Thoughts on 2017 Under Armour All-American Game

Tag: Under Armour All-American Game

2Jan 2017
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Thoughts on 2017 Under Armour All-American Game

Luiji Vilain

Yesterday was the 2017 Under Armour All-American Game, which I was able to sit down and patiently watch for the first time in years. Here I’ve collected some thoughts on the Michigan commits who played, as well as some other relevant guys.
COMMITS
Jaylen Kelly-Powell – S – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: There were reports throughout the week that Kelly-Powell was playing some cornerback and struggling. He ended up playing safety in the game, but he lined up in man coverage on slot receivers at times, too. He didn’t play a great deal, but when he did, he wasn’t great or terrible. He had some decent coverage a couple times and didn’t register on the stat sheet from what I saw.
Kwity Paye – DE – Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken: Paye didn’t start, but he played a fair amount as a rotation guy in the first half. He showed some quickness off the edge and made a TFL when chasing the ball from the back side, though he was unblocked on the play. He also had a QB hurry that forced an incompletion. Paye has some quickness, but he gives up on plays too easily. That happened in practice and in the game. He needs to play with more tenacity. I did not hear about any injuries to him, but for whatever reason, I did not see him in the second half of the game.
Hit the jump for my thoughts on Cesar Ruiz, Luiji Vilain, and more.

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1Jan 2017
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2017 Under Armour All-American Game Preview

Cesar Ruiz

The 2017 Under Armour All-American Game will be played on January 1, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. The broadcast will be on ESPN. Here’s a list of Michigan players who have been UA All-Americans over the years (LINK). Here are the players on this year’s respective rosters who have been offered by Michigan:

TEAM ARMOUR

QB Kasim Hill (Maryland)
RB Todd Sibley (Pitt)
WR Daquon Green (Florida)
WR Tee Higgins (Clemson)
WR Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)
WR Amari Rodgers (Clemson)
WR Jacoby Stevens (LSU)
WR Jeff Thomas
TE Josh Falo
OL Jack Anderson (Texas Tech)
OL Matt Bockhorst (Clemson)
OL Kai-Leon Herbert (Michigan)*
OL Alex Leatherwood (Alabama)
OL Tyrese Robinson (Oklahoma)
OL C.J. Thorpe (Penn State)
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC)
OL Isaiah Wilson (Georgia)
DE K’Lavon Chaisson
DE D.J. Johnson (Miami)
DE Ryan Johnson
DE Luiji Vilain (Michigan)
DT Akial Byers (Alabama)
DT Greg Rogers (UCLA)
DT Marvin Wilson
LB David Adams (Notre Dame)
LB Maleik Gray (Tennessee)
LB Anthony Hines III (Texas A&M)
LB Dylan Moses (Alabama)
CB Christopher Henderson (Miami)
CB Jaylon Redd (Oregon)
CB A.J. Terrell (Clemson)
CB Kary Vincent (LSU)
CB Lamont Wade (Penn State)
CB Marcus Williamson (Ohio State)
S Grant Delpit (LSU)
S Paris Ford (Pitt)
S Todd Harris
S Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Michigan)
S Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State)

TEAM HIGHLIGHT

RB Toneil Carter (Texas)
RB Anthony McFarland
WR Jhamon Ausbon (Texas A&M)
WR A.J. Davis
WR Trevon Grimes (Ohio State)
WR Hezekiah Jones (Texas A&M)
WR Tylan Wallace
TE Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
OL Calvin Ashley (Auburn)
OL Austin Deculus (LSU)
OL Robert Hainsey (Notre Dame)
OL Grant Polley (Colorado)
OL Cesar Ruiz (Michigan)
OL Trey Smith (Tennessee)
OL Jedrick Wills (Alabama)
DE Robert Beal (Georgia)
DE Joshua Kaindoh (Florida State)
DE Kwity Paye (Michigan)
DT LaBryan Ray
LB Chris Allen (Alabama)
LB Ellis Brooks
LB Breon Dixon
LB Drew Singleton (Michigan)*
CB Justin Broiles (Oklahoma State)
CB Chevin Calloway
CB Deangelo Gibbs
CB Will Poole (Georgia)
CB Stanford Samuels (Florida State)
CB Jamyest Williams (South Carolina)
S C.J. Avery
S Markquese Bell
S Isaiah Pola-Mao
S Daniel Wright (Alabama)

*Not playing due to injury

Hit the jump for more on announcements, Michigan storylines, etc.

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4Jan 2016
Blog, homepage 6 comments

Recruiting Update: January 4, 2016

Michigan RB Kareem Walker (#6)

THOUGHTS ON UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICA GAME
Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive lineman Ben Bredeson played right tackle, even though he said he would begin his Michigan career at left guard. Bredeson was mentioned throughout the week as one of the more impressive linemen during practices, and he did a good job for Team Highlight, who won the game in a 27-0 blowout. Team Highlight had the more impressive running game, and they protected the quarterback better than team Armour. Bredeson was able to get to the second level, and he did not look out of place among the nation’s elite players. I think this week was confirmation of his ranking.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. didn’t get quite the same hype as Bredeson throughout the week, but he was mentioned multiple times for his physicality. I didn’t count snaps, but Bush did not seem to play as much as some other guys. That’s probably a fair allotment of playing time. I think Bush is a good linebacker prospect, but he’s not the type of athlete who outshines a lot of people at these types of events. He’s a guy who needs to get in the weight room and learn a system before he can really be effective, in my opinion.

Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker had a bit of a rough week. Rivals’s Mike Farrell didn’t really mince words when he said that Walker did not look like the #1 running back or the #41 prospect in the country, which…like…duh. I’m not sure how he got that ranking in the first place. That being said, Walker earned the start for the Armour team that included Miles Sanders (Penn State), so he must have done a few things right. One criticism as a senior was Walker’s indecision, and I saw more of that when he got the ball in space, as opposed to when he was running up the middle. It’s tough to gauge players in this type of situation, especially running backs behind a porous offensive line. However, I think I saw confirmation of what I have said previously, that Walker’s not the best back in the class. Sanders is more explosive, Devway Whaley (Arkansas) is more powerful, and B.J. Emmons (Alabama) is more elusive. I still think Walker is a welcome addition to a class and a team that needs help at the running back position.

Hit the jump for several players who committed elsewhere and some random tidbits.

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