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ORLANDO – The game wasn’t as close as onlookers would have liked, with Team Ice running away with a 39-9 victory, but there were still head-turning efforts on both sides at the Under Armour Next All-America Game on Wednesday.
The full-padded action provided the final sample of most of these elite prospects before the college football world sees them on Saturdays. Rivals breaks down a dozen who impressed:
After an up-and-down week of practices, the bright lights brought out the best in the Missouri signee. Nwaneri was a dominant force off the edge throughout the game, winning with power and speed on routine.
He was credited with multiple stops, including one for loss, and a pass breakup in the win. The tackle for loss came against the only five-star passer in attendance, DJ Lagway, and he nearly notched a sack after a head-turning, dip-and-rip move to take the passer off his spot as a teammate finished the job.
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Though he entered the week with a lofty ranking, there may not have been a player who looked better each day the way Stewart did. The South Carolina signee was the only player in the game to register a sack, forced fumble, tackle for loss and a pass breakup despite the heavy rotation among the edge prospects on his team.
Stewart redirected another pass on an attempted screen, showing awareness to match his elite frame. The strip-sack win came against fellow five-star Jordan Seaton, too.
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It turns out the twitchest pass-rusher all week long had plenty left in the tank for the game. The Miami signee led all participants in both sacks (two) and tackles for loss (2.5) in the rout. Pickett won with an elite first step but also showcased some variance in coming off the edge.
He registered a sack off of an inside spin move and used his power to get by a blocker on the other. A long and wiry frame to his name, Pickett also showed some lateral game and finishing power against the run to cap a standout week in Orlando.
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The Florida signee was hard to miss on this night. Graham worked sideline to sideline and downhill with relative ease, flashing quickness and pop along the way. Graham read blockers as fast as any ‘backer in the setting and worked a quick trigger thereafter, including on a big hit behind the line of scrimmage.
Graham led the game with five solo tackles, also showcasing timing in registering a stop behind the line of scrimmage to go along with a sack in the open field. A mature two-way talent in high school, it wouldn’t surprise to see him making plays next year in the Swamp.
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A prep safety by trade, there was a learning curve this week for the UCF signee, but gameday showed Birdsong is a quick study. He made a handful of stops in the open field look routine, understanding how to strike from the outside in. The senior also showed a quick trigger, working downhill for a tackle for loss and another for a sack.
With a lengthy frame and room to add mass, the transition to linebacker looks like the right move at the collegiate level.
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An obvious inclusion based on a pick-six he registered early in the game, but the ‘Bama signee looked strong throughout the contest. He finished tackles well and showed range on a tall frame and both on the interception and otherwise, also showed some speed along the way. Jones finished with three tackles and the interception.
It will be fascinating to see how he fills out his frame and how that may influence his position and overall game at the next level.
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If there was one play to place the Georgia signee’s evaluation in a bottle, consider the third down in which he pressured the passer with an inside-out move and proceeded to make what looked like a sack without his helmet on.
He also showed a great motor against the run, making one stop down the line from the backside while having to open up his stride for a tackle for loss on another occasion. Jonah-Ajonye also got his hands on one pass attempt.
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It was not a great week for the position and most of Wednesday reinforced how tough it is for quarterbacks in the all-star setting, except for Van Buren. The future Mississippi State Bulldog set the tone of the night with the opening drive, eluding pass rushers on nearly every pass attempt en route to a 4-for-4 start.
Naturally, Van Buren also rushed for nine yards in leading Team Ice to a lead it would never relinquish, but the touchdown was his signature moment of the MVP performance. On the play, he eluded an initial defender, stepped up, rolled right and threw a dart to Ryan Williams for the opening score. He would add multiple 2-point conversions thereafter. Van Buren finished 10-for-15 for 136 yards and the touchdown in addition to 15 yards on the ground.
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Another player who was head-turning every day of the UA week, Craver showed his true speed during the game on Wednesday. Another future MSU Bulldog, the Alabama native led all receivers with 66 yards receiving on just two catches.
Of course his first was a long catch-and-run, totaling 51 yards after adjusting his route on a scramble drill from quarterback CJ Bailey. Craver separated from the initial defender and turned on the jets to pull away from the rest of the secondary.
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The in-state get for Maryland was one of the few offensive linemen to make his mark as a blocker on a night dominated by each defensive front. He capped the week with some stout wins at the point of contact and showed more efficiency in his footwork against smaller rushers. Dominant defender Dominck McKinley endorsed Howerton’s overall game after working against him Wednesday, too.
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In position to make plays all week long, Mack showed excellent leverage and timing throughout his coverage reps in Orlando. During the game he may have been even better, matching up with five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman on several occasions, holding the top five prospect without a catch.
Mack finished the evening with a game-high three pass breakups, nearly picking up an interception on one. Mack was aggressive all night long and when the ball was in the air, he simply did not lose.
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During the week, in a limited sample it looked like the Cincinnati signee was among the better coverage linebackers against running backs. Exiting the week, it’s clear he has an all-around game, flashing diagnose and react skill in the big win Wednesday.
Weedon looked natural as a blitzer, registering 1.5 tackles for loss on the night, including one in the open field against the elusive Lagway. Weedon also had one of the bigger hits on the night, finishing off a screen-pass recipient with power.
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