SAN ANTONIO – Nearly 100 of the top prospects in the nation competed in San Antonio from New Year's Eve into Saturday's All-American Bowl. The West edged out the East, but several prospects who signed a few weeks earlier made convincing cases about their impact at the college level while their future targets made some noise during the National Combine on Friday.
Rivals.com was on hand for all the action from start to finish. Analyst Sam Spiegelman takes a look at seven teams should be very pleased by the performances of their future players.
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MORE FROM SAN ANTONIO: Instant analysis from the All-American Bowl | Player stock report | Winners and losers
ALL-AMERICAN BOWL COMMITMENT ANALYSIS: Kelee Ringo to Georgia | Gary Bryant to USC | Lavon Bunkley-Shelton to Arizona State | Darion Green-Warren to Michigan
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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LSU
Jacobian Guillory was among the top-performing prospects all week at All-American Bowl practices, as he made a compelling case to ascend from the Rivals250 into the Rivals100. He was able to show his power in the practices and pressured the quarterback routinely during Saturday’s contest.
The Tigers also made some noise on Saturday by landing a commitment from Rivals250 cornerback Dwight McGlothern. McGlothern was green-lighted by defensive backs coach Corey Raymond in the middle of the week and then followed suit with a game-leading two picks in the game.
Elsewhere, 2022 commitment Bryce Anderson was awesome during the National Combine. So was Sage Ryan, Fitzgerald West and Jaylon Guilbeau, early targets for the Tigers, as LSU looks to keep its recruiting momentum into 2021 and 2022.
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Alabama
Perhaps the biggest eye-opener this week in San Antonio was the performance by William Anderson. He’s currently ranked as the No. 159 player in the country, but made a case as a Rivals100 prospect with how he performed not only in the practices, but in the game itself. Anderson had one sack and a pair of tackles for loss in the All-American Bowl and looks to be the next great pass-rusher in Tuscaloosa.
Fellow Alabama signees Jamil Burroughs, Brian Branch and Bryce Young were also outstanding throughout the week. Young led the West squad with six completions for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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Clemson
It’s fair to say that Bryan Bresee established himself as the No. 1 prospect in the country this week and he was impressive not only in the practices, but again in the Alamodome on Saturday.
Myles Murphy and Paul Tchio, who signed with the Tigers last month during the Early Signing Period, were also some of the best prospects on hand in San Antonio during the week, and it’s fair to say that five-star signee DJ Uiagalelei cemented his spot as the top quarterback in the country with his performance in the game.
Clemson will compete in the national title game in a few days and the future looks bright in Death Valley for years to come.
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Ohio State
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a strong case as the best skill position prospect on hand in San Antonio before a foot injury sidelined the five-star wide receiver from Thursday on. The good news is that Smith-Njigba will head to Columbus and be out of his walking boot in a week’s time.
His future teammate, linebacker Cody Simon, was tremendous all week. He seeks out turnovers and is excellent in coverage, and might’ve made a convincing case to crack the Rivals100. CJ Stroud was one of the better quarterbacks during the practices and his center, Luke Wypler, was one of the few interior lineman to minimize talented defensive tackles like Jacobian Guillory and McKinnley Jackson.
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Georgia
Five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo finally revealed that he was bound for Athens during Saturday’s All-American Bowl, and there’s an easy case to be made that the new Dawgs signee was the best defensive back during practices throughout the week. Ringo and fellow five-star Darnell Washington both went public with their Georgia commitments over the past few days, which will put the Dawgs in position to make another run for a top recruiting class.
Offensive tackle Tate Ratledge was outstanding in the All-American Bowl and lived up to his five-star status. Jalen Kimber, a four-star signee out of Mansfield, Texas, was also lights out during East practices leading into the game, and paired with Ringo should be a fantastic 1-2 punch in Athens for years to come.
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Washington
Washington wide receiver signee Jalen McMillian provided sparks just seconds into the All-American Bowl, taking a 75-yard pass from Bryce Young to the house. McMillian finished the game with three catches for 98 yards, including the long touchdown, and was second only to Josh Downs in receiving in the contest.
Elsewhere, offensive line signee Myles Muraro was one of the top-performing players during the week of practices, holding his own against five-stars such as Bresee.
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Texas A&M
Edgerrin Cooper was the second player to announce his commitment during the All-American Bowl and turned some heads with his decision to pick the Aggies over the in-state Tigers. What a colossal get for Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko to land one of the nation’s most athletic linebackers who lives less than an hour away from LSU’s campus. Cooper also had a great week of practice.
The same goes for his future teammate Antonio Doyle, who turned in a big performance in the dome on Saturday. Doyle struggled a bit in 1-on-1s, but set a physical tone for the West team in the game. He amassed a game-high nine tackles, including one for loss, in the victory and flashed his ability as a true defensive difference-maker.
The other Antonio heading to The Station, Antonio Johnson, was dynamic in the Alamodome as well. He flashed in coverage and was a true playmaker for the East squad that Aggies coaches will love to add to their secondary.
