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.
