Under Armour All-America Game: Five questions to be answered
The 2022 Under Armour All-America Game begins practice Wednesday under the lights.
The game has as much talent on the roster as at any point in the decade plus of its existence. And that means the competition in the practice setting will be as impactful as ever.
With On3 set to finalize the final rankings in the 2022 cycle in January, there are a number of questions to be answered this week in Orlando.
Which player has the most to prove?
Charles Power: There’s several that fall into this category. My first pick is five-star Georgia cornerback signee, Daylen Everette. We’ve had Everette (No. 7 in the On300) ranked as the top cornerback dating back to August. We haven’t seen him tested a ton at IMG Academy in the past few years, so seeing how he fares against a strong wide receiver group should be highly instructive. There’s also some big men I’m looking forward to watching. Georgia defensive line signee Bear Alexander missed a big chunk of his senior year due to being ineligible after changing high schools in Texas and moving to IMG Academy mid-season. Alexander had a strong junior playoff run at Denton Ryan in Texas, but he’s been largely ineligible for much of his career due to multiple high school moves. So seeing him against top competition should be telling. North Carolina defensive line signee Travis Shaw (No. 68) had a great sophomore season. He played a shortened junior year during the spring and missed some of his senior season. Fellow Tar Heel signee Zach Rice (No. 97) is a mauling run blocker against relatively weak competition in western Virginia. We never got to see Rice on the camp circuit, so it will be interesting to see how he stacks up from an athletic perspective in addition to playing against top defensive linemen.
Gerry Hamilton: A pair of Georgia signees to start. On300 five-star cornerback Daylen Everette and On3 Consensus four-star Bear Alexander for different reasons. Everette hasn’t been tested much in the last year, and this will be a chance for the recover and long speed to be tested against high-level athletes at receiver. Alexander just hasn’t been on the field as much as many others in the 2022 cycle due to multiple transfers and time spent fighting Texas UIL eligibility. Alexander is a player that has a very high ceiling, and will very likely see this week as the most important in his high school career. Another Texan is on my list. On3 Consensus four-star Omari Abor has been up and down on tape as a senior. He will be challenged on every 1v1 rep, and has the opportunity to cement himself as one of the top EDGE prospects in the class. Or he could drift farther from that range. Texas A&M tight end signee Donovan Green is another one. The On3 Consensus four-star was a big name early in the process, but has been passed by a number of others in the last year. With Jake Johnson having signed with Texas A&M, Green will have to prove he is still the caliber prospect that can compete with arguably the cycle’s best tight end prospect.
Which player could make the biggest rankings jump?
Power: Ohio State EDGE signee Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is coming off a great senior season that saw him named Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year and lead his team to a state championship. His length and bend around the edge were impressive this year in addition to the high-level production. Jackson currently ranks as the No. 59 overall prospect and No. 7 EDGE prospect in the On300. He’s an ascending prospect at a premium position and could continue to rise with a great week. Alabama EDGE signee Jihaad Campbell is another one we currently have at No. 30 who I think could really impress if he’s rushing the passer in Orlando. My pick on the other side of the ball is Texas offensive line signee Neto Umeozulu (No. 66 in On300). I was very impressed with Umeozulu’s senior video. We have him listed as an interior offensive lineman, but he has pure tackle length to go with good athleticism and very strong hands. The violent block finishing stuck out as a senior. If Umeozulu continues to show those traits in Orlando, we could see him continue to rise in the rankings.
Hamilton: Stanford signee Ernest Cooper could be one. He will impress in every way off the field, and attention to detail on the it. He had a strong showing at the Under Armour Camp in Dallas in march against big time competition. That would be the expectation this week in Orlando. Cooper will have consistent effort, and the ability to win with more than shear athletic ability. LSU signee Emery Jones is another. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder has a big time reputation among coaches that went against him this season. Everyone asked believe Jones will be a guy that leaves Orlando as an ascending prospect. If his physicality carries over to wins against high-end defensive lineman, a move up is likely.
Which position group has piqued your interest?
