The Gorney Dozen: The best offensive performers from the all-star events
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 offensive players he watched over the last two weeks on the road.
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ALL-AMERICAN BOWL: 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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It’s hard to believe but Ahfua actually looked small compared to other offensive linemen at the All-American Bowl after he lost 30-plus pounds in the last few months and checked in under 300 pounds. But the Texas A&M signee has kept his power and ability to move people at will while adding some lighter feet. He not only flashed dominance during the week of practice but he was consistently one of the best o-linemen at either event.
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What Brooks did so impressively during Under Armour week was show patience against elite defensive linemen, not guessing and lunging and then using his power and toughness to win reps.
The Oklahoma signee has impressive size and he’s shown his physical nature for years but against the best players he’s seen so far in his career, Brooks did a great job not rushing, letting the defensive linemen come to him and then once the four-star got his hands on them, it was over.
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The top-ranked athlete in the 2024 class, Bussey exclusively played wide receiver at the Under Armour Game and looked great playing that position. The Texas A&M commit who plans to visit College Station and Georgia this month and is working on Alabama and LSU trips as well has also excelled at quarterback and defensive back (where most programs other than Alabama are recruiting him) but it's clear that Bussey can make an impact anywhere on the field.
For the first time seeing him, Bussey didn't seem to be as fluid an athlete as I expected but he still got open against everybody and was clearly a playmaker against elite competition all week.
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The five-star Auburn signee did not have a single catch in the Under Armour Game but he was so impressive during the week of practice - arguably a more important consideration - that we remain confident in Coleman’s projection as one of the top prospects in the class.
Coleman has such great size and length that he can out-reach most cornerbacks and while he doesn’t get clear separation on every single route, Coleman could catch absolutely everything thrown his way.
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The Mississippi State signee was one of the biggest surprises of the all-star season as Craver caught everything thrown his way and made a bunch of tough catches against elite cornerbacks.
A high three-star receiver, Craver plays with tremendous confidence and can-do attitude and even though he’s undersized it kind of works to his advantage because bigger defensive backs can’t get a good jam at the line and can’t get physical with him later in the routes because Craver is great at creating space.
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Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei was so loaded at every position including in the backfield that it was sometimes befuddling even with 2025 five-star running back Jordon Davison getting the majority of carries that Frazier wasn’t used more - especially in the passing game.
The top-ranked all-purpose back and Georgia signee showed all week and especially in Saturday’s game where he caught a touchdown pass why he’s so special. He came to San Antonio to prove a point and he definitely did that as Frazier ran the ball hard, used his dynamic ability to run by defenders and showed his pass-catching abilities as well.
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Alabama beat out Mississippi State and others for the four-star running back from Meridian, Miss., and it’s a big win for the Crimson Tide since Hill had an impressive week at the All-American Bowl.
Sometimes, in all-star settings running backs are marginalized and not much happens but Hill while not showing elite speed has a powerful running style, can dodge defenders and has a knack for finding open running lanes and making things happen.
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Maybe no player at either event helped their status more than the Clemson signee who had a dominant week in San Antonio where it also carried over to the game. Moore showed excellent speed, ability to stretch the field, route-running ability, hands and so much more in every practice setting and then in the All-American Bowl.
The four-star was a man on a mission and his ranking as the No. 41 receiver in the class looks drastically too low - and about to be corrected in the final rankings release.
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The North Carolina signee showed up late to San Antonio and was in street clothes for the first practice but once Shipp took the field he was phenomenal.
Already ranked No. 123 nationally, the Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day standout got open against everybody and showed excellent hands and production throughout the rest of the week. It’s hard to believe there are 25 better receivers than him in the class.
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What else can be written about the No. 1 receiver in the country? The Ohio State signee had a touchdown catch in the All-American Bowl and while he had a relatively quiet week (he didn’t totally dominate like usual) Smith still proved he’s one of the best receivers in recent memory.
From great hands to a competitive nature to so much else, Smith should be special in the Buckeyes’ offense after a serious late flip attempt by Miami and Florida State also involved.
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Quarterback play at all-star events can always be suspect because a base offense is installed quickly and there is little chemistry with the QBs and the receivers but the best of the entire bunch might have been Williams, who has electric dual-threat capabilities and a surprisingly live arm for someone who is undersized.
The Arizona signee can deliver the ball anywhere and he also has tremendous speed to get to the edge and make things happen that way. After Noah Fifita in Tucson, it could be Williams’ time to shine.
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After watching him all Under Armour week, it’s pretty amazing that the Alabama commit who will also visit Auburn and Texas this month is a reclassification from 2025 because Williams is so advanced at the position and could make a real argument for the No. 2 receiver in 2024.
It’s going to be tough to move Smith off that No. 1 line but Williams is so productive, is so loose playing the position and is such a great route runner and pass-catcher that moving him even higher than No. 19 nationally is under serious thought.