All-American Bowl: Five questions answered as practices begin
San Antonio, Texas – The All-American Bowl is set to begin practice today. Tuesday’s practice will be the first of four telling practices prior to the game on Saturday.
Like last week in Orland at the Under Armour All-America Game, there are plenty of questions to be answered in the Lone Star State.
National Scouting Director Charles Power and myself offer up five answers to important questions as a key week begins.
Player with the most to prove
Charles Power: There’s several, but I’m going to go with three prospects we have rated as five-stars. Marvin Jones Jr. grabbed the No. 1 spot in the initial On300 on the heels of an impressive junior season, where he looked to be the most skilled pass rusher in the cycle. The Georgia signee was relatively quiet as a senior, tallying just five sacks. Jones is younger for the class and has added some size over the past year. I’m very interested to see how Jones looks against some top competition this week. Kiyaunta Goodwin is another. We all know Goodwin is a mammoth offensive tackle. He had one of the more drastic physical transformations we’ve seen and built himself into a top prospect heading into his senior year. The Kentucky signee does not play good competition in southern Indiana, so how he does this week will be very informative. The third five-star is Jaleel Skinner. The Miami signee is one of the more physically gifted prospects in the cycle with very good length, long speed and twitchy athleticism. Skinner played in a relatively low usage role for much of his high school career before transferring to IMG as a senior. We’ll be watching how he stacks up in a strong tight end group.
Gerry Hamilton: On3 Consensus 4-star Kevin Coleman is one for me. He began the cycle considered a top 3 wide receiver. He has fallen off of that with a borderline special group of receivers. The question with Coleman has now become where does he fall in a cycle of receivers that could include more than 15 in the top 150 overall. Charles and I are on the same page with Kiyaunta Goodwin. This week will be a huge step up in competition for the future Kentucky Wildcat. He will be tested on every rep, and will have the ability to solidify himself as a 5-star prospect. The reactive and body quickness in pass protection will tell the story. A third is Clemson quarterback signee Cade Klubnik. The multiple state champion winning signal caller from Austin Westlake doesn’t have the ideal frame or arm talent. What he has is moxie, toughness and a competitive fire about him. With that said, the ability to make difficult throws in the intermediate game, and vertically against high-end athletes at defensive back will be key. Anticipation and accuracy has to be on point for Klubnik.
Player that could make the biggest rankings jump
Power: My top two picks to click might be unsigned safety Davison Igbinosun and linebacker Lander Barton. We were the first to make Igbinosun a four-star prospect early into his senior season. The former Rutgers commit has some of the best safety film in the cycle. We don’t have quite as much verified data or in person exposure to him as some other top safeties entering the week. That’s to say he could move up within the position with a strong week. Igbinosun’s size, instincts and playmaking ability certainly check out on video. He’s set to commit in the game with Ole Miss trending in his RPM.
Barton is a big linebacker with NFL pedigree (brother Cody is on the Seahawks). We like what we’ve seen from the Utah signee, but haven’t been able to see a ton from his senior season to date. My hunch is Barton will look good in San Antonio, but we’ll have to see. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Duke signee Vincent Anthony surprise some folks. Anthony has very good stature and length. He could push for a fourth star with a good showing in San Antonio.
Hamilton: Quarterback Devin Brown is in my sights this week. A jump from 4-star to 5-star is always a big jump, and Brown will have that opportunity. He’s a smooth moving athlete at the position with a quick arm and the ability to stretch the field vertically. He’s a bit of gunslinger, but that’s isn’t a negative. Brown is confident, reactive and is a playmaker.
Penn State signee Dani Dennis-Sutton is another that could play his way into 5-star stars. That would be another big mover. His raw ability and frame is that of a player that is wondered to be a 5-star. This week will be all about consistently performing against future Power 5 linemen. The same can be said for Texas A&M signee Enai White.
Also like Earnest Greene to make a big jump this week. He’s currently the No. 141 ranked prospect in the On300. The senior tape is better than the current ranking. How much length does he have on his frame? And how will he stack up vs. Tyler Booker and Devon Campbell seen last week at the Under Armour All-America Game.
Position group that has the interest piqued
Power: It’s definitely quarterback for me. The majority of our top-ranked quarterbacks are in this game. Penn State signee Drew Allar has been On3’s No. 1 quarterback in the cycle since our initial ranking and is the current lone five-star at the position. Allar has some of the best pure arm talent we’ve seen in the last few cycles. He also had a very strong senior year playing in a high-usage role. I thought we saw some progression from him as a senior and I’m looking forward to getting further context this week. Ohio State signee Devin Brown is our No. 2 quarterback and also had a strong senior year after a transfer to Utah powerhouse Corner Canyon. Brown excels as a vertical passer. I’ll be watching to see how he plays against these faster defenders. We all know about Clemson signee Cade Klubnik’s high school bonafides. I’m looking forward to seeing how he stacks up among the group from an arm talent perspective. We’re high on Oklahoma signee Nick Evers due to his considerable arm talent and above average athleticism. Evers played on one of the lesser-talented teams among top quarterbacks. How will he look now that he’s on an even playing field with everyone else. Georgia signee Gunner Stockton has been the most productive quarterback in the cycle for years. We’ve never seen Stockton at a national event – just some regional 7-on-7’s, so there’s a larger degree of unknown with his skill set relative to the others. The same can be said for UCLA signee Justyn Martin. We didn’t see Martin at the Elite 11, so we’re interested to see him this week.
