Some of the best recruits in the nation speak about their college choices at the all-star event.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Under Armour All-America Game week is underway from Orlando as the top recruits from all over the country begin to check in. The game is being played on January 3 at 6 ET on ESPN 2.
The game has had a ton of stars in previous years who have gone on to be elite NFL players.
Over its 11-year history, the Under Armour All-America Game has produced many of football’s best collegiate and professional players. NFL Pro Bowlers like Julio Jones and A.J. Green competed in the inaugural game, while No. 1 overall NFL Draft selections like Jadeveon Clowney (2011), Jameis Winston (2012) and Myles Garrett (2014) are among the players that participated in later years. In total, 180 alumni of the Under Armour All-America Game have been selected in the NFL Draft, including 47 first-round draft picks and 21 NFL Pro Bowlers. The coaching staffs are headlined by former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
My updates with the top recruits are as follows.
12 PM: Arjei Henderson focused on five
Four-star receiver commitment Arjei Henderson, of Houston, has been hearing from many schools recently since his decommitment from Oklahoma. But he has narrowed his list down to five: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Penn State, and LSU.
He will take four official visits in January, and knows he’ll be visiting FSU on the 25th. He was previously committed to Oregon when Willie Taggart was the head coach.
Trust kept Isaiah Williams in the fold for Illinois
I spoke with Illinois signee Isaiah Williams, of St. Louis (Mo). He said that other schools including Louisville came at him down the stretch, but his relationship with Illinois, and the Illini’s long-term commitment to him playing QB, as opposed to athlete, was important to him.
Noah Cain knew it was Penn State two weeks before Signing, but Georgia made a serious push
Penn State running back signee Noah Cain, of IMG Academy said that he knew his choice would be Penn State for sure about two weeks before signing, but that Georgia made a big time run due to the playing time with current RB Elijah Holyfield potentially leaving for the NFL Draft.
In the end, Holyfield had not made a decision by Early Signing Period. While Cain’s mom liked Texas a lot, her concerns about distance were ultimately assuaged by the confidence that Penn State would be the best long-term decision. Cain’s mom made a visit to Happy Valley over the summer, which had a big impact, he said.
Fellow Penn State RB signee Devyn Ford said he knew it would be Penn State “for a while.”
11 AM: Theo Wease believes Oklahoma will sign the best receiver class ever
I chatted with Oklahoma five-star receiver signee Theo Wease about his role as the lead recruiter for the Sooners’ class. OU doesn’t have many remaining targets, but the one being focused in on is Jadon Haselwood, the five-star receiver from Allen (Texas).
“We’ll have the best receiver recruit class ever,” Wease said. He is very confident the Sooners will close the deal to land Haselwood. In addition to Wease and Haselwood, the Sooners have Trejan Bridges and tight end Austin Stogner.
10 AM: Only 22 of the 110 participants are unsigned
A majority of the top recruits are taking advantage of the Early Signing Period. There doesn’t seem to be any material trend change compared to what we saw in Year 1 of the ESP.
And a few players may have already signed and asked their schools to keep it quiet in anticipation of announcing on National TV.
Some of the top unsigned players we’ll be speaking with include five-stars like Georgia receiver Jadon Haselwood, West Virginia OT Darnell Wright, Louisiana defensive tackle Ishmael Sophser, and Florida cornerback Akeem Dent.
Tennessee is the perceived leader for Wright. Oklahoma has a great chance to sign Haselwood. Alabama and LSU are fighting for Sophser. And FSU will try to hold on to the commitment of Dent.