Shrine Bowl: QB play highlights Monday takeaways

The first day of practices at Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is in the books and Monday’s action saw plenty of newsworthy items, both on and off the field. Rivals.com recruiting analysts Adam Friedman and Woody Wommack rundown the biggest takeaways from the first day of action.

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The key to any successful all-star game is quality quarterbacks and depending on the year at the Shrine Bowl, they can get tough to come by. This year that isn’t the case, as four FBS commitments are split between the two squads. North Carolina has East Carolina quarterback commitment Holton Ahlers and Appalachian State commit Stephon Brown, while South Carolina has Wake Forest pledge Sam Hartman and four-star Gamecocks commit Dakereon Joyner. All four signal-callers had their moments on Monday, with the South Carolina team also working in Rivals100 wide receiver Derion Kendrick at the position. The loaded roster at the position combined with several other elite skill position players could lead to an exciting game on Saturday.

Jordyn Adams’ commitment to North Carolina was hardly a surprise once his recruitment really took shape but the biggest unknown has always been which sport he will be devoting most of his time to in a few years. The Rivals100 wide receiver is also a big-time baseball prospect and he could end up going in the MLB Draft in June. Adams, who will sign his National Letter of Intent on December 20, says he will learn more about his baseball draft stock after the upcoming baseball season. The Adams family will make a more informed decision after that.

The Hokies have a top 15 recruiting class already but there are still some highly rated targets that Justin Fuente and his staff hope will end up signing with Virginia Tech. Five-star K.J. Henry and Rivals250 linebacker Dax Hollifield have held the Hokies in high esteem for months but their recruitments seem to be getting away from Virginia Tech. Henry called Virginia Tech “a sleeper for me,” but most believe Clemson lands his commitment next week. Hollifield seemed like a heavy Virginia Tech lean back in the summer but the academic prestige of Stanford and North Carolina have been getting the bulk of his attention lately.

One of the best things about all-star games like the Shrine Bowl is getting to see elite prospects compete with each other. Five-star K.J. Henry, one of the most vocal players on either team, and Rivals100 NC State running back commit Ricky Person had a series of plays end with one beating the other. The friendly trash talk carried into a water break and into the final team session at the end of practice. This budding rivalry should produce some fun moments as the week progresses.

Three-star prospect Bryce Thompson is one of the most versatile athletes in the state of South Carolina and is coming off a state championship victory earlier this month that saw him star at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. After looking like he might be bound for junior college, Thompson’s recruiting options have suddenly expanding, with the in-state Gamecocks looking more like a real option. Thompson took his official visit to South Carolina last weekend and on Monday he was wearing Gamecocks gloves as well as some garnet and black cleats. Could it be a sign of things to come? Thompson said he still intends to sign early and a decision could come even sooner.