Under Armour All-America Day 2: Ranking the Quarterbacks
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Under Armour All-America Game practices continued on Saturday morning. Around 100 of the nation’s top football prospects from the 2023 recruiting cycle were at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Florida for the week’s first practice. On3 was on hand to take in the action.
Practices will run until Monday. The game is to be played on January 3 at 5 P.M. eastern at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Full Under Armour All-America Game Roster | Day 1 Eye-Catchers | Day 2 Top Performers
The roster is divided into two teams – Team Speed and Team Phantom. Both teams had simultaneous padded practices on adjacent fields. Contact was limited, but we were able to get a thorough first look at prospects as they went through drills, 1-on-1, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work.
Four blue-chip quarterbacks are on hand in Orlando. Here’s On3’s ranking of the quarterbacks after the first full-speed practice of the week on Saturday.
1. Jackson Arnold – Oklahoma
The lone quarterback to make On3’s Top Performers, Jackson Arnold was the most consistent and accurate quarterback for either team on Saturday. The five-star signal caller progressed through his reads quickly and efficiently. We don’t recall seeing Arnold throw a poor pass all day long. We also thought he did a nice job navigating within the pocket during the team period. Arnold faced an onslaught of pass rushers and looked relatively calm and composed when rolling away from traffic. This was a pleasant surprise and something that is not always evident with top quarterbacks who are often unpressured at the high school level.
A Five-Star Plus+ prospect, Arnold checks in at No. 12 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in the On300.
2. JJ Kohl – Iowa State
JJ Kohl gets the nod for the second spot, after looking comfortable standing in the pocket and delivering over the middle of the field for Team Phantom. The Iowa State signee checks in at around 6-foot-7 and has no issue seeing over the line. Kohl has shown a willingness to stand in the face of pressure and has delivered his passes with nice zip.
Kohl ranks as the No. 248 overall prospect and No. 18 quarterback in the On300.
3. Jaden Rashada – Florida
Jaden Rashada‘s performance was a bit of a roller coaster on Saturday. The palpable arm strength was apparent in routes-on-air. He shined on deep ball throws during the 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 periods and was able to get the ball out quickly and on target in the quick game during team period. However, when the pocket started to get muddy and he was forced to escape trouble, he looked much more uncomfortable and began to miss throws. The arm strength and ability to throw receivers open is fully on display when the pocket is clean, however, when he is forced to throw off-platform he tends to rush his throws and lacks the base to finish through his passing motion.
Rashada checks in at No. 151 overall and as the No. 11 quarterback in the On300.
4. Avery Johnson – Kansas State
While Avery Johnson is fourth here, we still thought he had a solid day overall. This quarterback group is more consistent than we’ve seen from past years at Under Armour. Johnson is the twitchest mover of these four quarterbacks and looks explosive in running the zone read. The Maize (Kan.) High standout has also improved his arm strength over the past year and showed some juice on his throws, generating power from his hip torque. Johnson was errant on a few passes as he and the receivers weren’t always on the same page, but it was still a solid showing.
Johnson is the No. 160 overall prospect and No. 13 quarterback in the On300.
On3’s Cody Bellaire contributed to this story.