Category: All-American Bowl

The 2025 All-American Bowl will break from a long-standing decision, allow juniors to play

The All-American Bowl will allow juniors to play in their game.

The All-American Bowl announced this week that it is set to allow high school juniors to play in their game. This breaks a quarter-of-a-century of tradition where the bowl marked the final game in the high school career of many of the nation’s top players.

Now, the game will feature top junior and senior players.

The longest-running high school football all-star game, the All-American Bowl is played every year at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game airs annually on NBC, which is the owner-operator of the event.

One of the challenges of bowl games is keeping up with the landscape of college sports. Blue chip recruits, especially the high-level types who play in all-star games like the prestigious All-American Bowl, are likely to decide well before the game in January.

And with an ever-increasing number of players enrolling early, some players opt not to play in these postseason games because they are already on campus and enrolled in college.

“Given the changing landscape at the collegiate level, our senior participants are graduating high school earlier and enrolling in and attending college as early as December. As a result, the All-American Bowl is pivoting to now include top juniors for the upcoming 2025 All-American Bowl,” said Jon Miller, President, Acquisitions and Partnerships of NBC Sports in a press release. “This change will allow more top juniors to make their college declarations on network television.”

The All-American Bowl, first played in 1994, has featured a number of players who went on to star in college and the NFL. Notable alumni of the game include Antonio Alfano, Odell Beckham Jr., Stefon Diggs, Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey, Tim Tebow and Vince Young.

The bowl game created the concept of the commitment table, with players making their college decisions publicly known during the game’s broadcast. Presumably with juniors now playing in the game, the commitment table could gain a new level of importance as players continue to move up the timeline for their decisions.

Recruiting legend Larry Blustein praises this 5-star Ohio State signee as the best player he has ever seen

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith receives some impressive praise.

In 53 years of covering high school football, Larry Blustein has seen just about everything. No one covers Florida like Blustein, so when he sings the praises of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, it means something.

Blustein made recruiting coverage an art form when it was still a nascent business. And in over five decades of covering Florida high school football, Blustein has been right far, far more times than wrong about a recruit.

His praise for Smith, a class of 2024 wide receiver who signed with Ohio State football during the early signing period, is certainly warranted. The Buckeyes had to fight off Florida State and Miami in the final weeks of the year to clinch Smith’s early signing period signature.

A wide receiver at Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Florida), Smith is a consensus five-star.

And according to Blustein, the now Ohio State wide receiver is the best he has ever seen at the position (Smith enrolled early and is currently in Columbus).

 

This past season, Smith had 90 catches for 1,389 yards with 19 touchdowns. Earlier this month, he played in the All-American Bowl at the Alamodome.

Smith’s play this fall helped Chaminade-Madonna finish the season with a 14-0 record and as the second-best program in the nation in the USA TODAY HSS Super 25.

Devin Sanchez, a 5-star defensive back, commits to Ohio State

Devin Sanchez committed to Ohio State on Saturday afternoon.

Class of 2025 recruit Devin Sanchez committed to Ohio State on Saturday at the All-American Bowl. Sanchez is a top-10 player in the country in his class.

A 6-foot-2, 170-pound defensive back from North Shore High School (Houston, Texas), Sanchez is the No. 6 player in the nation in the On3 Industry Rankings. He held offers from Ohio State as well as Alabama and Texas.

Sanchez’s North Shore finished their season 15-1.

Sanchez made his announcement on Saturday afternoon from the All-American Bowl. The All-American Bowl is held annually at the Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas).

Ohio State currently has the eighth-best recruiting class in the nation for the 2025 cycle according to Rivals. Last year, they had the fifth-best class in the nation.

Despite being up early, the West nearly gave up the lead (and the game) on Saturday afternoon. At point, the West was up 31-7 and seemed in full control of the game.

They ended up narrowly beating the East 31-28 in the All-American Bowl.

Jeremiah Smith went through the process but was ‘always locked in on Ohio State’

Jeremiah Smith explains his process in sticking with Ohio State.

Throughout the fall, Jeremiah Smith made a very convincing argument that he was the top high school player in the nation. Physically dominant and a smooth route runner, the Florida wide receiver is a huge get for Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day.

A huge recruiting win, even if Smith made them sweat a bit during the process.

