Under Armour All-America: Day 1 Eye-Catchers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Under Armour All-America Game practices kicked off on Saturday evening. 85 of the nation’s top football prospects from the 2024 recruiting cycle were at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports for the week’s first practice. 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

The roster is divided into two teams – Team Fire and Team Ice. Both teams had simultaneous practices on adjacent fields. Contact was limited and like last year, this first day primarily primarily consisted of individual drills and team walk throughs. There were not any full-speed 1-on-1 or 7-on-7 with a very brief 11-on-11 period. Even though the action was slow-paced, several prospects caught our eye at practice.

EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Dylan Stewart was an instant eye-catcher on Day 1 at Under Armour and put together a strong first practice. He looked all of a well-built 6-foot-5, 250 pounds with ideal weight distribution throughout his frame. His stature and readymade physique stood out among the Team Fire defensive line. Stewart impressed in position drills, showing coordination and loose movements, particularly notable for a prospect of his size. When Team Fire went to a brief 11-on-11 period to wrap up the quick practice, Stewart wasted no to time making a play. The Five-Star Plus+ defender beat the offensive tackle and darted into the backfield to make a play behind the line of scrimmage. Stewart looked like one of the most physically-gifted prospects in Orlando and those gifts manifested in the limited practice on Saturday. The South Carolina signee ranks as the No. 12 overall in the On300 rankings. – Charles Power

WR Perry Thompson, Auburn

There were few opportunities for wide receivers to make plays on Saturday, but Auburn signee Perry Thompson still found a way to stand out. For one, Thompson looks to be one of the most physically-imposing wide receivers on hand. The Foley (Ala.) High product is a physically-developed pass-catcher at around 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. Thompson was strong in drills, showing solid route-running ability and movement skills along with reliable hands on Day 1. He was one of the few receivers to make a play in the brief 11-on-11 period, using his size to box out a defensive back along with strong hands to finish through contact in coming down with a catch over the middle. Thompson ranks as the No. 55 overall prospect in the On300. – Charles Power

CB Jaylen Mbakwe, Alabama

Jaylen Mbakwe  won the Fastest Man Competition besting NC State signee Jonathan Paylor in the first heat and Ryan Williams in the final. On a cold and breezy night in Orlando, he showed some special explosiveness off the line to win with a time of 4.48 seconds. Mbakwe’s game is synonymous with athleticism, which on display on Saturday. The two-way athlete worked out at cornerback for Day 1 of Under Armour practice and looked comfortable in position drills. He was calm and confident in his backpedal and showed impressive change of direction and hip fluidity. We will see if that kind of athleticism translates to a more competitive setting throughout the week of practice, but when it came to moving around in space today? He was phenomenal. – National Scout Cody Bellaire

EDGE Jordan Ross, Tennessee

Jordan Ross paired with Dylan Stewart to give Team Fire a pair of imposing, twitchy pass rushers. The Tennessee signee looked like the twitchiest EDGE prospect on hand going through drills. Ross showed notable burst, exploding out of his stance. In addition to the explosive initial quickness, his smooth, loose movement patters and ankle flexion stood out. We saw the Alabama native make a play off the edge in 11-on-11 work, coming down with a would-be sack. Ross will need to continue filling out, but has the frame to add plenty of mass. He ranks as the No. 38 overall prospect in the On300. – Charles Power

S Xavier Filsaime, Texas

Xavier Filsaime stood out as one of most physically impressive defensive backs on Day 1 of Under Armour practice. His movement skills stood out in a major way in a solid group. Filsaime’s backpedal and ability to flip his hips are extremely smooth and efficient. He has little wasted movement and closes quickly to the football. The ball skills looked natural. He also triggered quickly when coming down into the box against the run. Filsaime had one of the more complete performances from the defensive side of the ball in what was a relatively quiet practice. – Cody Bellaire

OT Ellis Davis, Texas Tech

Ellis Davis moved at a different speed than the rest of the offensive linemen on Day 1 at Under Armour practices. At 6-foot-7 and a lean 275 pounds, he has a tall, developmental frame for the position. Davis is very light on his feet, bouncing around the field and carrying his weight quite well. While many of the other linemen tended to lumber in their movements, Davis was twitchy and coordinated. The rest of the week will ultimately tell the tale with these offensive linemen, as we saw little to no contact on Saturday. We’ll be paying attention to Davis’ play strength and anchor once the action goes fully live, but there’s no question he looked to be the most athletic offensive lineman at Saturday’s practice. – Charles Power

