All-American Bowl Week: West takeaways from opening day
SAN ANTONIO — The All-American Bowl week has officially kicked off with the first day of practices on Tuesday in San Antonio. Dozens of Rivals250 prospects are featured on both teams, including multiple four- and five-stars featured on Team West.
Here are the takeaways from Team West's first day of practice in San Antonio.
MORE ALL-AMERICAN BOWL: Gorney's Day 1 thoughts | East team takeaways
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Waco (Texas) Connally four-star athlete Jelani McDonald was as physically impressive as any defensive back in attendance on Tuesday, and his coverage skills matched that presence both at cornerback and safety.
McDonald is announcing his commitment on Saturday during the All-American Bowl as Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas will be the hats on the table. The Rivals FutureCast continues to favor Texas with less than a week to go before he makes his decision public.
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Downey (Calif.) St. Pius X cornerback Jordan Shaw came into the week as one of the lesser-known and lower-ranked prospects, but his presence was felt in the secondary all afternoon.
Shaw recorded multiple interceptions during 11-on-11 action and was in on another pass breakup against Oregon commit QB Austin Novosad. Early on this week, the Indiana signee is showing potential to rise in the final rankings update.
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Of all of the defensive linemen in attendance for Team West, the top performer has to go to Eufaula (Ala.) four-star Yhonzae Pierre. The Alabama signee couldn't find any competition to match his athleticism both off the edge and in the interior.
Pierre has a swiftness about him that the heavier West offensive linemen have had trouble dealing with early on. While it was a pretty strong performance across the board for the West defensive linemen, the top notch has to go to Pierre.
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Staying on the defensive line, Highland Home (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Keldric Faulk showed up as one of the more physically impressive prospects for Team West at a true 6-foot-5 and well over 250 pounds.
His physical skillset translates in the pass rush as a strong prospect that uses his hands to punch offensive linemen back and his athleticism to either move through or move around them. Expect the Auburn signee to continue to have a good week given his ability to immediately overmatch opponents physically.
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Norman (Okla.) Community Christian four-star defensive lineman Bai Jobe was another athletic presence on the defensive line for Team West on day one as he found multiple ways to bounce off the edge and get in the backfield during 11-on-11 action.
Jobe had a run of three consecutive tackles for loss during that segment and was also noticeable in lineman one-on-ones. The Michigan State signee will look to keep his big week going in the joint practice later in the week.
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Denton (Texas) Ryan five-star linebacker Anthony Hill was as advertised on Tuesday as he was sporting a lean, athletic frame that allowed him to cover sideline-to-sideline during the 11-on-11 action, including an athletic move to the flat to keep high four-star running back Rueben Owens II behind the line of scrimmage.
The Texas signee is one of the crown jewels for the Longhorns' class, and it's showing up early in San Antonio this week.
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Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor wears his 6-foot-7, 335-pound frame extremely well, as he showed up looking like an absolute monster in the trenches on Tuesday.
The Alabama signee shined the biggest spotlight in the offensive line group by using his well-built lower half to drive defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage. Early on, Proctor is backing up his five-star rating.
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To make an impact as a specialist in a practice setting says a lot, and that's exactly what Southlake (Texas) Carroll punter Tyler White did in Tuesday's session. White was lining up at the 30-yard line and dropping in pins on the opposing goal line that die after only a few bounces.
Specialist gurus across the country see White as a potential fourth- or fifth-round NFL Draft pick, and it's easy to see why with the missiles that White was sending off of his left leg on Tuesday.
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El Campo (Texas) four-star running back Rueben Owens II is looking to earn a fifth star this week and his first day certainly did a lot for that case. Owens was active in both the run and receiving game, including a big run that he broke toward the end of the second practice session.
The Texas A&M signee is the feature back for Team West and could be heavily relied upon on Saturday if the quarterback inconsistencies continue through the week.
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A super long prospect that was moved around in the receiving game, North Crowley (Texas) tight end Ka'Morreun Pimpton uses his long arms to go up and grab the ball against big-bodied defensive backs while using his long strides to break away in the open field.
The LSU signee still has room to put on 20-30 pounds, which could make him a high-powered offensive weapon in Baton Rouge.
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Temple (Texas) four-star wide receiver Mikal Harrison-Pilot showed his continuous improvements in his route running which included a deep ball over the middle that Harrison-Pilot took off of the shoulder pad of a safety for a big completion in 11-on-11 work.
Announcing his commitment on Saturday, Houston is starting to trend to land yet another four-star receiver ahead of Cal, TCU and Texas.
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Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower four-star wide receiver Ryan Niblett is a speed weapon that Team West figured out early on Tuesday could be beneficial toward coming out on top on Saturday.
The Texas signee has also put on some healthy muscle that has allowed him to fight through tackling in the open field. Niblett continues to impress each time he touches the field, and the All-American Bowl setting could be just what he needs to move into the national elite tier of pass-catchers.