Smith was rumored throughout the fall to be a potential flip candidate to Florida State as well as several SEC programs. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound wide receiver from Chaminade-Madonna had 90 catches for 1,389 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns as he pieced together a truly outstanding senior season.

Smith will play on Saturday at the Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) in the All-American Bowl (1:00 p.m. ET, NBC). He is a five-star recruit and the top-ranked player in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.

He took visits, including an early December official to Florida State, but he ended up signing with Ohio State on the first day of the early signing period.

“It was part of the process. Ohio State told me they had no problem with me taking a visit. There was the narrative that every time I went on a visit, I was ready to flip. But I was locked in on Ohio State, there was nothing too serious,” Smith told USA TODAY High School Sports this week in a phone interview following an All-American Bowl practice.

But interestingly and despite the public narrative, Florida State wasn’t the main threat for Ohio State to land Smith.

“The only school that I would have given Ohio State a chance was Miami,” Smith said.

Chaminade-Madonna finished the season 14-0 and was second in the nation in the final USA TODAY HSS Super 25.

It was a big bounce back from the way last year ended for Smith’s team, with a 49-14 loss to Bishop Gorman in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series.

“I mean we got a great, great year. With the young offensive line and the strong receiving corps and a senior quarterback and a running back – we just came in this year and just wanted to win it all. That last game last year against Bishop Gorman, we said that will never happen again. So we all just wanted to work through the season,” Smith said.

“That loss right there, that humbled a lot. We thought we were all that. We went up there, Bishop Gorman punched us in the mouth. It humbled us to never feel that feeling again.”

 

Georgia Bulldogs 5-star K.J. Bolden on picking Florida, a $3 million NIL offer from another school and All-American Bowl practice

K.J. Bolden on why he picked Georgia.

After a recruitment that took twists and turns down the stretch, K.J. Bolden decided to stay in-state and flip to Georgia. The decision to commit to Georgia was made, he said, despite a huge NIL offer from another program that was recruiting him prior to the early signing period.

An offer that has been reported at $3 million annually.

A five-star safety for Buford (Buford, Georgia), Bolden is a consensus top-five player in the nation. Committed to Florida State since this past August, he flipped to Georgia on the first day of the early signing period in December. Bolden is set to play this Saturday at the All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (1:00 PM ET, NBC).

He signed with Georgia, despite the offer from another program that would have netted him multi-million dollars had he flipped.

“This school just mentioned all the bread they had,” Bolden told USA TODAY High School Sports on Wednesday following practice for the All-American Bowl.

“It wasn’t one of those top schools. It was definitely a good school, a good program. But it was just crazy how they just threw that out like ‘Hey, man, like, I know some quarterbacks who aren’t getting that so you are telling me I’m getting that? ‘ That’s crazy.”

The school and the reported $3 million offer did give Bolden some pause. The standout safety wisely won’t reveal the name of the school.

He did say that the offer came in three weeks before he signed for Georgia.

“I mean, at first when you first hear you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, that’s a lot of money.’ And then you got to think about like, ‘Alright, cool, does this place fit me? Like how do I like being up there?’ But you got to think about the other stuff,” Bolden said.

“(There were) a couple of schools that had me down to the wire but to me, it was just about being where you feel the most comfortable. The money is good to have because the money is good. But at the end of the day, it’s short-term money. The big money is in the NFL.”

At the time of his decision, his final three schools were  “Auburn, Florida State and Georgia.”

Georgia in the end won out, flipping Bolden. He said that the relationship built with head coach Kirby Smart helped land him in-state.

“Just being from Georgia, being 30 minutes from Athens. Coach Kirby, he came and talked with my family,” Bolden said.

“The home visit went great. I feel like that’s what did it. He just came out there and interacted with my mom in the home visit, my dad – was so good. I feel like that’s what did it for sure.”

Saying that “iron definitely sharpens iron,” Bolden said that the week of practice leading up to Saturday’s All-American Bowl has pushed him. The bowl game has a loaded roster and will feature a traditional East-West format this year.

“It’s been a great experience just can’t get coached by the best. The best…and (been) going against the best this week,” Bolden said.

“So it’s really a great experience. I was every kid, every football player could experience experience (this) because it’s just great. It’s just a great – great vibes.”

