LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The first practice for the 2023 edition of the Under Armor All-America Game wasn’t really a practice. Sure, there were some worlds of position on ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, but most of Friday night’s two-hour session served as an acclimatization period, as both teams attempted to install a few plays before surrendering to a skill challenge. With no 1v1 or 7v7 and limited full-speed 11v11 action, we decided not to make traditional top performers. Instead, here are a dozen or so prospects who have impressed in one way or another.
TE Duce Robinson – Many eyes were on Robinson, who received a fifth star from 247Sports earlier this month. And after Friday night, we feel even better to have him in our top 32. The 6-foot-6 Robinson moved well on broadcasts, catching pretty much anything that came his way. He then caused a stir when he won the Jump Ball challenge as he was able to adjust on the catch point and score multiple touchdowns. Robinson has completed official visits to Georgia, Alabama, Texas and USC. He is considering looking at Oregon in the coming weeks after failing to sign early.
DB Joel Aguero (Georgia signer) – Aguero was the defender that Robinson challenged with Robinson in the final of the “Jump Ball” Challenge. While Robinson might have gone home with a trophy, Aguero showed he could hold his own against a much bigger player and was actually able to knock Robinson wide with two reps, which was quite impressive. Aguero was also supple on footwork drills and appeared to break on the ball much quicker than his peers. Coming onto the field as a true rookie in Athens won’t be easy, but Aguero looks like someone who could be pushing for some sort of snaps in the first year.
DL Beet Bain (Miami signer), DL John Walker (UCF) and DL Will Norman (Florida signee) – Team Speed put it on solidly for 10 minutes, and it was the defensive line that made it extremely difficult on offense. Bain was probably the most productive of the group as he would have been credited with a sack and a pass breakup, but Walker and Norman also made their mark down the middle and probably would have had a sack of their own had it been a full contact scrimmage. All three defenders did a good job shooting from their stance and getting down to business. We’ll see on Saturday if this continues.
QB JacksonArnold (Oklahoma signer) and QB Jaden Rashada (Signee from Florida) – It’s been a while since a quarterback showed up to Under Armor’s first All-America practice and immediately raised some eyebrows, but that’s exactly what both Arnold and Rashada did. The two 247Sports five-stars were confident and accurate. Now there were a few misfires as the balls started flying during the 11v11 game, but this was an overall encouraging start for two signal callers who could very well be called in 2023. Arnold probably had the better night of the two, but Rashada didn’t seem too far behind.
DL Adepoju Adebawore (Oklahoma signer) – Adebawore would have been on the all-lobby team Thursday, but he missed check-in. That’s fine, because it wasn’t long before everyone on the sidelines was asking, “Whose is that?” Adebawore, with its 85-inch wingspan and crazy test numbers, has all the attributes but what was probably the most encouraging thing about Friday night’s outing , was how much more comfortable and in control he looked during pocket practice than he did back in June at UA’s Future 50 event. Adebawore still has a long way to go, but he has one of the highest ceilings of all in Orlando this week.
WR Makai Lemon (USC signee) – Zero 1-on-1s weren’t ideal for wide receivers, but Lemon still found a way to make a mark by winning the Hands Competition. On the final lap, Lemon caught all six 45-mile passes fired at him from point-blank range from the new Monarch machine. Lemon also received rave reviews from some of the coaches who worked on the game. They noted that he did an excellent job of breaking in and out of his breaks while attacking all different levels of the field. Lemon has noted in the past that he could play some defense for the Trojans, but he now claims he’s all about going on offense on Saturdays.
TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas signee) – Hasz was another pass catcher who thrived during the Hands Competition. Now let’s be clear. He won’t blow anyone away with his height/weight combination, as his 6-foot-3,245-pound roster seems pretty generous, but he’s a natural when it comes to plucking the pigskin out of the air, and should be able to offer a lot of value in the SEC as an H-back that can be moved around before the snap hoping to create the right discrepancy. Kentucky’s signee Khamauir Anderson appears to be in similar shape, lacking length, but he too has what it takes to move the chains in key situations.
More clues from Friday
– Signatory of the FSU Offensive Line Luke Simmons is definitely the biggest player present. That was clear after the two teams huddled together. LSU signer belongs to Zalance is another monster. The same could be said of the Alabama signatories Miles McVay and Olaus Alien. It was difficult to analyze the various offensive line combinations for both sides, but there should be some clarity on possible starting fives on Saturday.
– Unsigned freak Nyckole’s Harbour was with the narrow ends and wide receivers. He started strong but slacked off a bit on the track. Harbor (unsurprisingly) just moves differently than others his size, but he needs to learn the nuances of actually playing offense at a high level and put himself in a position to make plays. Can he consistently create a split against Power Five defenders? We’ll know on Saturday.
– There was no actual tackle, but Alabama signed Richard Young flashed on a counterattack as he edged a defender and probably would have sparked a big game had the rules been different.
–Rohan Davy was a late addition for NC State. He has tweener measures but made a pass when Team Phantom was 11-on-11.
-Oregon wide receiver signers Ashton Cozart caught a long pass from Arnold. Ohio State wide receiver signer Noah Rogers also made a number of difficult catches look relatively easy.
247Sports’ Greg Biggins, Brian Dohn, Allen Trieu, Bud Elliott, Mike Roach, Seam Bock and Gaby Urrutia all contributed to this report.