Three-Point Stance: All-Star games review, ranking commits, Pac-12 ESP

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with some standouts from the Under Armour and Army Games, a ranking of the in-game commitments and some Pac-12 Early Signing Period Awards.

MORE: Gorney Awards from Army Bowl | Farrell Awards from Under Armour

The week of practice leading up to the Under Armour All America Game and the U.S. Army All American Bowl is vitally important for scouting purposes, but there’s something to be said for those who simply ball out in the game under the lights. After watching each game numerous times, here are some of the players that impressed me the most.

DE Aidan Hutchinson, Army Bowl – Hutchinson was everywhere and finished with two sacks and a few other plays in the offensive backfield to go with four tackles. The Michigan signee was simply dominant.

RB Maurice Washington, Under Armour – He came out of nowhere and now he has schools all over him. His record-setting performance in the UA Game with 69 yards rushing and two touchdowns and a 27-yard touchdown catch, as well as a long return, was head-turning.

QB Joey Gatewood, Under Armour – Gatewood showed he’s not just a project as he looked more like Cam Newton than I expected. The Auburn signee ran well and was hard to tackle and looked comfortable throwing the football.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Army Bowl – He was dominant all week in practice and the USC commitment was dominant in the game as well. He’s open it seems on every play and he made it easy for his quarterbacks.

DB Caden Sterns, Army Bowl – Two interceptions and some solid tackling for the Texas signee. He’s going to be part of an amazing defensive backfield in Austin.

RB James Cook, Army Bowl – The Georgia running back signee ran the ball well and was elusive and showed why he could very well be a weapon in the passing game in Athens as well.

DE Brenton Cox, Under Armour – After an uninspired week of practice, the Georgia signee turned it on in the game and was all over the field. He ended up with six tackles, three sacks and a couple other plays in the offensive backfield.

WR Jordyn Adams, Army Bowl – Adams was the second most impressive wideout in the Army Bowl with his great hands and ability to gain yards after the catch. The North Carolina signee had six catches for 56 yards but seemed to impact the game even more than that.

DE Eyobi Anoma, Under Armour – While totaling four tackles and two sacks, Anoma showed a great motor and the best closing speed of any defensive end in the country. The Alabama signee was awesome.

DB Brendan Radley-Hiles, Army Bowl – He didn’t make a ton of plays, but the ones he made were spectacular, led by batting the pass into the air for a pick of Trevor Lawrence to start the game. The Oklahoma commitment’s instincts are off the charts.

DT Coynis Miller, Under Armour – This was a surprise of sorts because Miller was up and down during the week, but during the game he was very active and had six tackles and a sack. The Auburn commitment will be a good one.

DB BJ Foster, Under Armour – His week of practice wasn’t that great at all save for a few plays, but the Texas signee was awesome in the game, forcing a fumble, intercepting a pass and laying the hit of the game on Justyn Ross.

There were 10 on-air commitments between the two all-star games so here’s my attempt to rank them according to national importance.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC – The nation’s top wide receiver deciding to stay home and play for USC is about as big a deal as they come.

DB Brendan Radley-Hiles, Oklahoma – Another five-star prospect from California spurns the world and heads to Norman. This is an amazing pickup.

LB JJ Peterson, Tennessee – Jeremy Pruitt has done a great job juggling recruiting and getting the ‘Bama defense ready and he landed a ‘Bama-like linebacker in Peterson.

DE Tyreke Smith, Ohio State – Smith has added some good weight and gets better each time I see him and I can predict he will be a star at Ohio State. He has that work ethic you need.

DE Jayson Oweh, Penn State – He reminds me of Shane Simmons at the same stage and could be a hybrid who can get after the passer but has the speed to string things out.

DB Kelvin Joseph, LSU – The Tigers keeping one of the state’s best at home may seem easy from the outside looking in, but this is still an important get.

WR Anthony Schwartz, Auburn – He’s going to make some big plays at Auburn with that speed and he could be a special teams star.

WR Rondale Moore, Purdue – Speaking of speed, he brings much needed quickness to the Purdue offense and got the Boilermakers some national publicity in the meantime.

LB Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma – He is raw but has a high ceiling and is a physical tackler so he could be a good fit for the Sooners as a big linebacker.

OL Chris Murray, UCLA – A solid run and pass blocker, this is an important pick up for Chip Kelly as UCLA looks to build some recruiting momentum.

Now that I’ve gone through the Early Signing Period Awards for the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12, it’s time for the Pac-12, so here it goes:

Biggest Get: Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC – The trifecta for St. Brown being mentioned in each section, he’s the highest-rated Pac-12 commitment and some think he’s the best receiver from Cali in a decade.

Biggest Loss: Jaiden Woodbey – FSU came in and stole him after Ohio State landed his first commitment. USC was thought to be the real threat to the Buckeyes for Woodbey, so this is a big loss.

Biggest Surprise: Chase Cota, UCLA – With his dad playing at Oregon and so many connections to that program, it’s surprising he chose the Bruins in the end. Even with the coaching change, many felt he’d still end up at Oregon.

Future Star: Marquis Spiker, Washington – He’s the perfect fit for an offense that will allow him to put up massive numbers.

Cross Country Steal: Thomas Booker, Stanford – Defensive tackles are hard to find and landing a talented one like Booker all the way from Maryland is quite the pull.

Highest Ceiling: Bryan Addison, UCLA – This may sound like an interesting choice with so many others ranked higher, but his athleticism is off the charts and if he puts it all together, he has first-round skills.

Project To Watch: Steven Jones, Oregon – He’s either going to be great or a flop, at least that’s how it goes with many massive offensive linemen as raw as Jones and with his skillset.

Tackling Machine: Palaie Gaoteote, USC – Watch him on film and try to find a missed tackle. This is why he’s a five-star talent.

Surprising Team: Washington State – The Cougars are outside the national Top 25 but at No. 4 in the Pac-12 with nearly a three-star average per recruit, they are having a very good recruiting year by their standards.

Must Keep: Isaac Taylor-Stuart – The highest-rated Cali prospect left uncommitted. USC seems to have the chance to keep him away from the SEC.

Do or Die January: UCLA – The Bruins are No. 8 in the Pac-12 with a great average star ranking but need quite a few big commitments down the stretch to push into the Top 15 where they usually land.