All-American Bowl: Rivals roundtable

SAN ANTONIO -- The All-American Bowl concludes on Saturday as the talent-rich East and West squads face off in the Alamodome on Saturday afternoon. The Rivals analyst team had eyes on each team throughout the week leading into the exhibition. They share their thoughts on the top performers, biggest surprises and much-anticipated announcements in the game.

MORE ALL-AMERICAN BOWL: Day 3 practice thoughts | Day 2 practice thoughts | Rival Views on TEs Arik Gilbert and Michael Mayer | Mind of Gorney on Media Day | Prospects that could earn a fifth star | Lavon Bunkley-Shelton | Jahmyr Gibbs | Dwight McGlothern | Bryan Bresee | Alfred Collins

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

I have been with the East team the most this week, and I am going to go with Bryan Bresee as the top performer. The No. 1 overall prospect has absolutely lived up to that billing. His combination of size, strength, quickness and athleticism is a tough puzzle that the offensive linemen here have not been able to put together. --Josh Helmholdt

Bresee is the top player overall, but I’ve had my eyes on the West for much of the week and Jacobian Guillory is making a case as the top defensive lineman on a very loaded roster. Guillory is nicknamed “Tank,” and it’s a fitting nickname for the LSU signee. He isn’t going to be asked to rush the passer much in Baton Rouge, but he is so powerful that no interior lineman has been able to slow him down consistently. Guillory should make his way into the Rivals100 and he’s going to make an instant impact for Coach O’s defensive line. --Sam Spiegelman

No. 1 Bryan Bresee did everything possible to keep that ranking and make a big statement. The Clemson signee came to San Antonio with a cast on his hand and he got clubbed up and competed every day to prove he was the best player in the country. I liked Bresee more at defensive end than inside but he was excellent at both spots and I loved his competitive nature. --Adam Gorney

This is a really tough question because I have been impressed with Bresee as always, but I'm holding him to a higher standard based on his track record. The guy I'm going to go with from this week only is Alabama defensive end signee William Anderson. I knew Anderson had talent, but the way he was engaged and locked in this week was really impressive. He took every opportunity to prove he belonged and played with a chip on his shoulder. I think he will be terrorizing SEC quarterbacks for years to come. -- Woody Wommack

I had zero expectations for Anderson coming into the week, but he has been one of the absolute best players in San Antonio. He reminds me of what we saw from Khris Bogle at the 2018 Five-Star Challenge when Bogle took home position MVP honors. Both prospects are long and lean, but play with strength that belies their frames. -- Helmholdt

Patrick Jenkins has been really impressive during 1-on-1s. The four-star TCU signee has made a case for a nice rankings bump. He’s a tactician as a rush-tackle with excellent hands, elite quickness and an array of pass-rush moves. Jenkins has quietly been efficient for the West squad and should plague Big 12 linemen for years to come. -- Spiegelman

Anderson is ranked No. 159 in the country and eighth at weakside defensive end. That has to change as soon as possible. The Alabama signee is super special and he came to prove a point - that he has an incredible motor, that he's relentless and he plays with violence coming off the edge. Anderson was awesome all week and could be in line for a major bump in the rankings. -- Gorney

I have really been impressed with Rivals250 running back Jahmyr Gibbs. His stock has been on the rise for months and he recently got a huge rankings bump but I'm not sure we bumped him high enough. He has easily outshined his higher-ranked running back teammates and impressed with his ability to catch the ball as well. Gibbs rise has been fun to watch and it will be a lively debate when we discuss him at next week's meetings. - Wommack

With several prospects announcing Saturday who have already signed letters of intent, the anticipation for these announcements is not the same as in years past and we expect fewer surprises. Rivals100 running back Jalen Berger, though, has not signed anywhere. Rutgers was rumored to be his landing spot coming into the week, but that momentum has since shifted to Wisconsin and UCLA. - Helmholdt

Edgerrin Cooper privately signed his national letter of intent during the Early Signing Window and revealed as much when he arrived in San Antonio. The Rivals250 linebacker was committed to Oklahoma at one point, but reopened his recruitment around Thanksgiving to explore other options and take more official visits. Utah and Texas A&M received official visits, and Cooper has made a string of trips up to Baton Rouge to see in-state choice LSU, but all signs point to Cooper playing out-of-state next year. -- Spiegelman

At All-American Bowl Media Day, Lavon Bunkley-Shelton said his final four was USC, Oregon, Texas and Michigan. That came as a surprise because there was a lot of chatter that Arizona State was the frontrunner in his recruitment and was in good shape to land his pledge. I still think the Sun Devils have to like their position and somehow, some way Arizona State is going to look good when Bunkley-Shelton makes his announcement. -- Gorney

This year's commitments are pretty predictable, but there's still a large faction of people that think Rival250 WR Xzavier Henderson will commit to Clemson. Thanks to Jeff Scott's departure to USF and his family ties to Florida, I think the Gators have done enough to close ground and will end up landing his commitment on Saturday. -- Wommack