Tag: Under Armour All-America Game

Who made the top six for 4-star Under Armour All-American Jaelyne Matthews?

Jaelyne Matthews gives an update to his recruitment.

Jaelyne Matthews rolled out his top six this week, representing another milestone for one of the nation’s top recruits.

Matthews is an elite prospect and a consensus four-star offensive tackle from Toms River North (Toms River, New Jersey). Nationally, he is the No. 88 recruit in the class of 2025 according to ESPN.

He is the tenth-best offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 75 overall recruit per On3 and will participate in Under Armour All-America Game this January.

His recruitment was opened up in September after having been committed to Penn State for much of 2023.

On Sunday night, he announced a top six of Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Miami.

“I feel as though now it is easier to focus on the top schools that appeal to me,” Matthews told USA TODAY High School Sports. “And that have been not just recruiting me but building a relationship with me and my family and coaches.”

Matthews is hoping to go to college for sports medicine or a related field like that. While his cutdown is still fresh, he does know what he wants in a school.

“Great football and great coaching that accepts everyone into their family,” Matthews said.

In terms of a timetable, Matthews has a date set but seems open to something moving sooner.

“July 14, or sooner,” Matthews said.

“Just got to watch out for the updates.”

What 5-star defensive back did ESPN’s Tom Luginbill compare to Sauce Gardner and Minkah Fitzpatrick?

Ellis Robinson IV gets some big NFL comparisons from ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill.

Georgia football commit and signee Ellis Robinson IV has the potential to be an elite player, with ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill making some pretty strong projections for the class of 2024 defensive back.

Robinson is a five-star player who participated in last week’s Under Armour All-America Game. ESPN ranks him as the top recruit in the nation in the 2024 class.

He had an offer list that included Florida State, Kentucky and Miami among others.

Luginbill was the analyst for last week’s Under Armour All-America game on ESPN. After watching Robinson in practice, he was impressed with the defensive back, who signed with Georgia during the early signing period in December.

“If I were to just tell you from a physical attributes standpoint, he’s as good of a pure cover corner prospect that we’ve had in this game over the last 17 years now,” Luginbill told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“I think what makes him a bit unique is he’s every bit as good a tackler and run supporter- it’s not all about the pass breakup, interceptions and recovery. He’s a complete package. So we’ve been very excited to see that he has been as advertised.”

Robinson played his last year of high school football for IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida). IMG finished the season fifth in the nation in the USA TODAY HSS Super 25.

As for comparisons, Luginbill likened Robinson to a trio of defensive backs who are currently in the NFL.

“He’s built very, very similar to Sauce – that’s a great comp that I would agree with,” Luginbill said.

“I think Eli Apple when he was at Ohio State, that’s another one? I would say that some of the Alabama guys Dre Kirkpatrick, Minkah Fitzpatrick when he first came to Alabama, he was a corner that got moved into safety. So I think there’s a lot of good comps out there.

“You just don’t find six one-and-a-half, 190-pound corners that are just so fluid and agile and explosive…there’s a lot of guys that look the part and are athletic, but maybe they don’t perform to that level all the time. He performs on par with his skill set.”

Florida’s 5-star quarterback signee roughed up in All-America Game

Florida QB DJ Lagway’s last stop before heading to Gainesville was the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, where he was roughed up a bit

Florida quarterback signee [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag]’s talents were on full display Wednesday during the Under Armour All-America Game, but he left in the first half with a foot injury.

Lagway led two drives for Team Fire before exiting the game. On the first play of the second drive, he was tackled as he ran toward the sideline. That’s when he first got “rolled up,” according to Gators Online.

He also said that he got stepped on after throwing a pass later in the drive. As the pain started to pick up, Lagway decided to stop. He understands that he’s the future of Florida’s offense and that risking injury in an all-star game isn’t worth any of the potential consequences. Had this been a regular-season game in the Swamp, things might have been different.

“Yeah, I think I could have (returned),” Lagway said to GO. “But like right now, I don’t know about that. But when it happened, I feel like I could have.”

