Army Bowl: Five programs that should be pleased

SAN ANTONIO - Plenty of teams have a bunch of commits at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl through the middle of the week. Here are five that have turned in impressive performances so far.

MORE ARMY BOWL: Commitment predictions | Five-star previews decision | Day 2 takeaways | Day 2 notes

The rich keep getting richer. Five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been outstanding for almost all of two practice sessions at the Army Bowl and continues to back up his No. 1 ranking in the 2018 class. Lawrence was a little shaky during 7-on-7 play during Tuesday’s workout, but other than that he’s been outstanding and should be a future star. Five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas was unblockable on Tuesday and is hugely productive. Then there is four-star receiver Derion Kendrick, a menace in space who can make big things happen. And whether Jackson Carman plays offensive tackle or guard, he should be terrific in Clemson’s system. Those are just some of Clemson’s commits who have been solid this week at the Army Bowl.

Not far behind is another national power in Ohio State and five-star defensive back Tyreke Johnson has been the headliner so far. Johnson has been a headhunter in two practice sessions and he even took out Ohio State tight end signee Jeremy Ruckert on Day 1 of practice. No one is safe across the middle with Johnson on the field. Ruckert has been solid and has shown off great athleticism. The defensive tackles have been really good as well. Four-star Taron Vincent has been consistently good and disruptive and four-star Tommy Togiai has been able to bull rush and shoot gaps with lots of success.

The Longhorns could be loading up. For the first time in Rivals.com history dating back to 2002, Texas landed the top six in-state prospects and many have been impressive this week. Four-star receiver Brennan Eagles is an excellent outside and downfield threat. Defensive backs Caden Sterns and Jalen Green have also been solid and offensive lineman Junior Angilau is a physical, mean, tough recruit who has not messed around during his time on the practice field. Five-star defensive back Anthony Cook, the top-rated player in the state, has struggled at times but he’s been so good at other events. Can Texas get the top seven in the state? It seems like an outside shot but No. 7 currently is receiver Jaylen Waddle, who’s been absolutely fantastic through two practice days.

The headliner of this class is Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei quarterback JT Daniels, the former No. 1 player in the 2019 class who recently reclassified to 2018 and could compete for the starting job next season especially if Sam Darnold leaves early for the NFL. Daniels has been outstanding during the practice sessions here and he was even sharper during his junior season when he led Mater Dei to an undefeated year and the state title. He has all the talent in the world. But he’s not the only one. Five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote is great in the middle and even better in coverage. Four-star linebacker Raymond Scott has had his moments, four-star center Justin Dedich is undersized but doesn’t get pushed back and four-star Talanoa Hufanga will offer the Trojans a legitimate option at safety or linebacker.

The future of Miami’s offense looks especially bright. Four-star quarterback Jarren Williams was more accurate on the second day and five-star wide receiver Mark Pope is the most electric and sudden receiver possibly at this event. He’s not the biggest guy out there, but in space Pope is fantastic and catches everything. Four-star receiver Brian Hightower can make plays and five-star running back Lorenzo Lingard is super fast and is speedy inside and outside. Defensively, defensive tackle Nesta Silvera was particularly disruptive on Day 1.