All-American Bowl: Thoughts on the West team after Day 2
SAN ANTONIO - Day 2 of All-American Bowl practices have wrapped up. Here are some thoughts and observations from the West workouts.
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Louisiana DTs make strong impressions
Rivals250 defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory, an LSU signee, and four-star defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins, a TCU signee, were arguably the West’s top performers in the trenches on Wednesday and did so with contrasting styles.
Guillory, nicknamed “Tank,” lived up to the nickname. He’s a renowned powerlifter and that strength was very evident during 1-on-1s. The future Tiger isn’t going to be tasked with rushing the passer much in Baton Rouge, but Guillory showed that he’s as good a bull-rusher in the middle as there is in this game. Jenkins, on the other hand, turned plenty of heads during 1-on-1s. He’s a tactician. He uses his hands well and has an array of pass-rush moves to keep opposing linemen guessing. The future Horned Frog didn’t lose many reps, if any.
Baker is a head-scratcher
One of the reasons Tosh Baker is a top-50 prospect nationally is because he’s a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle who also plays basketball, has shown great athleticism and could be special at Notre Dame. But the four-star from Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle was injured during the first day of practice here at the All-American Bowl and he sat out all of Day 2.
What’s most interesting - or worrisome - about Baker is that he’s rail thin and definitely not as physically developed as the other offensive linemen at this event or those ranked as high as him in the Rivals100. Rankings are a projection and so Baker does not need to plummet down the list but to be a dominant player in the coming years in South Bend he’s going to have to add significant weight.
Hector has been quietly solid
There are guys with a lot more hype than four-star DB Ayden Hector at this game but the Stanford signee has quietly had two excellent days and he was especially competitive during 1-on-1s during the dual workout on Wednesday. Hector doesn’t have elite straight-line speed but he kept up well with receivers on deep balls, tipped passes away and frustrated them with his physical play. The four-star is excellent in coverage and made it tough for top-notch receivers. At his size, with his competitiveness, Hector could see the field early for the Cardinal.
Up-and-down days for Jackson, Wedig
McKinnley Jackson was one of the top performers from Day 1 of All-American Bowl, but had his share of struggles when the two teams joined together for 1-on-1s. The Rivals100 defensive tackle was at his best when he overpowered opposing linemen. However, Ohio State signee Luke Wypler and Northwestern signee Peter Skoronski held their own against Jackson and were able to slow him down.
Trey Wedig, too, was one of the better performers during Tuesday’s West practices, but the future Badger had a back-and-forth day during the joint session. While the 6-foot-7, 300-pounder looks the part of a future first-round pick, and did his best when he was able to set his feet, Wedig struggled with hand placement against elite pass-rushers like Clemson signee Myles Murphy and Alabama signee William Anderson. Then again, that can be said for most of the offensive linemen on hand in San Antonio.
Murao holds his own
One way to gauge just how talented an offensive linemen is in pass pro is to line him up across from the No. 1 prospect in the country. That’s precisely what happened with Myles Murao, a Washington signee, and he impressed in his matchup with Clemson-bound Bryan Bresee. Murao is a little smaller in stature than expected, but that did not stop the future Huskies center from slowing down one of the most versatile, dominant players in America. If he can improve his hands, he’ll be great in Seattle.
Grant, Carlton flash off the edge
One of the surprises of the week thus far has been the emergence of Devin Grant, a local prospect out of Antonian (Texas) High School, who signed with Colorado last month. The three-star defensive end has lined up primarily as a stand-up outside linebacker, where he’ll likely begin his career at when he arrives in Boulder. Grant has flashed with his speed off the edge and has given a handful of offensive tackles some headaches during 1-on-1s, including five-star Paris Johnson Jr. Grant also took reps with his hand in the dirt, but fared much better when he can use his speed to his advantage.
Another impressive defensive lineman has been Xavier Carlton, who has been electric off the edge during 1-on-1s. The Utah signee is extremely quick and gave Notre Dame signee Michael Carmody a run for his money. That’s a nice get for the Utes with the in-state standout.
Local receiver impresses
It’s been a solid two days so far for Daniel Jackson, an Iowa State signee and local product out of Cibolo (Texas) Steele. Jackson has good length and can stretch the field very well, but what’s impressive has been his improved hands and feet. He’s made a couple of “wow” grabs during the West practices Tuesday and again on Wednesday.
Filinger walks off with injury
Van Fillinger has been one of the better pass-rushers on the West squad over the course of the first two practices, but the Utah signee suffered an injury during 1-on-1s in a battle with five-star tackle Tate Ratledge. Fillinger walked off the field and did not return to Wednesday’s joint practice.
Ringo has excellent day at cornerback
Kelee Ringo is ranked as the second-best cornerback in the 2020 class and he more than backed that up on Wednesday, pushing for that No. 1 spot as LSU signee Elias Ricks was a no-show this week in San Antonio.
Committing at the All-American Bowl with Georgia, Texas and Oregon as three of his favorites, the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro standout was aggressive at the line (more than we’ve seen him before), physical bumping and running with receivers down the field and then he has the athleticism and size to knock deep passes down. The five-star has more than backed up his ranking so far this week.