I’m also interested in watching the tight ends. The tight end group at the Under Armour Game was pretty weak, to be honest. On the flip side, the group at the All-American Bowl is very strong. Jake Johnson (Texas A&M), Jaleel Skinner (Miami), Oscar Delp (Georgia) and Ryan Otton (Washington) all have a chance to make some noise.
Hamilton: It’s tight end for me. Jake Johnson will very likely make a strong case to be a 5-star in the final On300. And also finish ahead of Jaleel Skinner as the No. 1 ranked tight end. Will Miami signee Skinner show the freakish talent to go with the otherworldly catch radius this week? He is a 5-star talent. Now he has to perform like it. Oscar Delp will have the chance to prove he has consistent hands worthy of being in the conversation as the top tight end in the cycle. My prediction is Texas A&M signee Jake Johnson emerges as the top tight end in the class this week.
Will the No. 1 ranked player in the 2022 cycle come from the game
Power: Last week, I said it was a coin flip. I’m sticking with that answer. This is the most up in the air race for No. 1 at least since 2019, if not more. I’m not sure a prospect at the Under Armour All-America Game really made a major, major statement to be the No. 1 prospect. It remains wide open, in my opinion. The current No. 1 is Georgia EDGE signee Marvin Jones Jr. The Fort Lauderdale product did not have a dominant senior season. He enters the week with a very tenuous hold on the top spot. Could he grab it with a dominant week as a pass rusher? Fellow Georgia commit Mykel Williams is another one that we’ll be watching closely. Williams currently ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the On300. He’s always been a great player on Friday nights, including this season. We have Williams ranked as a defensive lineman, but it’s certainly possible he plays on the edge in Athens. Williams could make a push for the top spot if he shows out as a pass rusher this week. The quarterbacks will always be in play, as well. There hasn’t been a no-brainer No. 1 at the position to this point, but a great week from one of the signal callers could make things very interesting.
Hamilton: It’s a maybe, but unlikely. The Under Armour All-America Game was absolutely loaded on the defensive line and at the EDGE positions. A pair of Georgia signees are in the mix for that top spot. Should Mykel Williams prove to be a high-end pass rusher this week, he may have an argument. Marvin Jones Jr. will have to bring it rep to rep against top flight competition this week. The talent is there to be No. 1, but the production as a senior was not. If there is a quarterback to make a push for No. 1 overall it would be Penn State signee Drew Allar. The arm talent, release and quarterback plays are easily evident. The ability to move in the pocket, and keep plays alive will be key in the complete evaluation. Could an offensive tackle come out of nowhere this week and make a case? I do have interest in closely watching Alabama signee Elijah Pritchett.
Which players from Ohio State’s No. 4 ranked class have the most to prove
Power: I’ve got to start with the receivers. We all know about Brian Hartline and Ohio State’s fantastic track record at recruiting the position. This is probably their lowest-ranked group in a few years, at least entering this week. I’ve watched a good bit of each of the wideouts scheduled to be in this game – Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown and Kojo Antwi and have seen Brown and Antwi in person. With that said, I think each enters with week with a little to prove. Burton missed his junior season with a knee injury and was solid as a senior, but left a little on the table in some of the big games against top teams and defensive backs that I watched this fall. Antwi was among the least-productive receivers in the the On300 as a senior. Was it due to a bad situation? He’ll be on an even playing field with all the other receivers this week. Brown missed a good bit of time with an injury as a senior. But he had some big showings in leading his St. Rita team to a deep playoff run. I’m also eager to see how offensive tackle George Fitzpatrick stacks up physically with the other offensive tackles. He’s more of a developmental prospect but looks to have added some nice size over the past year.
Hamilton: Also the wide receivers for me. The Buckeyes 2022 group isn’t on the same level as some of the high-end NFL prospects as some past classes. On campus, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jayden Ballard have very bright futures. But the question for the future is will any of the four signed in the 2022 cycle bring the elite level of speed and athleticism Buckeyes fans have become accustomed to seeing. Kyion Grayes has terrific ball skills and has shown the ability to be a separate out of cuts without elite athleticism. Caleb Burton hasn’t tested or competed best-on-best in quite sometime. He’s a naturally smooth route runner, but plenty of questions remain. Kaleb Brown is coming off injury, but has posted some impressive performances in the past. Kojo Antwi has physical strength and quickness for his size, but he has to go get it done in talent neutralized scenarios.