Army Bowl: Top 10 storylines
Advertisement
Rivals100 defensive tackle Neville Gallimore is from Canada's capital of Ottawa, he attends school south of Toronto and later this month he will arrive in San Antonio as the Army Bowl's first All-American from outside the country. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point regularly accepts cadets from other countries, so there is no reason the Army Bowl cannot bring in a player from Canada, but being the first should gain him added publicity for the week. The No. 72 ranked player in the 2015 class should generate headlines with his play as well. At 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, he is a blend of power, quickness and athleticism and could emerge from the week as one of the game's best. He is also expected to announce his college selection at the game between finalists Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
3. Can McKenzie shake off the rust?
Tennessee defensive tackle commit Kahlil McKenzie had to sit this entire season after transferring from Concord (Calif.) DeLaSalle to Clayton Valley Charter. That means McKenzie's first and last game of his senior season will be the Army Bowl. McKenzie is coming off a big off-season where he saw his stock rise with college coaches and his rating jump to five-stars. Now ranked as the No. 9 player in the 2015 class, there will be high expectations for the 6-foot-4, 340-pound McKenzie, but will he be able to live up to them without having played in an actual game in more than a year?
4. Can Gibson shine at QB on the big stage?
Torrance Gibson, a four-star from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, is undoubtedly one of the top offensive playmakers in the 2015 class, but there are serious questions whether he can get it done at quarterback at the college level. Gibson committed to Ohio State last month, and Urban Meyer plans to bring the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder in to run his Spread offense in Columbus. The Army Bowl, where everyone on the field is a Division I athlete, should give us all a preview of whether Gibson has the goods to succeed at the position or if the Buckeyes should get their contingency plans of playing him at wide receiver or another role ready before he arrives on campus.
5. Indiana linebackers battle for state's best
Three of the top four players in the state of Indiana's 2015 class are linebackers, and all three will be lining up for the West squad at the Army Bowl. Indianapolis Lawrence Central's Darrin Kirkland Jr. is the highest-ranked of the three at No. 174, but Merrillville Andrean's Josh Barajas is close behind at No. 228, while Indianapolis Ben Davis' Asmar Bilal is a four-star just outside the Rivals250. Seeing all three on the same stage against the same competition will give us a great evaluation opportunity for comparison, and how the week goes could shake up the order of their rankings when the final update is released in January.
6. Will Cain prove able?
The wide receiver crop heading to San Antonio is not particularly deep with top-end talent. Tampa (Fla.) Bay Tech's Deon Cain is an exception. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has been on the cusp of five-star status each of the last two updates, but he has played his whole high school career at quarterback. The Army Bowl could be his opportunity to show that the lack of repetitions in high school do not set him back when he transitions full-time to the position at the college level. He will only face two of the nation's top 10 cornerbacks -- Tarvarus McFadden in practice and Isaiah Langley in the game -- so Cain needs to separate himself from the pack and show that five-star ability.
7. East practice line battles
One of the most anticipated match-ups during bowl practice week will be Glen St. Mary (Fla.) Baker County five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson (above) against a trio of five-star offensive tackles on the East squad in Martez Ivey, Clemson commit Mitch Hyatt and USC commit Chuma Edoga. Although practices are not as intense as game-action, past years have shown that when top prospects get on the field against one another, the competitive juices start flowing and the intensity is higher than a standard practice. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Jefferson has been dealing with an injury for some time, though, so his health status will affect these battles.
8. Feeling out the McElwain factor
Jim McElwain had a full week of recruiting after being announced as Florida's head coach before the dead period hit. We should get the first good feel for just how successful he was, and how recruits are reacting to him, during Army Bowl week. Two of the Gators' top targets are five-stars Ivey and Jefferson, both of whom are still considering Florida strongly despite the coaching change. Additionally, four-star Palmetto Bay (Fla.) Westminster Christian running back Tim Irvin will be announcing his commitment at the Army Bowl and Florida is one of the top contenders.
9. Running back intrigue
The roster of running backs at this year's Army Bowl is a diverse one, featuring five-stars and three-stars, all-purpose backs, fullbacks and every-down backs. Much of the focus going into the week will be on the lone five-star, LSU commit Derrius Guice. A bruising, bull of a back at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, will Guice live up to his five-star billing, and could he push to be the top back in the class? Then, how will three-stars like Auburn commit Chandler Cox and Texas A&M verbal Jay Bradford fare on the big stage? Running backs like Adrian Peterson and Beanie Wells have fared well in this game, while in other years players who would go on to successful college careers have not made much noise. Will there be a break-out back in the 2015 game, and who will that be?
10. Georgia will be well-represented
Georgia is not considered one of the Big Three states when it comes to college football talent production, but they are representing like a Big Three state at this year's Army Bowl with a total of 15 players on the roster. Only California (19) and Florida (16) have more players on the roster, while the host state of Texas will have fewer lining up. All 15 from Georgia are not expected to play -- Oregon commit Taj Griffin, for one, is sidelined with injury -- but there is a good chance that by week's end several Peach State products will be among the week's standouts. Five-star defensive tackle Trenton Thompson, a one-time No. 1 overall player in the 2015 class, is definitely one to watch.
Click Here to view this Link.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
Click Here to view this Link.