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SEC Breakdown: Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The teams at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game took to the field on Wednesday for a pair of two-hour practice sessions. In addition to top performances there was also some notable recruiting news from the day's media sessions.

Here's a rundown of the top news and best performances as it relates to the SEC.

MORE: Videos from Tuesday's practice | Bubba Thompson interview

ALABAMA

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On the field: It was another quiet day for Alabama running back commitment Brian Robinson. While he looks the part physically, he hasn’t gone all out in practice, perhaps because he’s saving his best for Saturday’s game … The Tide’s offensive line commitments had a solid day, with Hunter Brannon setting a good physical tone for the rest of the offensive linemen … Alabama wide receiver target Nico Collins also made a few nice plays and did a nice job of consistently catching the ball. The one knock on Collins is that he seems to play down to smaller defenders and needs to do a better job of using his God-given size and physical ability more effectively.

ARKANSAS

Daulton Hyatt
Daulton Hyatt

On the field: Razorbacks quarterback commitment Daulton Hyatt struggled with his decision making ability during both sessions of Wednesday’s practice, perhaps a byproduct of playing with all new teammates. While practicing against his Alabama teammates, Hyatt is facing a defensive of future SEC defenders.

AUBURN

On the field: Tigers wide receiver Noah Igbinoghene continues to be one of the most impressive wide receivers at the event, and on Wednesday was again the most consistent wide receiver on his team …. Auburn target CJ Avery had a solid day of workouts, as he shined during 7-on-7 work and was one of the coaches’ favorite players during morning drills … Tigers linebacker commits K.J. Britt and Tadarian Moultry also had a good day of practice, with both clearly ready to start hitting in full contact. Britt was consistently disruptive during team drills, often blowing up plays in the backfield before they could get started … Tigers defensive end target Ryan Johnson has been as dominant as expected, but he did make an impressive pick-six on a screen pass during team drills. Johnson is very athletic for a player his size, it’s just about finding the right coach to tap into his immense potential.

FLORIDA

Myles Brennan
Myles Brennan

Recruiting roundup: Despite reports to the contrary, LSU quarterback commit Myles Brennan says he has not spoken to anyone from the Florida coaching staff. He noted UF has also not reached out to his high school coach either. Brennan says he has, however, heard rumors that the UF staff had inquired about him with others. Brennan remains committed to LSU and plans to take a hard look at Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, LSU and Baylor in the coming month.

On the field: Florida commit Kadarius Toney spent the afternoon session of Wednesday’s practice working at quarterback a position he said Florida is recruiting him at exclusively. Toney showed good athletic ability and was actually more consistent throwing the ball than his two-quarterback counterparts on the Alabama roster.

LSU

On the field: It was another disruptive day for LSU defensive tackle commit Neil Farrell. The big-bodied interior linemen did a nice job fighting off blocks to get into the backfield during team work … Tigers quarterback commitment Myles Brennan continues to be the most effective of the quarterbacks in the game. It will be interesting to see how his week of practice translates into Saturday’s game, which will be a good primer for the Under Armour All-American Game later in the month.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

On the field: Mississippi State target Willie Gay, a one-time Ole Miss commit, was one of the day’s stars. Gay made the play of the day when elevated to grab a one-handed interception from the middle linebacker spot. Gay has been of the event’s best players early this week and may have been even better on day two than he was one day one.

MISSOURI

Javaris Russell
Javaris Russell (Rivals.com)

Recruiting roundup: Linebacker Javaris Russell named Memphis, Missouri and Missouri as his top three. He says he may not have time to visit Missouri before he signs, however, as Russell is an early enrollee. Memphis seems to be the favorite to land Russell at this juncture.

OLE MISS

Shantavis Vardaman
Shantavis Vardaman (Rivals.com)

Recruiting roundup: Massive offensive lineman Shantavis Vardaman says that Ole Miss is tops on his list of schools. And if the Rebels decided to push for his services, they will likely be in a good spot as Signing Day approaches. Vardaman says he’s hoping to land an offer from Auburn, which he says is expressing serious interest in recent weeks.

On the field: Vardaman was one of the standouts of the morning practice. His impressive size combined with his dominant wins in one-on-one work made him one of the standouts on Wednesday … Ole Miss target Emanuel Dabney was one of the morning session’s standouts. He breaks on the ball well and made an impressive interception after tipping the ball to himself during the 7-on-7 session.

TENNESSEE

Recruiting roundup: Tennessee quarterback target Bubba Thompson said the Vols are still a serious contender for his services, but he reiterated that he plans on playing both football and baseball in college. He also said he that even though he plans to sign in February, he will wait through the MLB draft to see if and when he is selected and then discuss his future options with his parents.

On the field: Wide receiver commit Jordan Murphy made one of the day’s most memorable catches and showed impressive consistency catching the ball in traffic … Thompson had a tough day and struggled with accuracy. Thompson is a quality athlete, but has a lot of work to do if he’s going to be a quarterback at the next level … Vols linebacker commit Will Ignont worked a little at defensive end during one-on-ones and had his share of success. He was also a disruptive force at times during team drills, especially coming off the edge against the zone-read.

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