Power: It’s definitely wide receiver for me. The receiver group is the toughest to parse nationally, due to the incredible depth and variety of different skill sets among the group. Seeing many of these top receivers in a controlled environment against top cornerbacks should help us sort out the group. The headliner is obviously Five-Star Plus+ Texas A&M signee Evan Stewart. We’ll get to see Stewart for the first time in a few months, as he opted out of his senior year in the middle of the season. We’ve been high on TCU signee Jordan Hudson (No. 27) for some time and he had a great senior season. Could Hudson push for a fifth star? We’ll be watching to see how he separates against the top corners. Missouri signee Luther Burden (No. 73) had a fantastic senior season. Burden is strongest after the catch and with the ball in his hands. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up in terms of separating ability and routes. Clemson signee Adam Randall will likely be the most physically-developed receiver in attendance. He has a NFL body as a 17-year old. Alabama signee Adam Anderson is one of the more electric receivers nationally at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds with track speed and wiggle. Randall’s fellow Clemson signee Antonio Williams and Alabama signee Shazz Preston are two more I’m looking forward to seeing in Orlando. And of course, I’d assume we’ll see five-star two-way athlete Travis Hunter play some receiver during the week as well.
Hamilton: Cornerback by a small margin over receiver. The top six corners in the On3 Consensus ranking will be in Orlando. That will bring out a lot of competition, as all these kids know where they are currently ranked. Denver Harris came back mid-way through the season after an ACL injury late in his junior season. This week, the Texas A&M signee will be tested by a terrific group of receivers. Could Will Johnson or Jaheim Singletary challenge Domani Jackson, Harris and Everette as the top corner in the cycle? Not out of the question. Jaedyn Lukus isn’t talked about as much as the other top corners in the cycle. He will have the ability to prove on the same field he is a top-3 cornerback prospect in the cycle as well.
Which players from Texas A&M’s No. 1 ranked class have the most to prove?
Power: There’s a handful of options here. I’ll start with five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (No. 3). He had a solid, but not spectacular senior season after a strong junior campaign. We know Brownlow-Dindy is one of the most athletic prospects in the nation regardless of position. Is he truly a top five or top ten prospect? This week will help us figure that out. I want to see how five-star defensive lineman Anthony Lucas stacks up from a play strength perspective with other top defensive linemen. Lucas has a lot of physical ability. He mainly worked as a defensive end in high school and was more of a finesse pass rusher. Five-star corner Denver Harris (No. 16) was very rarely tested in coverage as a senior at Houston North Shore and has been battling a knee injury. I’m also looking forward to seeing Bryce Anderson fares at safety after starring as a quarterback at the high school level.
Hamilton: Power and I are in agreement on Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. He missed time due to injury as a senior. He’s the best athlete of the defensive lineman in the cycle, and will have the opportunity to end the cycle as the highest ranked. Donovan Green at tight end has already been mentioned. Denver Harris has also already been mentioned. Walter Nolen and Anthony Lucas will make a huge step up in competition this week, and many final rankings eyes will be focused on the talented duo. Lucas will be forced to match the physicality of the offensive lineman in the practice setting. One player On3 is not worried about having an impressive week is Evan Stewart. He has been training extremely hard despite not playing for much of his senior season.
Will the No. 1 ranked player in the 2022 cycle come from the game?
Power: It’s a coin flip to me. The majority of our current top ten prospects are slated to play in this game. I’m looking forward to seeing unsigned five-star defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (No. 5) in this setting. Stewart was initially tabbed as the No. 1 prospect in the cycle as a freshman or sophomore. Stewart’s size and pure athletic ability were on display as a senior. He makes a bunch of ‘wow’ plays. Travis Hunter will always be in the conversation. The Five-Star Plus+ Jackson State signee is the best high school football player in the country and is a unique two-way prospect. On the flip-side, the All-American Bowl has a much stronger group of quarterbacks. Our top four signal callers — Drew Allar (Penn State), Devin Brown (Ohio State), Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Cade Klubnik (Clemson) are all in that game. So is our current No. 1, Georgia EDGE signee Marvin Jones Jr. The NFL legacy did not have a very strong senior year and his grip on the No. 1 spot is tenuous at best, but he would still be in the conversation.
Hamilton: I’m going to say yes. Defensive line and EDGE are the strength of this class. The Under Armour All-America Game is loaded at both spots. There will be separation from many of the highly ranked prospects, and someone will step up to being considered for the No. 1 overall spot. Shemar Stewart is a sound bet to look like the prospect that was ranked NO. 1 overall when he was a sophomore. Then there is Travis Hunter. It’s rare for a WR/CB to be the No. 1 ranked prospect in a cycle. With that said, Hunter is a rare talent. Hunter is playing cornerback this week, but could factor in the return game and on offense some.
Under Armour All-America Game practice schedule
First practice December 29, 6:30-8:30pm ET
Second practice: December 30, 9-11:30am ET (ESPNU TV)
Third practice: December 31, 11-1:30pm ET (ESPNU TV)
Walk through practice: January 1, 10-11:45am ET
All-America Game: January 2, 2pm ET at Camping World Stadium (ESPN2)