Miami Hurricanes signees in All-American Bowl: What to know about today's all-star game

SAN ANTONIO — Miami’s 2024 class is already signed and finalized, but five Hurricane signees will get one final chance to play on national television as high school prospects before enrolling at Miami this spring and summer.

Five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott, four-star EDGE Marquise Lightfoot, four-star receiver Ny Carr, four-star safety Zaquan Patterson and three-star offensive lineman Deryc Plazz will all play in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio Saturday at 1 p.m. EST on NBC. Scott and Lightfoot will represent the West All-Americans while Carr, Patterson and Plazz represent the East All-Americans.

Here’s what to know ahead of Saturday’s exhibition all-star game.

Where: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
When: Saturday, Jan. 6, 1 p.m. EST
How: Live on NBC and streaming on Peacock
What: East All-Americans vs. West All-Americans

What to know/watch for with Miami signees

5-star DL Justin Scott (West All-American, summer enrollee)
+++ Scott has made a strong argument to be the most game-ready defensive lineman in this year’s class and nothing short of fantastic at this week’s bowl practices. Scott has demanded double teams when lined up at the three technique and has consistently made interior offensive linemen pay for attempting to block him one-on-one during team and inside run periods, and I’d expect to see more of the same during the actual game Saturday.

However, fans should keep in mind that players will receive limited reps and playing time as in most all-star game formats. But Scott has looked more than ready to immediately start at Miami once he arrives on campus this summer.

4-star EDGE Marquise Lightfoot (West All-American, spring enrollee)
+++ Lightfoot is a fairly lean EDGE at 6-foot-4.5 and 215 pounds, but he had his best day of practice Thursday during the final contact practice before Saturday’s game. Lightfoot’s explosive first step, length and speed off the edge makes him an ideal stand-up pass rusher, and I’d expect to hear his name called a few times Saturday, especially if he gets matched up with a bigger but slower offensive tackle.

4-star WR Ny Carr (East All-American, spring enrollee)
+++ Carr’s reps were relatively limited this week after tweaking his hip during the second practice, but there should be little to no cause for concern about his health, and he still plans to play in the game Saturday. Carr has still looked every bit like the player we’ve expected him to be and has stood up well against elite cornerbacks so far this week. Don’t be shocked if he busts open a long touchdown.

4-star S Zaquan Patterson (East All-American, spring enrollee)
+++ Patterson has been a unique safety to evaluate given he’s looked far more comfortable as a box safety than a traditional safety, but he’s still been a dynamic playmaker. Patterson has continued to make strides in coverage and is still a threat against the run, and his ability as a blitzer is far underrated. I wouldn’t expect to see him in a tremendous amount of unique defensive formations in this exhibition game as both teams have just installed simple base offenses and defenses, but we’ll be interested to see how Patterson looks when consistently tested in coverage.

3-star IOL Deryc Plazz (East All-American, spring enrollee)
+++ Plazz will play offensive guard for Miami after playing offensive tackle for most of his high school career, and this week has been the first time he’s had extended reps at guard against elite competition. I’m hoping we’ll be able to see Plazz go up against Scott at some point Saturday — which we haven’t been able to see so far this week — but he’s looked good through three contact practices. He has surprisingly good bend and moves well for being 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, and I have little doubt he can become a reliable starter for Miami eventually.