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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Under Armour Preview

December 27, 2016
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All-American Game week is here, or in the case of the 2016-17 calendar, weeks are here.

First up is the Under Armour All-America Football Game, which will be played at noon on New Year’s Day in Orlando.

Under Armour practice begins tomorrow, but players will be arriving all day today.

Irish Sports Daily will be on hand and providing updates throughout the week.

The game features five 2017 Notre Dame commits – quarterback Avery Davis, tight end Brock Wright, offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, linebacker David Adams and defensive back Paulson Adebo.

On Wednesday, we’ll be able to provide video highlights from the first practice. Video is restricted the rest of the week, but we’ll still be offering plenty of thoughts on how each of the future Irish players is performing.

ISD expert Jamie Uyeyama is especially interested in hearing how the commits stack up against some of the nation’s top competition, although it’s actually not always about producing.

“For Davis, and for just about every quarterback at these all-star games, it's about how he manages the huddle and how the other elite players in attendance react to him,” Uyeyama said. “Things like accuracy and timing are typically not on point with a new offense and new receivers to work with. But it's how those receivers and the rest of the offense react to him as a leader that will tell the tale.

“When you watch his film, he looks like he has the ‘it factor’ on the field. He'll make some plays with his legs throughout the week I'm sure. In a short week and getting to know new people, it will be interesting to learn how his teammates react to him. 

Wright will certainly have the opportunity to prove himself against some elite opposition.

“Wright hasn't done a lot of the offseason camps competing other national prospects so it should be interesting to see him test himself against some of the best,” Uyeyama said. “He's shown on film that he can be dominant as a run blocker. Is he capable of dominating defensive ends like Florida State commit Josh Kaindoh and Georgia commit Robert Beal at the point of attack? 

“He'll have his chances to go one-on-one in the passing game against some elite coverage linebackers as well. If he shows he can consistently catch contested balls, he may make the leap to a five-star prospect.” 

Uyeyama got to see Hainsey up close at The Opening in Oregon over the summer.

“He held his own, but this week will see him have to run block in team drills often,” said Uyeyama. “He still needs to add weight and get stronger, but I want to know how close he is to competing for a spot at Notre Dame. How he performs against a good group of interior lineman as a run blocker this week will give a better indication of how much time he'll need to get into the mix at the next level.” 

Adams will also have the chance to show he can handle the jump up in competition.

“Physically, it will be interesting to learn how Adams can compete when having to deal with the speed of skill guys on offense, especially in pass coverage,” said Uyeyama. “That will certainly something to keep an eye on, but I'm more interested to hear about how he communicates with his teammates on the field. 

“As one of the Mike linebackers for his team, he'll have to adjust to learning a new scheme with new terminology. Then he'll have to communicate in the huddle and pre-snap with players he is unfamiliar with. It's pretty well known that Adams has battled a stuttering problem and has overcome it to be a top linebacker prospect. This week will be a new challenge for him before he has to take on an even bigger challenge at Notre Dame.”

Adebo too will be testing himself against some of the best players he's ever faced.

"It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Adebo as a prospect, but he'll be stepping up against a higher level of athlete this week," Uyeyama said. "He has never had to play man coverage against someone like Alabama commit Jerry Jeudy. I can't remember anyone sticking with Jeudy in man at The Opening, so it will definitely be a big challenge for Adebo if they are lined up opposite one another. 

"The biggest thing with Adebo is how he'll match up against the range of different receivers that will be in attendance. Whether it is someone with explosive short-area quickness like Jeudy, a burner like Hezekiah Jones or tall giants like Trevon Grimes and Tee Higgins, Adebo will have to combat several different types of athletes. I think he'll do well going against size and if he shines against the faster receivers in attendance, then many more people will be taking notice of him."

We’ll have interviews all week with the players as well as thoughts from the Under Armour’s star-studded coaching staff. As we do at all major events, we’ll run a live blog each day with updates followed by full stories.

The week is capped with Sunday’s game, which will be aired live on ESPN at 1 p.m., but the highlight of the week could be Saturday’s Under Armour Future 50. Perhaps the top underclassman combine in the country, this year’s event will feature top Notre Dame 2019 quarterback target J.T. Daniels along with other elite 2018 Irish targets like tight end Mustapha Muhammad, wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Brian Hightower, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, defensive end Malik Vann, athlete Houston Griffith and many more top underclassmen from around the nation.

We’ll also have plenty of coverage from the U.S. Army All-American Bowl next week, but this week’s focus will be on Orlando.

Discussion from...

Under Armour Preview

13,199 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Irishinfl
irish4life
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I am more than interested to hear reports on the ND guys and how they stack up both here and the Army game.
Here is to hoping that their performance eliminates discussion about how ND only eats from the scraps/leftover tables after Urban, Harbaugh, Fisher and the likes feast on the main course.
gautrp
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Who are the two people in the picture?
jamie uyeyama
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Staff
gautrp said:

Who are the two people in the picture?
Brock Wright and Dillan Gibbons
Irishinfl
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Jamie, are you or Chris in town for this?
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