All-American Bowl: Day 2 Top Performers

SAN ANTONIO — Day two 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 second day of on-field practices kicked off. Each side had a practice in the morning before convening in the Alamodome for a high energy joint session. Several prospects continued to make their mark on Wednesday.

FULL All-American Bowl roster breakdown| Day 1 Top Performers

After an active Wednesday in San Antonio, On3 brings the top performers from the two-a-day practice.

East On3 MVP: WR Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State

After an extremely strong showing on Day 1, Jeremiah Smith picked up where he left off on Day 2. The Five-Star Plus+ pass catcher was dominant in the joint practice, toying with every corner he faced. Smith handily beat LSU signee Ju’Juan Johnson for a deep touchdown early on in 1-on-1’s. The Ohio State signee next proceeded to catch a bomb from Purdue quarterback signee Marcos Davila for a long touchdown early in the 7-on-7 period. He later took a quick-hitter and juked Michigan signee Jo’Ziah Edmond to pick up nice yardage after the catch. Smith’s skill level at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds is unique. The ability to change gears and break off defenders mid-route and with the ball in his hands is highly advanced. Through two days in San Antonio, the touted South Florida native has lived up to the hype.

West On3 MVP: WR Gatlin Bair — Uncommitted

Gatlin Bair simply moves at a different level than everyone on the West team. He had several highlight plays over the course of the day. Bair got going in the morning session with a win on a deep ball in 1-on-1’s where he slowed down for an under-thrown pass, adjusted, hung in the air and made the catch. He later a fantastic diving, toe-tapping grab on a blaze-out route in 1-on-1’s that most receivers would not be able to catch. He elevated, drug his foot as he was falling out of bounds. Bair later got deep for a TD in 1-on-1s. During the joint practice, he beat uncommitted safety Trajen Greco for a deep score. Bair really eats up grass and plays up to his elite (10.2 second 100 meter) track speed. He’s shown encouraging ball skills and overall functional movement skills. This is not a track athlete trying to play football. This is a football player who happens to be an elite athlete. The one-time Boise State pledge is trending to Michigan per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Top East performers

2. WR Jordan Shipp – North Carolina

Jordan Shipp was a late arrival at the All-American Bowl, but wasted no time making his presence felt on Wednesday. Shipp had multiple touchdowns during the joint practice. The North Carolina signee flashed strong hands and consistently won at the catch point. He also showed encouraging movement skills. Shipp got deep for a long touchdown in 7-on-7. During 11-on-11 he beat USC signee Marcelles Williams over the middle for a touchdown. The Charlotte native capped off his day with a contested catch touchdown. This was our first extended look at Shipp and he certainly looked the part of an On300 receiver prospect.

3. IOL Cooper Cousins – Penn State

Through two days, Cooper Cousins has looked like the top interior offensive lineman at All-American Bowl practices. He continued to look strong throughout Day 2, winning the majority of his reps. The Penn State signee is a bull on the interior. At 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, Cousins is a mountain of a center. He carries his weight very well and is an easy mover. Cousins has flashed good hand placement to go with his advanced physical traits. Once he latches onto a defensive lineman, the rep is typically over. The readymade size also allows for unique positional versatility. It’s not inconceivable to see him playing multiple spots along the offensive front in State College. The future Nittany Lion looks like one of the more ready-to-play offensive linemen in San Antonio.

4. EDGE Bryce Young – Notre Dame

Bryce Young continued to flash an intriguing skill set on the edge for the East squad at the All-American Bowl. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Young has a big frame that still has room to fill out. During a slower-paced morning session, he caught our eye with his presence off the edge. The Charlotte native had several nice reps during the afternoon practice, showing a good first step and active hands. There’s still areas for Young to improve technically, but he had a very nice showing on Wednesday.

5. CB Zay Mincey – Uncommitted

Zay Mincey looks to be the most physically gifted cornerback on hand at the All-American Bowl. At 6-foot-1.5, 185 pounds with elite length, Mincey has a prototypical build for a boundary corner. We liked what we saw from the Daytona (Fla.) Mainland product in Wednesday morning’s practice, as he showed very good movement skills for a defensive back of his size. Cornerback tends to be a traits position and there might not be a corner with better pure physical tools in San Antonio.

Top West performers

2. EDGE Noah Carter – Washington

No player was more active on the West’s defensive front than Noah Carter. The Arizona native was all over the field at the West’s morning practice inside the Alamodome. He had an emphatic win in 1-on-1’s over Michigan offensive tackle signee Andrew Sprague. During the team period in the morning, Carter made a ton of plays, stalking down ball-carriers in pursuit. During the joint practice he had a 1-on-1 win over five-star offensive tackle and South Carolina signee Josiah Thompson. Carter’s twitchy athleticism and overall coordination proved to be a significant mismatch for offensive tackles on both sides on Wednesday.

3. S Aaron Flowers – Oregon

Aaron Flowers showed the most diverse skill set among a strong group of safeties on the West team. The Oregon signee made plays in every setting of practice. He was good in 1-on-1’s, forcing multiple pass breakups. The Texas native was even better during the team period, triggering quickly and running down several plays. The instincts in coverage were apparent during the joint practice, when Flowers forced a pass breakup in 7-on-7. Flowers is an extremely well-rounded safety who has perhaps the most readymade build at the position among players at the All-American Bowl, having added good weight to tip the scales at around 6-foot, 200 pounds.

4. LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – Notre Dame

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was the clear standout at linebacker on the West squad throughout the day. The future Irish linebacker was outstanding in 11-on-11 during the morning session. He wasted zero time making multiple plays behind the line of scrimmage. His high-level instincts were on display. Viliamu-Asa sees the game very quickly and just knows how to play. The high level instincts and processing allow for him to play fast. All-star practices are not an ideal setting for evaluating linebackers and it’s difficult for players at the position to stand out. The fact Viliamu-Asa did so in such a demonstrative way is certainly a feather in his cap.

5. DL Justin Scott – Miami

Justin Scott had the strongest day of any defensive lineman we saw on either team. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder is an outstanding mover at his size – and it showed during both practices. Scott did what he wanted in 1-on-1’s during the morning session. He got a push on every rep and won a handful in emphatic fashion. The combination of quickness and functional strength make him a tough matchup along the interior. We even saw Scott kick out to defensive end during the 11-on-11 period, showing his unique movement skills could hold up on the edge as well.

Additional notes

+ A bevy of players had their moments in Wednesday’s practice. We will touch on many here, but failure to mention does not mean a player did not have noteworthy performance.

+ At quarterback, Texas signee Trey Owens had the most splash plays through the air that we caught. Owens turned in another good day as a passer, after throwing it well in a downpour on Tuesday. He was not shy in pushing the ball downfield and connected on several deep passes. Owens is certainly a true drop back passer and showed the ability to sit back and go through his progressions when kept clean. The highlight of his joint practice came on a pass to a wide open Nate Frazier down the seam for an easy score. Auburn signee Walker White also led a touchdown drive during the joint practice. He spun the ball better on Wednesday while inside the dome and showed good mobility against the pass rush.

+ All of the running backs on hand pass the eye test. There are several well-built ball carriers at the All-American Bowl. Georgia signee Nate Frazier made the most plays in the joint practice 11-on-11 period, taking a carry to the outside and beating defenders to the corner for a 1-yard touchdown run. He later leaked out of the backfield for a long touchdown catch down the seam. Ohio State signee James Peoples also showed nice burst during the joint practice.

+ At wide receiver for the East, Clemson signee TJ Moore continues to show a technical skill level that is only rivaled by Jeremiah Smith. Moore didn’t see a ton of targets during the joint practice, but it’s apparent that his showing on Tuesday was no fluke. LSU wide receiver signee Kylan Billiot continues to show his bouncy athleticism as a ‘stock up’ prospect.

+ For the West, Missouri signee Courtney Crutchfield and Texas signee Ryan Wingo both had moments in 1-on-1’s. Crutchfield has significant wiggle and found ways to get open. The pass-catching can be inconsistent at times, but he made plays. Wingo flashed his elite speed on a few occasions, getting deep for long gains.

+ All three tight ends – Penn State signee Luke Reynolds, Nebraska signee Carter Nelson and Clemson signee Christian Bentancur had good days. Reynolds got loose on a catch over the middle for a walk-in touchdown during the joint practice. Nelson and Bentancur both looked good during 1-on-1’s.

+ The offensive line struggled at times during Wednesday at the All-American Bowl. South Carolina five-star offensive tackle signee Josiah Thompson locked horns with Miami EDGE signee Marquise Lightfoot on a few occasions during the joint practice. Thompson won a rep during 1-on-1’s flashing his light feet and advanced pass set. Lightfoot got the better of Thompson during the 11-on-11 period, using a quick first step to create pressure. Wisconsin signee Kevin Heywood, Michigan signee Andrew Sprague, LSU signee Coen Echols and Tennessee signee Bennett Warren also had some nice moments.

+ Several EDGE prospects generated pressure on Wednesday. Kansas signee Deshawn Warner made multiple plays behind the line during the joint practice, using first-step quickness and a long arm move to get into the backfield. USC EDGE signee Kameryn Fountain had an emphatic win in 1-on-1’s and Marquise Lightfoot was active, as noted above.

+ On the defensive line, Arkansas signee Charleston Collins, Alabama signee Jeremiah Beaman and Florida signee LJ McCray all had their moments. Collins has surprising polish with his hands and has a deep bag of moves and counters. Beaman had multiple wins in 1-on-1’s. McCray flashed his talent and physical ability throughout practice.

+ Alabama signee Peyton Woodyard and Minnesota signee Koi Perich had good days at safety for the West squad. Woodyard took a ton of 1-on-1 reps in the morning session and won the vast majority. His polish in coverage was apparent, as he was able to stick with the tight ends and many of the receivers on hand. Perich showed very nice makeup speed and was active during the 11-on-11 periods, finding himself around the football.

+ Through two days at the All-American Bowl, Michigan signee Jo’Ziah Edmond has been the top cornerback on the West team. Edmond won every 1-on-1 rep we saw during the morning session. He pairs good size with functional movement ability and ball skills. Alabama signee Zabien Brown also had a solid day in coverage.