The Under Armour All-America Game was Lagway’s last stop before heading to Gainesville. He drove up Thursday morning with his family to begin his Gators career (and get checked out by UF’s doctors).

Graham Mertz might be the starter in 2024, but the Lagway era is almost ready to begin in Gainesville.

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Braylon Burnside picks Mississippi State at the Under Armour All-America Game

Braylon Burnside picks Mississippi State.

Braylon Burnside gave the nod to Mississippi State during the Under Armour All-America Game, giving Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby a versatile athlete in the 2024 recruiting class.

Burnside is a four-star wide receiver from Starkville, Mississippi. He picked his hometown on Wednesday over Ole Miss. In 15 games this past fall, he had 75 catches for 1,158 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

ESPN ranks him as the tenth-best athlete in the nation and the No. 166 recruit overall.

He made his announcement during ESPN’s broadcast of the game, which was held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. He was the lone player in this week’s game making his decision during the broadcast.

ESPN analyst and recruiting insider Tom Luginbille talked with USA TODAY High School Sports before the game about Burnside and his potential at the next level.

“Positional versatility – I think that is one thing I will say about so many of the skill players in this year’s game and we haven’t always had this every year but in this year’s game a particular,” Luginbill said.

“Almost all of our skill guys played on both sides of the ball and were the punt returners or kick returner on their high school team. And I think that’s where Burnside brings a ton of value is where you’re going to play him…I don’t know. He’s such a good athlete, that whoever takes him, (just) get him on campus and figure out where he fits best. I mean, that’s what gives you such value from a coaching staff is you have places you could put him and just figure out where he falls and where he fits.”

As for Mississippi State, Lebby, hired this offseason, is getting a player who has bought into the direction of the program. Earlier this week, Burnside was asked by USA TODAY High School Sports about why the Bulldogs made the cut.

“There’s been a whole lot of good changes with coach Lebby being the head coach, I feel like it’s a good look for them,” Burnside said.

Tom Luginbill: What Under Armour All-America game offensive lineman can be the next Evan Neal?

Tom Luginbill talks offensive line ahead of Wednesday’s Under Armour All-America Game.

It may have been an overall down year nationally for offensive linemen, but ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill has been really impressed with what he has seen from Oregon commit JacQawn McRoy. The offensive tackle has impressed the past few days during practice for the Under Armour All-America Game.

Luginbill will be on the call for this year’s Under Armour All-America Game on Wednesday, January 3 at 4:00 pm EST (ESPN). The annual game is being held at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida).

One of the players who has really taken advantage of the opportunity afforded over the last week in McCroy. At 6-foot-9 and 365 pounds, McCroy has obvious eye-opening size.

He is a four-star offensive tackle per ESPN.

“The offensive line group has been surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because it’s been a bit of a down year in this recruiting cycle for offensive linemen, whereas it’s been a really strong cycle for defensive linemen,” Luginbill said.

“But these offensive linemen have really held their own – the McCroy kid who going to Oregon is likely going to be the next Evan Neal – he’s that impactful. And so I’ve been very impressed with that group.”

Neal is a former first-round pick and is in his second season with the New York Giants. The former Alabama offensive lineman, taken No. 7 overall in last spring’s NFL draft, was an All-American selection in 2021.

McCroy held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss and Miami among others when he committed to Oregon.

Luginbill has also been impressed with the wide receivers during the week of practice for the Under Armour All-America Game.

Who has impressed ESPN’s Tom Luginbill at the Under Armour All-America Game?

Tom Luginbill has been impressed with some of the wide receivers ahead of preparation for the Under Armour All-America Game.

Tom Luginbill thinks this is a standout class of wide receivers at the Under Armour All-America Game. The ESPN analyst has been impressed with a pair of SEC-bound wide receivers and a Miami commit ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Ryan Williams, now in the 2024 class after reclassifying, is among the players who have stood out this past week. The Alabama commit is a five-star according to ESPN and the No. 9 player in the nation.

The Under Armour All-America Game is being held at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) on Wednesday, January 3 at 4:00 pm EST (ESPN).

