Three-point stance: Stars matter, Boykin's blunder, Under Armour thoughts

Don't think stars matter? I can't imagine anyone who watched the two playoff games Thursday evening would feel that way. Because what I saw in the wins by Clemson and Alabama was an overpowering display of star power.

Yes, Wayne Gallman was a three-star and I'm sure there was at least one three-star who made a good play or two for the Crimson Tide, but from Deshaun Watson to Christian Wilkins to Ben Boulware to Calvin Ridley to Cyrus Jones to essentially the whole Alabama defense, star power mattered. The result: Two of the three best rosters in college football -- Ohio State being the other -- will play for a national championship on Jan. 11.

Oklahoma and Michigan State have very good teams and stars of their own, but it was clear they couldn't match the overwhelming number of stars of their opponents. From our first No. 1 team on Rivals.com, the Texas Longhorns in 2002, to Alabama's recent dynasty, there is no way around it: Stars matter when it comes down to winning it all.

It seems I write about a player or coach making a boneheaded move every week, and this week is no different. Now it's TCU's Trevone Boykin taking a swing at a cop a few days before the Horned Frogs' Alamo Bowl matchup against Oregon.

What the heck are these kids thinking? Boykin not only ended his tremendous college career in embarrassment but now his chances at being an NFL player, whether at quarterback or wide receiver, could be shot. I just can't for the life of me understand why these kids jeopardize their careers and also let down their teammates and coaches to go out and party. I understand they are in college and they are only kids, but as a quarterback, Heisman candidate and team leader, Boykin let everyone down.

All the goodwill he earned -- especially after the touching moment at Iowa State that went viral this year when he took time to speak to Cyclones game captain Abby Parker, a seven-year-old with cerebral palsy, after the coin toss -- is out the window. Players like Boykin not only need to think of the people that look up to them and their teammates before putting themselves in situations where they act the fool, in this case he needed to think of the conversation Abby's family now has to have with her about her new favorite player. It's just so disappointing.

Here are some more thoughts on the Under Armour All-America Game practices this week...

** Hands down, Vols quarterback commitment Jarrett Guarantano has been the best quarterback through the first three practices. Not only is he the one with the best instincts when it comes to getting out of the pocket, but he makes good decisions and has been very accurate for the most part downfield. He still needs to show it under the lights in the game, but he continues to impress me.

** Houston wide receiver commitment Tyrie Cleveland went from somewhat overlooked to the best receiver at the event to a guy who started to make me think of five stars in my head by the third practice. He reminds me of Travis Rudolph, who was such a technician down in Orlando during his week. Cleveland isn't the biggest guy, but he's long, has huge hands and catches everything. He works the middle of the field with ease. Could we be looking at our first five-star committed to Houston ever?

** Five star cornerback Levonta Taylor, a Florida State commitment, finally showed up on Thursday and played like we expected. For some reason Taylor was tentative and biting on every stop-start move the first couple of days but came out focused on Thursday and locked everyone down. That's what I want to see in the game.

** Offensive tackle E.J. Price had a good day on Thursday. He's a big, thick and strong kid and when he keeps his balance and doesn't reach and hold he can be very effective. Guard is probably more likely at the college level, but it was good to see him recover.

** Eric Monroe had a good day of practice like Taylor, another of the smaller defensive backs who could struggle with bigger guys at the next level. Fellow LSU commitment Saivion Smith also had a good day and he's a guy I would love to see develop as a corner because he's a willing tackler and he has good size. If I had to choose one of the two as far as ceiling it would be Smith, but he might have to play safety.

** Miami commitment Sam Bruce has missed a couple of days of practice with cramps so any chance of earning that fifth star, which was very slim coming in, are dwindling greatly.

** It's hard to evaluate linebackers in practice, but aside from the big names like Rahshaun Smith, Ben Davis, Lyndell Wilson and Keandre Jones, a few guys have impressed me in different ways. I really like the way Dontavious Jackson comes off blocks in team set, I like the instincts of Devin Bush even though he's not the tallest guy and I love the size of Jeffrey McCulloch. But perhaps the guy I see pushing the hardest for that fifth star is Clemson commitment Tre Lamar, who has length, covers a lot of space and rarely takes a false step. The game will be the real indicator of who can tackle, however.

** I think Arkansas commitment McTelvin Agim will be an inside guy at the next level, he doesn't quite have that outside speed he once had when he was a bit lighter and his lower body strength is made for defensive tackle. He could be that guy like Adolphus Washington, who starts off as an outside guy in our evaluation and ends up as a dominant defensive tackle.