WR Cam Coleman, Auburn

In a deep wide receiver group, Cam Coleman may be the most complete prospect of the bunch. The Auburn signee has a tremendous frame with excellent length standing in at nearly 6-foot-4 with over 33-inch arms. He also competed in the Fastest Man Competition losing by a hair to Ryan Williams by less than two hundredths of a second. Coleman possesses strong hands and can pluck the ball away from his frame with power and confidence. He’s a fluid mover that has the rare combination of fluidity to go with twitch and burst. Coleman will have more opportunities to prove himself throughout the week of Under Armour practices, but Saturday was a strong start for him. The Phenix City (Ala.) Central product ranks as the No. 5 prospect in the On300. – Cody Bellaire

QB DJ Lagway, Florida

DJ Lagway was the clear top arm on Saturday at Under Armour. The Florida signee’s physical tools and arm talent stood out and looked to be at a different level among the quarterbacks in attendance. At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, he’s clearly the most physically developed signal caller on hand. Lagway showed zip on his throws, particularly over the middle of the field. We saw the Willis (Texas) High product, rip several passes in routes-on-air on Saturday. Considering the bevy of receiver talent on hand, we’re bound to see some deep connections between Lagway and the Team Fire pass catchers this week. Lagway is the lone five-star quarterback in attendance, as Alabama signee Julian Sayin isn’t in Orlando as he’s practicing with the Crimson Tide prior to the Rose Bowl. The future Gator checks in at No. 16 overall in the On300. – Charles Power

WR Ryan Williams, Alabama

The electric pass catcher from Saraland (Ala.) High reclassified to the 2024 recruiting cycle in December, but showed us today that he can run with the big dogs regardless of his age. Ryan Williams‘ excellent burst off the line of scrimmage is excellent combines with smooth route running ability. His routes to all levels of the field look effortless. Though he didn’t get to show his rare top-end speed against any defenders in Saturday’s practice, we did get to see it in the Fastest Man Competition – where he finished second to Alabama signee Jaylen Mbakwe. We’re excited to see Williams’ play speed and downfield ball tracking ability as he gets more opportunities throughout the week. Williams ranks as the No. 8 prospect in the On300 rankings- Cody Bellaire

LB Myles Graham, Florida

In a practice with limited contact, Myles Graham still managed to make his presence felt on the first day at Under Armour. While the Gators signee has a compact, dense frame that is capable of detonating ball carriers in the backfield, it was his ability to read and react that shined on Saturday. Graham’s quick trigger and close to the football were quite impressive as he was consistently around the football in the run game. Graham was also asked to carry a tight end across the field in man coverage and ran stride for stride with him as the ball sailed incomplete. He showed signs of a three-down backer skill set in a very limited sample size. The Florida signee ranks as the No. 123 overall prospect in the On300.- Cody Bellaire

Additional notes

+  Missouri signee and No. 1 overall prospect Williams Nwaneri was among the most physically imposing prospects on hand. At around 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds to go with elite length (36+ inch arms), Nwaneri sticks out on a field full of blue-chip prospects. He looks to have considerable room for growth as well and should see his body take off with further time in the weight room. Nwaneri didn’t have the opportunity to make plays on Saturday night as his team never went live, but he certainly passes the eye test.

+ After Lagway, Mississippi State signee Michael Van Buren and Penn State signee Ethan Grunkemeyer were next up at quarterback. Van Buren is undersized, but had a handful of splash throws on Saturday. We also saw Grunkemeyer deliver some nice passes from within the pocket.

+ Tennessee signee Mike Matthews was another standout in a deep and talented group of receivers. Matthews’ athleticism and upside as a pass catcher is apparent in this setting.

+ Texas A&M commit Dominick McKinley has notable physical tools along the defensive line. The Lafayette (La.) Acadiana product is well put together and showed nice movement skills in drills. Oklahoma signee David Stone was at home going through drills, playing with a good effort level.

+ Tennessee signee Peyton Lewis looks to be the most physically impressive running back at Under Armour. The 6-foot-0.5, 190-pounder has a rocked-up build that is ideal for the position, along with his well-known athleticism and top-end speed.

+ Texas signee Kobe Black (No. 97) looks to be the biggest defensive back on hand.

 + Five-Star Plus+ EDGE and Texas signee Colin Simmons did not practice on Saturday as he was getting attention for what appears to be an ankle injury. Fellow Five-Star Plus+ prospect, Texas Tech signee Micah Hudson also saw the trainers during practice.

+ A handful of touted Georgia signees – cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, linebacker Justin Williams, defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and linebacker Chris Cole – were not present on Saturday. It’s possible we see some, if not all of the group now that Georgia’s bowl game has concluded.

On3’s Cody Bellaire contributed to this article.