All-American Bowl: Day 1 Top Performers

SAN ANTONIO — Day one of All-American Bowl practices is in the books. Many of the nation’s top signed and unsigned prospects have gathered in San Antonio ahead of the 2024 All-American Bowl, set to be played on January 6 at the Alamodome. Event organizers have split up numerous high school all-stars into two teams: East and West.

On3 was on-site as the first day of on-field practices kicked off. Several prospects showed out on Tuesday.

FULL All-American Bowl roster breakdown

East On3 MVP: WR Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State

Jeremiah Smith entered the week as the top-rated prospect on hand and lived up to that lofty billing on Tuesday. The No. 2 overall prospect put on an elite route-running display. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Smith has a highly polished release package. He’s a highly coordinated mover and effortlessly stacked overwhelmed corners off of the line of scrimmage. Smith showed very good deep ball tracking skills, catching every target we saw thrown his way. The ability to drop his weight and change directions mid-route – at his size – is as good as you’ll see. We didn’t see Smith face off against a true blue-chip corner on the day, but the fact he won so easily and added a touchdown in 7-on-7 was more than enough to cement On3 MVP status for the East. – Charles Power

West On3 MVP: QB Trey Owens — Texas

Team West was the first team to battle the conditions at All-American practice as they started their week in 40°, rainy weather. Obviously, these are not ideal conditions for an offense, but it did not affect Trey Owens. He was sharp from beginning to end. He was able to manipulate the football in the pouring rain and put receivers in the best position to make plays. He was constantly under duress and forced to make plays outside the pocket during team period and was able to move the chains consistently even with a soaking-wet football. He delivered a strike down the middle of the field to NC State signee Terrell Anderson during team period that drew audible “oohs and ahhs” from the sideline and was able to complete more passes than the two other quarterbacks on Team West combined. In a miserable setting, Owens showed up and shined. It was without a doubt the most impressive performance on Team West during the first day of practice. – Cody Bellaire

Top East performers

2. WR TJ Moore — Clemson

TJ Moore displayed spectacular ball skills during the East’s practice on Monday. The Clemson signee is highly technical and flashed the best high-point ability on hand. Moore consistently caught the ball with his fingertips and arms extended. Seemingly every catch was of the highlight variety. In routes-on-air, Moore had Alamodome workers audibly gasping with a one-handed grab. That transferred over to 1-on-1s where he won nearly every rep. In addition to the advanced ball skills, we saw some very nice routes. Moore beat top 100 corner Jamari Howard on several reps, shaking the Florida State signee to the ground on one occasion. The position-specific skill set Moore put on display was among the best we’ve seen at either all-star game this week. – Charles Power

3. OT Josiah Thompson — South Carolina

Josiah Thompson entered the All-American Bowl as the top-ranked offensive lineman on hand and looked the part on Tuesday. The South Carolina pledge has leaned out to around 6-foot-6.5, 265 pounds, but showed surprising core strength and anchor in 1-on-1s. Thompson locked horns with five-star Florida defensive line signee LJ McCray on numerous occasions and got the edge in the best-on-best matchup. In addition to the play strength, Thompson showed a light-footed, coordinated pass set – something we rarely see from offensive tackles in this setting. There’s no doubt he’ll need time to fill out, but the Dillon (S.C.) High product played to his top-10 ranking on Tuesday. – Charles Power

4. Safety Trajen Greco — Not Committed

We didn’t see a pass completed on Trajen Greco all day. The Atlanta area native flashed outstanding functional movement skills and coverage instincts in 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 periods. Greco has corner cover skills as a safety to go with advanced ball skills and spatial awareness. It’s easy to see why he’s been so productive as a wide receiver, corner and safety, along with being a region player of the year in basketball. The uncommitted prospect is simply a natural, savvy athlete. Greco is set to announce his college decision on Saturday, with Missouri trending per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. – Charles Power

5. Safety KJ Bolden — Georgia

No defensive back on the East team looked more athletic or twitchy than KJ Bolden. The Five-Star Plus+ prospect made a number of nice plays in coverage from his safety spot over the course of the first day at the All-American Bowl. Bolden closed quickly, getting his hands on multiple pass attempts. Even when he did give up a pass here or there, he found himself in good position. The Georgia signee’s range and athleticism were readily apparent on Tuesday.

Top West performers

2. WR Terrell Anderson — NC State

During a downpour, it should be expected for receivers to have a tough time catching the football consistently. But for Terrell Anderson, it was a non-issue. Anderson showed his natural ball tracking during the routes-on-air portion of practice. Then he followed that with some dominant 1-on-1 reps where he created space and worked himself open on nearly every route even though the passes may have not been on target. But during the team period he showed just how dominant he could be at the catch point. He caught a pass over the middle of the field from Texas signee Trey Owens in an extremely heavy rain. And then he came down with a contested catch on the following drive. He showed tremendous poise and consistency in heinous conditions where other receivers struggled to function. Anderson put on a show and will look to continue showing out for the remainder of the week. – Cody Bellaire

3. Safety Aaron Flowers — Oregon

Aaron Flowers was flying around all over the field during day 1 of All-American practice. Flowers is such a versatile weapon and he was dominant in all phases during Tuesday’s practice. When lining up as a corner during the 1-on-1 period, Flowers showed tremendous hip fluidity and change of direction. He was constantly in phase and making plays on the football. During the team period he was asked to play corner and as a safety. Against the run, he was triggering to the football quickly and making his presence felt in the box. At corner, he was able to show off his ball skills making multiple plays on the football and batting down passes. He was the most complete defender for Team West during day 1 of practice. – Cody Bellaire

4. LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — Notre Dame

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was a menace between the tackles during Day 1 of All-American practice. Viliamu-Asa was flying all over the field and triggering to the football so quickly during the 9-on-7 and team periods of practice. His ability to beat offensive linemen to their spot and blow up plays before they even get going is special. He was extremely physical and was borderline violent even without pads on. He showed some flashes in coverage as well especially during the team period. He broke up a pass over the middle of the field and made his presence felt in the box. He showed he’s as advertised against the run and showed glimpses of being a factor in the passing game as well. Excited to see how he plays in space throughout the week of All-American practices. – Cody Bellaire

5. DL Charleston Collins — Arkansas

Charleston Collins is obviously very impressive from a physical standpoint. He has the size and length to be a factor across the entire line of scrimmage. During Tuesday’s practice, he was unbelievable in bag drills. His ankle flexion and bend was the best among all of the defensive linemen for Team West. This translated to the competition periods where Collins was constantly living in the backfield and applying pressure to quarterbacks. He showed that he could be stout against the run as well by setting the edge with power at the point of attack throughout the afternoon. Very excited to see how he performs when we put the pads on in the following practices. – Cody Bellaire

Team East Additional Notes

+ There may not be a prospect who did more for their respective rankings stock on the East than LSU wide receiver signee Kylan Billiot. The 6-foot-2.5, 190-pounder had a great day and was the third-best receiver on the East team. Billiot was able to get behind touted defensive back Zay Mincey on multiple reps, flashing his patented bouncy athleticism. What’s most encouraging was the Louisiana native’s ball skills – he showed improved tracking ability and caught the ball with good form. That’s a great sign for the basketball star turned receiver. 

+ After Josiah Thompson, Cooper Cousins was the next best offensive lineman for the East. The Penn State signee won the majority of his 1-on-1 reps. Cousins is a very well-built 6-foot-6, 320 pounds and has a very effective punch and anchor. He also moves well at his size. We saw him work at center and he snapped well throughout the day. Other notables on the East offensive line were Ole Miss signee William Echoles and Wisconsin signee Kevin Heywood. Echoles won every rep he took but one that we saw and was strong at the point of attack. Heywood flashed nice play strength as a taller tackle.

+ LJ McCray didn’t back down from the competition and had some very nice moments throughout the day. The Florida signee beat Georgia signee Nyier Daniels with a rip move before locking horns with Josiah Thompson on several reps. 

+ Alabama signee Jeremiah Beaman, Notre Dame signee Bryce Young and Ohio State signee Eddrick Houston all had their moments on the defensive line for the East. Houston had one of the highlight plays in 1-on-1s as he walked Nyier Daniels into the backfield before putting the 390-pound lineman on his back.

+ Auburn signee Amaris Williams looks to have more of an EDGE skill set at around 6-foot-2, 255 pounds. Williams was his best when he could use first-step quickness to beat offensive tackles off the line of scrimmage. He wasn’t quite as good at the point of attack. 

+ Miami wide receiver signee Ny Carr is not the biggest pass catcher, but showed very nice ball skills, catching passes much better than your typical 5-foot-11, 170-pounder. He showed plus tracking and high-point ability.

+ Ohio State running back signee James Peoples showed encouraging pass-catching ability out of the backfield for the East. It’s safe to say Peoples nor Notre Dame signee Kedren Young skip leg day. 

+ The East roster is more safety-heavy, but Marcellus Barnes probably had the best day among the corners. The uncommitted corner has plush movement skills and athleticism to go with good coverage polish. Though he lost a few 1-on-1 reps, Zay Mincey passes the eye test with a big frame and good length at 6-foot-1.5, 185 pounds. 

+ Penn State tight end signee Luke Reynolds was the lone tight end for the East and played well throughout the day. Reynolds is a fluid mover and has some shake within his routes. He also made a nice diving grab in 1-on-1s.

Team West Additional Notes

+ QBs – Walker White is built like a prototypical quarterback. He has such a great frame and looks ready to go from a physical standpoint right now for Auburn. Hauss Hejny had some flashes Tuesday afternoon. Outside the pocket, he was extremely effective and was dynamic in the run game.

+ RBs – Daniel Hill and Jason Brown both had their fair share of explosive plays during the competitive periods. They both showed great wiggle between the tackles and good vision throughout practice.

+ WRs – Courtney Crutchfield, Gatlin Bair, and Ryan Wingo all had their moments during select portions of practice. I expect them to make more plays as the weather clears up during the week.

+ TEs – Christian Bentancur and Carter Nelson were extremely active blockers during the team period. They didn’t get many chances to catch passes during competitive periods, but I expect them to get more looks throughout the week.

+ OL – Bennett Warren and Grant Brix stood out in a solid group for Team West. Warren has a game-ready frame right now and is a force in the run game. Brix has a terrific frame to fill out and moves with ease in pass protection.

+ DL – Interior defenders like Justin Scott and Xadavien Sims were effective in the competitive settings. They may not have stuffed the stat sheet, but they were disruptive throughout practice. Players who caused problems off the edge were Kameryn Fountain, Deshawn Warner, Marquise Lightfoot and Noah Carter. All of these defenders applied pressure through practice generating sacks and causing chaos for the offense.

+ LBs – Linebacker play was solid during the competitive periods of Tuesday’s practice. Brayden Platt and Faletau Satuala both looked comfortable between the hashes and found themselves around the football quite often during the team period.

+ DBs – Secondary play was great during the majority of Tuesday’s practice with a couple particular players standing out amongst the group. Koi Perich made a couple plays on the ball in the back half of the secondary. Jo’Ziah Edmond performed extremely well during the 1-on-1 period. And Marcelles Williams had excellent flashes during the competitive periods throughout Tuesday’s practice.