After attending both the Under Armour All-America Game and the All-American Bowl, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down the 12 best defensive players he watched over the last two weeks on the road.
RELATED: The best offensive performers from the all-star events
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ALL-AMERICAN BOWL: Programs that should be pleased | The Smith awards | Stock risers | Mincey to Alabama | Hill to Alabama | Sanchez to Ohio State | Greco to Missouri | Satuala to BYU | Barnes to Syracuse | Burgess to Notre Dame | Mincey talks finalists | Barnes previews decision | Koi Perich ready for Minnesota | Top plays from practice | Gorney's Three-Point Stance from Day 2 | East takeaways on Day 2 | West takeaways on Day 2 | Grant Brix excited about opportunity | Gatlin Baer talks Michigan, Oregon | Jeremiah Smith is grateful recruitment is finished | Three-Point Stance | East takeaways from Day 1 | West takeaways from Day 1 | Gatlin Bair reacts to Michigan, Oregon bowl wins
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UA GAME WEEK: Programs that should be pleased | The Garcia awards | Top performers from the game | Terry Bussey discusses new Texas A&M staff | Ryan Williams talks coaching changes at Alabama | Ten players improving their stock | Rankings questions arising | Williams Nwaneri talks Mizzou | Monday's practice takeaways | Team Fire OL vs. DL | Team Ice OL vs. DL | Why McKinley flipped to LSU | What we've learned | Skill position 1-on-1s | OL-DL 1-on-1s | Team Ice Practice No. 2 Takeaways | Team Fire Practice No. 2 Takeaways | Three-Point Stance from Day 2 | Team Fire Practice No. 1 Takeaways | Team Ice Practice No. 1 Takeaways | Rumor Mill | Florida staff shake-up led to flip for Xavier Filsaime | Ellis Robinson is ready to get to work | Myles Graham is Florida 'through and through' | Oregon's persistence, stability won out for Jeremiah McClellan | Recruits weigh in on impact of transfer portal | Prospects share weirdest recruiting pitches | Media day interviews | All-Lobby Team | Players discuss the good and bad about recruiting | Storylines to follow | DJ Lagway talks Florida | Bussey recruitment still wide open | Cam Coleman on his Auburn flip | Ryan Williams is down to three
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The Alabama signee came late to the All-American Bowl because he was at the Rose Bowl watching the Crimson Tide play Michigan in the College Football Playoff but once Brown got to San Antonio he made his presence felt.
The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star cornerback has incredible length and he was the only player all week who gave five-star WR Jeremiah Smith some trouble in coverage. With his length, his technique and his ball skills, Brown is an elite talent who has a quiet competitive drive that’s off the charts, too.
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Flowers is already ranked inside the top 100 of the Rivals250 so we already thought highly of him but there is a significant argument to move him even higher because he was outstanding during one-on-one drills against some elite receivers and he made some extraordinary plays in coverage.
The Oregon signee covered up receivers on double moves, he poked the ball away on crossing routes that are nearly impossible to defend and he stayed stride-for-stride with receivers streaking downfield with no over-the-top help. Flowers was a playmaker on defense as he proved to be one of the best safeties in the class.
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No one was more impressive at the All-American Bowl coming off the edge than Lightfoot, who has an insane first step and then a relentless pursuit to get into the backfield to cause problems. The Miami signee from Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood is long and lean but he also has surprising power to engage with offensive tackles and then use a second move to win.
Lightfoot’s best weapon is his speed, though, as he’s dipping around offensive tackles before they’re usually out of their stance and then he has the motor and balance to keep going after the ball carrier.
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Maybe the quietest kid in the class, McKinley didn’t seem to love the Under Armour media day event where he had to talk and talk and talk but once the high four-star gets on the field, a different switch is flipped and the Lafayette (La.) Acadiana standout plays with serious aggression.
He was knocking people around and pushing offensive linemen back all week in Orlando so it was huge for LSU to flip the former Texas A&M pledge on New Year’s Day. He’s a legit five-star candidate with his size and production.
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The long, lean cornerback was excellent all week at the Under Armour Game covering up receivers on the deep ball and then being physical with them at the line of scrimmage as well.
The Oregon signee does an excellent job of staying stride-for-stride throughout the route but his best work is getting his hands in there to knock passes away. Obidegwu has been consistently good for so long and he backed up his work again against elite receivers in Orlando.
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I got a text early in the All-American Bowl week asking if I thought Perich could hang with the elite players since the Esko, Minn., standout had never seen speed and competition like this before. I withheld judgment until seeing him and after a quick acclimation period, the Minnesota signee not only fit right in but excelled.
Perich has a little Cooper DeJean from Iowa vibe to his game. He’s competitive and tough, and he’s excellent at diagnosing where the play is headed and then going after the ball and making something happen.
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Length, speed, athletic ability and playmaking ability have never been a question with Pickett as he’s been a sack machine at Tampa (Fla.) Wharton. It was always whether he could add weight to his long frame and now that’s been answered.
The Miami signee came to Under Armour about 10 pounds heavier than expected and he looked great. He has incredible burst off the line and a big-time motor. Ranked No. 194 in the Rivals250 now, Pickett proved he could move much higher after his week in Orlando.
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The Georgia signee who was pursued by Miami until the last minute is big so one might think he wouldn’t move well or would be a step slower relying on his size more but that’s not the case with Robinson at all.
He’s incredibly fluid, he can be physical or he can run with receivers on deep routes. He showed once again – for like the millionth time – that he can do things that other corners in this class just cannot do. Robinson proved again that he’s unquestionably the top corner in 2024.
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The Tennessee signee is already ranked No. 91 in the Rivals250 so we had a high opinion of Ross heading into the Under Armour week but maybe not high enough. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end has great length, he’s comfortable in his frame and moves well, wins with speed or power against offensive linemen and continued to be productive all week.
There’s not a lot of space to move up much in the position rankings but nationally, Ross could make a case.
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The Miami signee is a big boy at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, and what makes him a five-star is that he’s so athletic and moves so well at that size. Scott can use power to disrupt up the middle but he’s not just a space eater on the defensive line – he’s constantly shooting gaps, running down plays and making things happen.
He plays with a great motor and he plays aggressively, and all week against top competition, Scott looked the part.
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There’s really not much debate left about who is the best defensive tackle in this class: It’s Stone. The Oklahoma signee was so good at Under Armour that he was basically unstoppable in any linemen drills, one-on-one or team settings. What stands out most about Stone is that he’s so hard-nosed and aggressive; so fast off the snap and plays with such violent hands. He wants to be so good that he backed up his ranking and more.
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We moved Viliamu-Asa to a five-star prospect after his outstanding senior season at Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and he more than backed up that ranking in San Antonio. The Notre Dame signee is so mature and such a leader that he should fit perfectly in South Bend from Day 1.
He uses a fierce playing style and his outstanding speed to make plays all over the field. An argument could be made that he’s the best linebacker in the class.
