Ad Disclosure
Ethan Levine, Jordan Cox and Drew Laing all contributed to this scouting report.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After a week of practices led by two former NFL head coaches and a number of former college and NFL superstars, this year’s Under Armour All-Americans finally took part in the annual showcase game Friday afternoon at Tropicana Field. The game featured 37 SEC commitments between the two all-star teams, and three more players committed to various SEC programs during the game.
After watching the future stars of the SEC compete against their peers, here’s what stood out to us at game’s end:
OFFENSE
QB Blake Barnett (Alabama): Barnett showed off his dual-threat abilities with a handful of nice runs and an impressive completion percentage in Friday’s game considering his limited time working with the Team Highlight offense. He showed great field vision as a runner on a first-half read-option keeper, hitting a crease with great acceleration for a productive 8-yard gain. Barnett completed 5 of 10 passes for the game, including a beautiful back-shoulder throw to Da’Vante Phillips for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
QB Kyler Murray (Texas A&M): Murray put his incredible speed and athleticism on display with 3 runs for 27 yards (after removing sack yardage), and showed great escapability from the pocket against a fierce Team Highlight pass rush. A sampling of his runs were designed quarterback runs, but many were scrambles that Murray turned into big plays with his elusive quickness. The 5-foot-11, 178-pound dual-threat talent boasts tremendous arm strength for a player of his size and stature, but accuracy continues to plague him. He completed just 7 of 15 passes, and threw a poor interception to Auburn commit Darrell Williams, who caught the ball as if he was fielding a punt well behind Murray’s intended target (who was covered on the play anyway).
RB Damien Harris (uncommitted): The four-star tailback deciding between established powers Alabama and Ohio State as well as his home-state Kentucky Wildcats showed more patience than any other runner in Friday’s game. Harris allowed plays to develop and allowed his blockers to fill their roles before attacking a lane with tremendous burst. Harris was dynamic in getting to the edge, but had an impressive 36-yard touchdown run between the tackles in the fourth quarter thanks to his patience and explosiveness in the hole.
WR Daylon Charlot (uncommitted): For a wideout who never caught a pass Friday, Charlot was as impactful as any player on Team Highlight thanks to his breakaway speed and agility in the open field. Charlot set a new Under Armour All-America game record with 101 punt return yards, including a 37-yard return and a 54-yard touchdown return. Charlot’s moves in the open field made him nearly impossible to be caught in open space, especially by just one defender, and he was far and away the most explosive special teamer for either side during Friday’s action.
WR Calvin Ridley (Alabama): Ridley only caught one pass on Friday, but we saw all we needed to see from him on the play. Ridley caught a short pass near the sideline and quickly turned up field, showing his abilities to change direction and accelerate in a hurry. He beat at least one Team Highlight defender up the sideline then applied a crushing stiff arm on another defender to extend the play further. The underneath route went for 28 yards when all was said and done, thanks to Ridley’s speed, power and shiftiness.
OL Christian Pellage (South Carolina), Drew Richmond (Ole Miss) and Richie Petitbon (Alabama): The three SEC commits along the Team Highlight offensive line looked more than capable during Friday’s game, limiting Team Armour to just eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, many of which came on the edges in open space. Pellage and Richmond complemented one another as book-end tackles, and although each was beaten around the edge by quick first moves a handful of times (especially by co-MVP Byron Cowart), neither was consistently beaten off the edge or with inside moves. Petitbon was part of an interior line that kept the pocket clean up the middle for most of the game, although he was far from flawless himself.
DEFENSE
DT Daylon Mack (uncommitted): Mack was among the most impressive players on Team Armour’s side in Friday’s game, leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss from his defensive tackle position. The game’s co-MVP was quicker off the ball than any other player for either team, and he made that count by “making himself skinny” to fit through gaps in the offensive line. He also displayed tremendous power in his ability to get a push up the middle, and he was a key contributor to sacks recorded by many of his teammates.
DE Arden Key (South Carolina): Key was once again among the most athletically gifted defensive linemen on either team, just as he’d shown throughout the week of practice. He had a quick first move at the line and was able to beat Team Armour’s tackles around the edge a handful of times, although he was unable to record a sack on the day (he did have a quarterback hurry). It remains to be seen how South Carolina will address his weight and strength, but in terms of pure speed Key’s quick pass rushing moves translated well to a live game on Friday.
DE Byron Cowart (uncommitted): Cowart was considered by many to be the best player on either team during the week of practice, and he showed the most complete arsenal of pass-rushing moves of any defensive linemen involved in the game. Cowart beat opposing linemen around the edge and to the inside, using speed rushes, bull rushes, spin moves and swipes to free himself from blockers in his pursuit of the quarterback. He recorded a sack and a forced fumble, and showed a knack for making a play whenever he got into the backfield.
S Deionte Thompson (Alabama): The future Crimson Tide safety showed excellent abilities as a run-stopper from his safety position, taking great angles in pursuit of ball-carriers that broke through the first level of the defense. His best play as a run-stopper came in the third quarter, when he beat five-star prospect Soso Jamabo down the line of scrimmage and kept him from getting around the edge for a big gain. He also logged a handful of pass breakups against a Team Armour offense that struggled all game through the air.
SEC IN-GAME COMMITMENTS
CB Kendall Sheffield — Alabama
IMPRESSIVE STAT LINES
QB Blake Barnett (Alabama): 5 of 10 passing, 66 yards, 1 TD
RB Damien Harris (uncommitted): 16 carries, 110 yards, 1 TD, 6.9 yards per carry
WR DaMarkus Lodge (uncommitted): 4 catches, 42 yards
WR Daylon Charlot (uncommitted): 3 punt returns, 101 punt return yards, 1 TD — Charlot’s 101 punt return yards are an Under Armour All-America game record.
DT Daylon Mack (uncommitted): 7 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss
DE Byron Cowart (uncommitted): 4 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 QB hurries
OTHER NOTES
Game MVPs: Byron Cowart (Team Highlight), Daylon Mack (Team Armour)
Attendance: 25,461 — the largest crowd in the 8-year history of the game.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
