, it’s hot outside … I’m like, ‘This is nothing,’ Myers said. “I find another gear in moments like those. Because I come back to that moment of getting burned and just things I’ve been through, and I’m like, ‘This is nothing compared to that.”

Eight years after the accident, Myers stepped onto the field for the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado as a freshman starter, eager to develop into a standout offensive lineman. He was originally set to slot in at center, although his team’s needs pushed him to left guard for the first half of his freshman campaign. Coaches then had him ply his trade at right tackle for the second half of the season, where he has been ever since.

Injuries slowed but never stopped Myers, including a broken leg in Week 2 of his sophomore season. He returned just five games later, his leg held together by 10 screws and a plate.

“No one wants to get hurt in football, but it’s going to happen,” Myers said. “It may happen again, but you got through it, you can get through it again if it happens. So in the moment, it wasn’t great, but looking back, it really helped me.”

Myers seems to approach every situation with an unparalleled levelheadedness, whether it’s imposing his will against naive defenders or expeditiously working his way back from a significant injury. Even as he described his gruesome leg injury, he recalled that he made a “great block.” It all stems from his mom’s reminder: “Be kind. Be respectful. Be a leader.”

Those words remain sewn into Myers’ subconscious a year and a half after Amy Myers passed away from brain cancer. She remains part of every game — Myers and his dad visit her grave and leave a Paducah Tilghman hat before each contest.

Ben Myers looks back on her as a guiding force in everything he does.

“A big part of it was number one, putting my faith in God and trusting him. He has a plan for my life. And it was just I had to trust that and know that I would come out stronger on the other side,” Myers said. “Losing my mom and things like that, it’s really made me realize, you know, life is fleeting, and I want to spend as much time as I can with everybody while I can.”

The trenches aren’t for the faint of heart. It takes a certain ethos to enjoy the dirty work of a football game, to believe that you can, you will, physically displace your opponent. And then do it all over again on the next snap.

For an offensive lineman like Myers, it’s the standard operating procedure. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound workhorse is capable of playing all five positions along the front, although he feels he is at his best in the middle at center, calling out defenses to aid his teammates.

No matter the role, the mindset is the same.

“I’m gonna outwill the person in front of me. I’m gonna play harder. I’m gonna go longer,” Myers said. “You put somebody on the ground and you bust open a big play for your team — it’s a great feeling being able to do that and see what you contributed to the success of the team.”

Myers models his game after NFL players like Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce, two future Hall of Famers. PFF recently ranked Johnson as the fifth-best tackle in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. His 89.9 PFF pass-blocking grade since 2021 ranks fourth among tackles, and he is the third-most-valuable player at the position over that span, per PFF WAR.

PFF also documented Kelce’s career and retirement, which featured similar success and consistently high PFF grades.

Suffice it to say, Myers is molding his skill set after the right type of offensive linemen.

Ben Myers is set to enter his senior season in 2025 after Paducah Tilghman’s 2024 state title, looking to build on that success and further develop into an acclaimed recruit. The three-star lineman is tied for the 26th-best 2026 prospect out of Kentucky ahead of the campaign, according to 247 Sports.

When it’s all said and done on the field, Myers’ mom will continue to fuel his journey. After football, he is interested in neurosurgery or orthopaedics, either hoping to help families dealing with brain cancer or get athletes back on the field after injuries.

“She always wanted me to put a smile on somebody else’s face and make their day better,” Myers said. “Any platform I’m given, I want to make somebody’s life better.”

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