Alumni of the All-American Bowl, first played in 1996, includes the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Brock Bowers, Sharrif Floyd, Andrew Luck, Nick Mangold, DeMarco Murray, Adrian Peterson, Tim Tebow, Joe Thomas and Chase Young among others.

These 114 players made the 2023 All-American Bowl roster

Here are the 114 players who made the cut, according to On3.

High school football’s all-star game will be played on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas – the site of the 2023 All-American Bowl.

Here are the 114 players who made the cut, according to On3.

The All-American Bowl West team has 60 players:

Quarterbacks

Lincoln Kienholz
Pierre (S.D.) T.F. Riggs

#2 Kenny Minchey (not participating)
Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II

#10 Pierce Clarkson
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#16 Austin Novosad
Dripping Springs (Texas)

Running Backs

#0 Quinten Joyner
Manor (Texas)

#4 Rueben Owens
El Campo (Texas)

#25 Samuel Singleton Jr.
Orange Park (Fla.) Fleming Island

Wide Receivers

Cordale Russell
Mesquite (Texas)

#1 Rico Flores Jr.
Folsom (Calif.)

#3 DeAndre Moore Jr.
Los Alamitos (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#5 TJ McWilliams
Indianapolis (Ind.) North Central

#7 Mikal Harrison-Pilot
Temple (Texas)

#9 Adarius Redmond
Powell (Tenn.)

#11 Jamari Johnson
Inglewood (Calif.)

#13 Jurrion Dickey (not particating)
Palo Alto (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton

#14 Malachi Coleman
Lincoln (Neb.) East

#15 Ryan Niblett
Houston (Texas) Eisenhower

#80 Malik Elzy
Chicago (Ill.) Simeon

Tight Ends

#8 Walker Lyons
Folson (Calif.)

#17 Lawson Luckie (not participating)
Norcross (Ga.)

Offensive Linemen

Sullivan Absher
Belmont (N.C.) South Point

#55 Spencer Fano
Provo (Utah) Timpview

#56 Tyson Paala-Ruffins
Long Beach (Calif.) Poly

#64 Joshua Bates
Durango (Colo.)

#71 Shamurad Umarov
Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark

#72 Zechariah Owens
McDonough (Ga.) ELCA

#73 Charles Jagusah
Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman

#74 Kadyn Proctor
Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk

#75 Isaiah Robinson (not participating)
Arlington (Texas) Lamar

#76 Caleb Lomu
Gilbert (Ariz.) Highland

#77 Colton Thomasson
Spring Branch (Texas) Smithson Valley

Defensive Linemen

Princewill Umanmielen
Manor (Texas)

#9 Tomarrion Parker
Phenix City (Ala.) Central

#15 Keldric Faulk
Highland Home (Ala.)

#17 Matayo Uiagalelei
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#19 Yhonzae Pierre
Eufaula (Ala.)

#31 Caleb Herring (not participating)
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale

#33 Joshua Mickens
Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central

#44 Bai Jobe
Norman (Okla.) Community Christian School

#47 Anthony James
Wylie (Texas) East

Linebackers

#3 Tre Edwards III
Chula Vista (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic

#6 Anthony Hill Jr.
Denton (Texas) Ryan

#7 Samuel Omosigho
Crandall (Texas)

#10 Tausili Akana
Kahuku (Hawaii) Skyridge

#11 Arion Carter
Smyrna (Tenn.)

#20 Blake Nichelson
Ripon (Calif.) Manteca

#34 Drayk Bowen
Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean

Defensive Backs

#0 Jasiah Wagoner
Spanaway (Wash.) Spanaway Lake

#2 Dalton Brooks
Shiner (Texas)

#4 Aaron Williams
Corona (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#5 Caleb Presley
Sammamish (Wash.) Rainier Beach

#8 Jelani McDonald
Waco (Texas) Connolly

#12 Braxton Myers
Coppell (Texas)

#21 Cole Martin
Chandler (Ariz.) Basha

#22 Calvin Simpson-Hunt
Waxahachie (Texas)

#23 Micah Bell
Houston (Texas) Kinkaid School

#24 Jordan Shaw
Downey (Calif.) St. Pius X

Special Teams

K- Nicolas Radicic
Coppell (Texas)

P- Tyler White
Southlake (Texas) Carroll

LS- Grant Rountree
Lebanon (Tenn.) Wilson Central

Meanwhile, the All-American Bowl East team has 54:

Quarterbacks

#5 Dante Moore
Detroit (Mich.) King

#9 Aidan Chiles
Downey (Calif.)