“I’ll tell you the receiver class in 2024 is really talented and then you add the reclassification of the 2025 receiver Ryan Williams, and he joined a guy like [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] (a five-star wide receiver who flipped to Auburn in December), and JoJo Trader (a five-star wide receiver committed to Miami),” Luginbill told USA TODAY High School Sports on Tuesday.

“They’ve all been a really, really impressive group. We’ve seen guys like Terry Bussey (a four-star athlete committed to Texas A&M) (who) has been unbelievably versatile, kind of as a slot/outside receiver. So I think the receiver group as a whole has been very strong.”

Staying on offense, Luginbill was asked about David Stone. A four-star offensive lineman, Stone is signed to Oklahoma.

Luginbill says that not only is Stone showing well this week at practice, he has the potential to be an impact player with the Sooners. He spoke to the player’s character as well as his skillset after seeing him this week at Under Armour All-America Game practices.

“Number one is he is a great kid. Number two, he chose a school that is making the transition into the SEC and he was smart enough to realize that he plays a premium position that Oklahoma doesn’t have a lot of right now,” Luginbill said.

“And so he sees an opportunity to not only go in and be an Oklahoma Sooner but as they transition into the SEC – they need him. They need him to play immediately. They need him to be productive immediately. And so I thought he did a good job of selecting where he was going to school given the current situation in Norman.

“And he’s had a great week. He’s one of those kids that plays so hard and when I say play, so hard, he plays hard because he wants to. He loves to go out to practice. He loves everything about it.”

Where will 4-star athlete Braylon Burnside commit to at the Under Armour All-America Game?

Braylon Burnside is set to announce his college commitment at the Under Armour All-America Game.

Braylon Burnside will be announcing his college decision on Wednesday at the Under Armour All-America Game. One of the nation’s top playmakers and overall athletes is poised to announce what has turned into an in-state battle for his talents.

Burnside’s decision is down to two between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The Under Armour All-America Game is being held at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) on Wednesday, January 3 at 4:00 pm EST (ESPN).

Burnside is a four-star and the No. 166 player in the nation per ESPN. He is the No. 248 overall recruit in the nation and a four-star athlete according to 247Sports.

There is certainly a lot of attention on him this week as he is the lone player announcing at the Under Armour All-America Game. He is a 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver and safety prospect from Starkville, Mississippi.

Burnside said he waited this long because he wanted to take his time through the process and to also enjoy the platform of committing on ESPN.

“It’s come down to the hometown (Starkville, the home of Mississippi State) and Ole Miss – the hometown of Oxford,” Burnside told USA TODAY High School Sports on Monday afternoon.

“It’s the battle of Mississippi as I call it. Looking forward to it.”

Burnside said he will enroll in January regardless of the school he selects.

As for Ole Miss, he said that the program being run by head coach Lane Kiffin is very appealing to him.

“I like coach Kiffin and their offense, the way he runs the offense,” Burnside said.

“The way he treats his receivers, the way coach Nix (wide receivers coach, assistant head coach Derrick Nix) treats his receivers. I feel like it could be a good place for me too.”

Mississippi State, located just minutes from home, is undergoing some changes. New head coach Jeff Lebby, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, has brought a new energy to the program.

Burnside likes what he has seen from Lebby’s program.

“There’s been a whole lot of good changes with coach Lebby being the head coach, I feel like it’s a good look for them,” Burnside said.

This past week of practice has been competitive, Burnside said. Playing in the Under Armour All-America game is one thing, but he said getting high-level coaching is part of the reason why he committed to the game.

“I get to compete with the best guys in the nation, it’s one of those experiences I’ve always dreamed about,” Burnside said.

“When you’re up here, you get every experience, every drill that you want to learn as a receiver and that’s what you want as a receiver.”

Florida QB signee shining at UA All-America Game practices

DJ Lagway will join the Florida football team later this month, but right now he’s busy wowing folks at the Under Armour All-America practices.

The papers are signed and Gator Nation is counting down the days until DJ Lagway gets on campus, but first, he will wrap up his high school career at the Under Armour All-America Game on Saturday.

Lagway has been in Orlando all week practicing with Team Fire, and he’s wowed nearly everyone in attendance. Here’s what On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power had to say about Lagway on Sunday.

