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College Football

Under Armour All-America practice report: SEC commits shine on first day

Drew Laing

By Drew Laing

Published:

ORLANDO, FLA. — Practices for this year’s Under Armour All-America game commenced Monday morning as several of the country’s top football prospects converged on ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Disney to prepare for Friday’s game.

Day one of practice is in the books and here’s what stood out to me among the SEC targets.

OFFENSE

QB Kyler Murray (Texas A&M) — The current Aggies commit was impressive in drills Monday morning. Out of all the quarterbacks I watched, he was easily the most consistent. His accuracy was spot-on, sometimes fitting in passes between multiple defenders. On one pass, he hit his receiver in stride in the midst of multiple defenders. One concern with Murray will be his height, however. He’s listed at 5-foot-11, but in person he looks even shorter. With the size of the defensive linemen in this All-American game, it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts throughout the week.

QB Blake Barnett (Alabama) — In practice drills, Blake Barnett certainly looked the part of a top quarterback prospect. With ideal height and a strong arm, he made more than his fair share of plays throughout the first day of practice.

WR Terry Godwin (Georgia) — The nation’s No. 1 athlete showed some crisp route running ability on Monday, proving he’s more than just another speedy athlete. Godwin is a current Georgia commit and is expected to play recover for the ‘Dawgs, despite having a choice between playing offense or defense at UGA. He’s looking forward to going up against defensive back Iman Marshall this week, who picked off a pass headed for Godwin near the end of the day.

WR Daylon Charlot (Alabama) — The Crimson Tide commit saw several reps at punt returner late in practice. Expect to see him being used in special teams at some point on Friday.

WR Christian Kirk (Texas A&M) — Kirk showed up in 1-on-1 drills, beating an opposing defensive back for a touchdown. Aggies fans should also be encouraged as commits Kyler Murray and Christian Kirk seemed to develop a bit of a rapport during drills today. He also some time at punt returner in practice.

OL Tyler Jordan (Florida) — Jordan is the lone Gators commit at the Under Armour All-American game this year. He was informed shortly before practice that he would be playing center this week after initially expecting to be a guard. In high school Jordan played tackle, but a move to center is expected for the three-star recruit when he arrives at Florida. He struggled some at the new position, snapping several balls off line, but as he gets more comfortable with the new position throughout the week, I expect him to improve greatly.

OL Drew Richmond (Ole Miss) — Richmond may have had the toughest job of any player today in practice. Tasked with stopping the likes of Byron Cowart, Arden Key and other elite pass rushers in 1-on-1 drills, Richmond more than held his own. Cowart did beat him a few times throughout the morning, but overall is was an impressive showing from the Memphis, Tenn., native.

DEFENSE

DE Byron Cowart (uncommitted) — What is there to say about Cowart other than he was easily the most impressive prospect on Day 1. Largely unblockable for the day, Cowart made his presence felt in several of the practice drills. Although pass rushers aren’t able to actually tackle the quarterback, he would have racked up multiple sacks today if allowed to do so. Several times, Cowart was able to beat the offensive lineman and burst through into the backfield. Florida, Auburn and Florida State are his finalists and this guy can contribute immediately, no matter where he ends up playing.

DE Terry Beckner Jr. (uncommitted) — You want to talk about size? Well, this guy has it. He’s listed 6-foot-4, 293-pounds, but Beckner’s speed is what separates him from the rest of the pack. The push he got off the line against opposing offensive linemen was incredible and his skill set is perfect for the SEC.

DE Arden Key (South Carolina) — Tackling was Key’s best asset this morning as the South Carolina made several nice tackles throughout drills and also showed some flashes of ability on the pass rush, too.

LB Tevon Coney (Notre Dame) — Coney is a very athletic linebacker who displayed elite coverage skills for the position. In coverage drills, Coney’s back-to-back pass breakups stood out as some of his best plays of the day. Although he’s committed to ND as of now, he announced recently he would be taking a visit to Florida in January.

DB Kendall Sheffield (uncommitted) — Sheffield won’t make his college decision until Friday during the UA game, but whichever school he chooses will be getting a good one. However, he did get beat by FSU wide receiver commit George Campbell, who made a highlight reel grab over the five-star prospect in 1-on-1 drills.

Other Notes

  • Team Highlight’s defensive line is going to be a monster unit on Friday. This is a line that features two top defensive end prospects in Byron Cowart and Terry Beckner Jr, both of whom dominated in the first day of practice. Add in other players like Arden Key and Jonathan Ledbetter and it’s almost unfair. There’s no blitzing in the UA game, so we’ll see a lot of defensive linemen highlighted on Friday in their pass rush.
  • Three-star wide receiver Brandon Martin was a surprise on Day 1. Although he’s yet to receive an SEC offer, the three-star recruit certainly looked like he belonged out t here. At 6-foot-3, Martin has the size and athleticism to compete with any defensive back out on the field. He made a leaping catch over Ohio State commit Eric Glover-Williams, which wowed many spectators. I expect him to make a few highlight reel plays on Friday and to catch the attention of some bigger schools.
  • As far as non-SEC players go, wide receiver George Campbell is about as good as it gets. Whether he’s running a route or streaking down the field, everything just looks flawless and effortless from the FSU commit. He’s a future star in the college football ranks.

Through the lens

Here’s some photos and videos taken from around practice on Monday.

Drew Laing

Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.

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