#10 Eli Holstein
Zachary (La.)

#12 Christopher Vizzina
Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian

Running Backs

#3 Treyaun Webb
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy

#4 Mark Fletcher
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage

#22 Justice Haynes
Roswell (Ga.) Buford

Wide Receivers

#0 Jalen Brown
Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep

#1 Brandon Inniss
Miami Gardens (Fla.) American Heritage

#2 Rodney Gallagher
Uniontown (Pa.) Laurel Highlands

#8 Hykeem Williams
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranahan

#11 Jaed’n Skeete
West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial

#14 Nathaniel Joseph
Miami (Fla.) Edison

#15 Kenric Lanier
Decatur (Ga.)

#17 Carnell Tate
Chicago (Ill.) IMG Academy

#24 Cameron Seldon
Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland

Tight Ends

#6 Olsen Patt Henry
Naples (Fla.) First Baptist Academy

#19 Pearce Spurlin
Santa Rosa Beach (Fla.) South Walton

Offensive Linemen

#53 Kelton Smith
Columbus (Ga.) Carver

#54 Luke Montgomery
Findlay (Ohio)

#63 Samson Okunlola
Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy

#64 Caden Jones
Gretna (La.) De La Salle

#71 Payton Kirkland
Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips

#74 Jven Williams
Reading (Pa.) Wyomissing

#75 Connor Lew
Kennesaw (Ga.) Mountain

#78 Monroe Freeling
Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Academy

#79 DJ Chester
Conyers (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing Christian

Defensive Linemen

Darron Reed
Columbus (Ga.) Carver

#9 Brenan Vernon
Mentor (Ohio)

#11 Damon Wilson
Venice (Fla.)

#17 Kamran James
Orlando (Fla.) Olympia

#35 Daevin Hobbs
Concord (N.C.) Jay M Robinson

#55 Jamaal Jarrett (not participating)
Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley

#86 Vic Burley
Warner Robins (Ga.)

#97 Keon Keeley
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep

#99 Jordan Hall
Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside

Linebackers

Kaveion Keys
Richmond (Va.) Varina

#0 Malik Bryant
Orlando (Fla.) Jones

#3 CJ Allen (not participating)
Barnesville (Ga.) Lamar County

#8 Jayvant Brown
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas

#10 Grayson Howard (not participating)
Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson

#30 Whit Weeks
Watkinsville (Ga.) Oconee County

#40 Josiah Trotter
Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s

Defensive Backs

#1 Kayin Lee
Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove

#2 Caleb Downs
Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek

#4 AJ Harris (not participating)
Phenix City (Ala.) Central

#5 Makari Vickers
Tallahassee (Fla.) Munroe

#7 Michael Daugherty
Logansville (Ga.) Grayson

#18 Adon Shuler
Irvington (N.J.)

#20 Malik Hartford
West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West

#21 Tyler Scott
Mableton (Ga.) Pebblebrook

Special Teams

K – David Olano
Naperville (Ill.) North

P – Palmer Williams
Mocksville (N.C.) Davie County

LS – Drew Prieto
Atlanta (Ga.) Marist School

Kickoff is noon Eastern on NBC.

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Which top unsigned 2021 recruits are committing on All-American Bowl Declaration Day?

Some of the top-remaining unsigned 2021 recruits have plans to kick off the new year with a bang.

Some of the top-remaining unsigned 2021 recruits have plans to kick off the new year with a bang.

Numerous noteworthy unsigned recruits are set to announce their commitment decisions on Jan. 2 during “All American Bowl: Declaration Day.” Since the 2021 All-American Bowl was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “All American Bowl: Declaration Day” will provide some of the country’s top remaining unsigned prospects a platform to announce their commitments.

So, which top-remaining unsigned 2021 recruits are pulling the trigger on their college commitment on Jan. 2? Let’s take a look.

RELATED: Where each state’s top-ranked recruit signed during the Early Signing Period