Under Armour All-America Day 2: Ranking the Quarterbacks

ORLANDO, Fla. — The first two days of practice for the Under Armour All-America Game are in the books. 85 of the nation’s top football prospects from the 2024 recruiting cycle were at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports on Sunday. On3 was on hand to take in the action. 

Practices will run until Monday. The game will be played at Camping World Stadium on January 3.

Full 2024 Under Armour All-America Game Roster | Day 1 Eye-Catchers | Day 2 Top Performers

The roster is divided into two teams – Team Fire and Team Ice. Both teams had simultaneous practices on adjacent fields, and following a slower first practice on Saturday, practice No. 2 was filled with much more action.

Two blue-chip quarterbacks are on hand in Orlando along with three more Power 5 signees. Here’s On3’s ranking of the quarterbacks after the first full-speed practice of the week on Sunday.

1. DJ Lagway – Florida

DJ Lagway entered the week as the clear headliner among the quarterback group. Through two days he’s lived up to that billing as the top arm in Orlando. The Five-Star Plus+ prospect is very physically developed, checking in with an SEC ready build at 6-foot-2.5, 230 pounds. He looks to have the livest arm in attendance. The ball jumps out of his hand. Lagway is able to get the ball downfield when targeting vertical routes with ease. He had a number of impressive throws in 1-on-1’s on Sunday, putting the ball on the money while throwing to a talented wide receiver group for Team Fire. We later saw him rip off a long run during the 11-on-11 period of practice. With that said, there are areas for improvement. Lagway’s mechanics can be inconsistent at times, which leads to variance in accuracy and ball location. Still, the talent is apparent and we’ve liked the decisiveness he’s played with so far. – Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power

2. Ethan Grunkemeyer – Penn State

Ethan Grunkemeyer turned in a strong practice on Day 2, showing arm strength and a quick release. His natural throwing motion allows for the ball get up and out quickly. We saw Grunkemeyer whip the ball to all levels of the field on Sunday. We saw Grunkemeyer deliver some nice throws from the pocket as well as in 1-on-1’s. He can hold onto the ball for a hair too long at times, but still put forth a nice showing on Day 2. – National Scout Cody Bellaire

3. Michael Van Buren – Mississippi State

Michael Van Buren came out hot on Day 1. We saw him come out of the gates strong, throwing an absolute dot to Ohio State signee Mylan Graham during routes on air. On Day 2 we saw some fatigue set in as the ball looked to float on him at times. However, the Mississippi State signee was still accurate with strong timing and ball placement throughout Sunday’s practice. – Cody Bellaire

4. Cedrick Bailey Jr. – NC State

Cedrick Bailey Jr. immediately sticks out on the practice field. At 6-foot-6.5, he’s one of the tallest players in attendance. Through two practices, Bailey has flashed a strong arm. He’s able to put velocity on his passes and deliver vertical throws with relative ease. We saw some hesitation and lapses in decision-making when the speed of the game ratcheted up during the live periods on Sunday. Bailey often looked to tuck the ball and run rather than sitting back and going through his progressions. We’ll see if things slow down for him some on Monday. – Charles Power

5. Dante Reno – South Carolina

Dante Reno has thrown a very catchable ball through the first two practices. He has easy touch and is able to hit receivers in stride. We would like to see more synchronization in his mechanics as he can throw it off-balanced at times – especially when pressured. Reno will need to develop more arc and ability to layer his passes as his deep balls can be flat at times. in his deep balls. Overall, he looks to be most comfortable as a distributor in the the short and intermediate areas of the field. – Cody Bellaire