How Texas signees performed in Under Armour All-American Game practices
The 2024 Under Armour All-American game is this afternoon at 3 p.m. with ESPN televising the always-entertaining high school all-star game.
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Texas is well-represented in Orlando this year with seven 2024 signees taking part in the festivities.
While the current team was gearing up for the Sugar Bowl with Washington, Daniel Cruz, Colin Simmons, Kobe Black, Jerrick Gibson, Xavier Filsaime, Zina Umeozulu, and Jordon Johnson-Rubell were preparing for one last competition before beginning their Texas careers.
Here’s a look at how Texas players have fared through the eyes of On3’s national recruiting team.
The full roster can be found here.
Jerrick Gibson, No. 2 on Team Ice
The actual game is when running backs become a bit easier to evaluate, but On3’s Charles Power wanted to see how Gibson and a few other backs performed in Orlando.
All-star practices don’t offer the ideal setting to evaluate running backs, as contact is limited, but we are able to assess body types, movement skills and pass-catching ability. Tennessee signee Peyton Lewis (No. 131), Florida State signee Kam Davis (No. 150) and Texas signee Jerrick Gibson (No. 171) lead the running back group.
MORE: 4-star RB Jerrick Gibson on Texas: ‘This is where I need to be’
Daniel Cruz, No. 58 on Team Ice
Power was excited to evaluate how Cruz, a true center, fared in Orlando entering the week.
Three of the cycle’s top interior linemen and true center prospects are set to be in Orlando – USC signee Jason Zandamela (No. 147), Texas signee Daniel Cruz (No. 149) and Clemson signee Elyjah Thurmon (No. 224). All three worked as centers as seniors, decreasing the learning curve for the college level. The week should provide insight into how the group stacks up.
MORE: Daniel Cruz excited to join a ‘real family’ at Texas
Colin Simmons, No. 8 on Team Ice
Entering the week, Power was looking forward to watching Simmons.
Texas signee Colin Simmons (No. 13) is arguably the most accomplished pass rusher in the 2024 cycle. A dynamo off the edge for Texas powerhouse Duncanville High, Simmons is a pure speed rusher with a plus first step. He’s not the biggest, checking in at 6-foot-2.5, 225 pounds, so we’ll be looking to see how he holds up against bigger offensive linemen.
But during day two’s festivities, On3 noted Simmons was not participating along with Texas Tech signee Micah Hudson.
The same could be said for Five-Star Plus+ Texas signee Colin Simmons who appears to be out for the week with an ankle injury.
MORE: Colin Simmons talks Texas Longhorns at UAAG
Zina Umeozulu, No. 17 on Team Ice
On3’s Cody Bellaire thought highly of Umeozulu’s day two performance.
One of the players that we felt showed a lot of tools in his bag during Day 2’s practice was Zina Umeozulu. Honestly, we saw things on Sunday that we had not seen on Umeozulu’s film to this point. His blend of size and movement skills allowed him to win in a variety of ways during the 1-on-1 and team periods. Umeozulu touts a big frame 6-foot-4, 230 pounds with plus length. He showed the capacity to win with speed and athleticism. We saw him win one rep in 1-on-1’s with a speed dip. Later, the Texas signee flashed the ability to win with power and hand placement. He won one rep with a long arm and planted an offensive lineman in the dirt with a bull rush on the next rep. We saw him take reps inside and outside – indicating scheme versatility. There’s a bit of a learning curve as a run defender, as he can get a bit out of control and run himself out of plays. With that said, the effort and energy is there. Umeozulu had such promising flashes during Sunday’s practice and we are looking forward to see if he can continue to put it all together throughout the rest of the week.
Umeozulu was also one of 10 top performers in the third practice day, per Power.
The Texas signee continued to show a pleasantly surprising array of twitchy and bend throughout Day 3. Zina Umeozulu made easy work of offensive linemen in the 1-on-1 reps we caught, coming off the ball low, using his length to get into the body of opposing offensive linemen. Like Sunday, we also saw Umeozulu slide inside at times, presenting a pass rush mismatch on the interior. The overall skill set he’s shown in Orlando along with is developmental frame is encouraging.
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Kobe Black, No. 22 on Team Fire
Black’s day two outing featured quality reps.
A handful of cornerbacks had notable performances over the course of Sunday. Texas signee Kobe Black fared well in 1-on-1’s using his length and physicality to give receivers issues.
Power noted good reps from Black against a future SEC opponent during day three’s practices.
Texas corner signee Kobe Black had a strong rep in 1-on-1s against Cam Coleman, making a play on a low-thrown ball for a pass breakup. Black has plus length and a big frame that gives receivers issues in tight quarters. He may ultimately outgrow corner given his current size.
MORE: Four-star CB Kobe Black raves about Texas, Steve Sarkisian’s role in his recruitment
Xavier Filsaime, No. 1 on Team Fire
Filsaime was a day one eye catcher according to Bellaire.
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.
Filsaime also had a good rep against a one-time Texas target, per Power.
Fellow Longhorn signee Xavier Filsaime had a strong rep against Bryant Wesco in 1-on-1s as well.
MORE: Xavier Filsaime goes in-depth on his Texas decision
Jordon Johnson-Rubell, No. 23 on Team Fire
While On3 didn’t have any specific dispatches on Johnson-Rubell, the On3 Industry Ranking four-star reportedly had a quality week of work at Under Armour.