“DJ Lagway entered the week as the clear headliner among the quarterback group. Through two days he’s lived up to that billing as the top arm in Orlando,” Power said. “… He looks to have the livest arm in attendance. The ball jumps out of his hand. Lagway is able to get the ball downfield when targeting vertical routes with ease. He had a number of impressive throws in 1-on-1’s on Sunday, putting the ball on the money while throwing to a talented wide receiver group for Team Fire.”

Lagway has also broken off big runs during practice, but there are still gaps in his game. Power said that Lagway’s mechanics lack consistency, but that is expected with incoming true freshmen.

When Lagway takes the field on Saturday, it will be his last time starting a game for a while. Graham Mertz is returning to Florida for one more year, which could mean Lagway ends up redshirting behind him.

Still, the blue-chip signal caller says his goal is to compete for the starting job as quickly as possible.

“I see myself as a program changer and I think I can help do the same things at Florida,” Lagway said to Swamp247. “I can honestly see the vision coach Napier has and the plan he has for me. That’s what kept me locked in this whole year.”

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Mississippi State 4-star quarterback Michael Van Buren previews the Under Armour All-America Game

Michael Van Buren talks Mississippi State commitment, Under Armour All-America Game.

Michael Van Buren is an electric quarterback, and the four-star from Maryland is eyeing up the national stage next week when he participates in the Under Armour All-America Game. He is part of a very solid recruiting class that signed with Mississippi State earlier this month.

The class of 2024 prospect is coming off a strong senior season at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) where he showed increasing pocket poise and the ability to extend plays with his legs.

A four-star quarterback, Van Buren is the No. 230 player in the nation in the 247Sports Composite. He sees the Under Armour game as an important next step as he gets ready for SEC football.

“Most definitely looking forward to going out there and competing against the best players in the country and showcasing my talents,” Van Buren told USA TODAY High School Sports this week.

Van Buren officially signed with Mississippi State during the early signing period. Committed to Oregon since late May, Van Buren opened up his recruitment early in December.

Following an official visit to Starkville, he committed to Mississippi State. He credits new head coach Jeff Lebby, the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, in landing him with the Bulldogs.

“It was the best fit because of my relationship with coach Lebby and he has proven that his offense can be very explosive and put up big numbers,” Van Buren said.

“Also, the vision he has for ‘State’ to turn the program around is something that really caught my eye and something that I wanted to be a part of.”

The next week of the Under Armour All-America Game could and should be an exciting one for Van Buren. There will be fun, but he says he also hopes to learn from the experience of being part of one of the nation’s premier showcase events.

“I would say a little bit of both the main thing is to get better and learn from the great coaches,” Van Buren said.

“But you also only get an opportunity like this once so of course you gotta have fun with it!”

The game, played in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, takes place on Jan. 3 at 4:00 p.m. ET. It will air on ESPN.

Four Florida signees to play in Under Armour All-America Game

Four Florida signees will participate in the Under Armour All-America Game on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Four future Florida Gators will take the field together on Jan. 3 at the Under Armour All-American Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], four-star linebackers [autotag]Aaron Chiles[/autotag] and [autotag]Myles Graham[/autotag] and preferred walk-on punter [autotag]Bobby Engstler[/autotag] are all on Team Fire, according to the organizer’s website. They’ll go up against Team Ice next weekend, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. It will be nationally televised on ESPN.

All eyes in Gainesville will be locked on Lagway. Gator Nation has been waiting for a generational quarterback to walk through the doors since Tim Tebow left, and Lagway is the team’s first five-star quarterback to sign since Jeff Driskel in 2011.

He crushed the high school competition in Texas, totaling more than 5,500 yards and nearly 75 touchdowns with his arm and legs, but now the competition level is getting kicked up a notch. This game has the potential to be Lagway’s national coming-out party if all goes well.

Chiles and Graham will be worth checking in on too. Florida could use some stability at linebacker over the next few years, and these two were signed to fill that void. It’s harder to evaluate defensive players in real-time, but the tape will be valuable.

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