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UA All-America Game: Five prospects that could surprise

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Under Armour All-America Game is less than a week away, and standout prospects from across the country are set to compete against their peers in one of the premier all-star events in high school football. Here are five Under Armour ALl-Americans that could surprise this week in Florida.

MORE UA GAME COVERAGE: Top storylines | Potential five-stars | Teams to watch

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Christian Meadows
Christian Meadows (Rivals.com)

In a roster full of big, strong, powerful offensive linemen, Meadows is one of the most intimidating. When he plays angry, he has the potential to dominate the opposition, which he is very capable of doing this week in Orlando. However, he has also been known to lack that fire, so it will be interesting to see which Meadows shows up. While he did not sign with Florida State during the early signing period, despite being committed since the summer of 2016, he still seems destined for the Seminoles once they hire an offensive line coach.

Cole Smith
Cole Smith (Chad Simmons)

While he comes from a football family, with his father having played at Mississippi State and then in the NFL for eight years, Smith still managed to slide under the recruiting radar for a majority of his process. Coming from a small town in Mississippi, he is likely eager to make a name for himself against the top competition this week in Orlando. Smith plays with high energy and tenacity, which should help him stand out. That, on top of the skills that he brings to the field, makes him a player to watch.

Hank Manos
Hank Manos (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Manos is a student of the game and an athletic lineman, which he has proven on the field in South Carolina and by his success on the wrestling mat. Now he will have the opportunity to prove himself against elite defensive line talent. As with many elite linemen, Manos is known to have a switch that turns on once he is on the field. If he is able to keep this switch on all week long, Manos very well may leave Orlando as one of the top offensive linemen in attendance.

Kwatrivous Johnson
Kwatrivous Johnson (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Johnson, who is hard to miss at 6-foot-9 and 360 pounds, has turned heads during the Rivals Camp Series and hopes to do the same this week in Orlando. The potential has always been there for Johnson to play at an elite level, but with any player his size and age, footwork has been a work-in-progress. He has put in overtime to improve this part of his game, and has he improved it enough to compete against top defensive ends such as Jordan Davis and K.J. Henry during practices and then Anoma Eyabi and Brenton Cox during the game.

Byron Hanspard
Byron Hanspard (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Hanspard’s game is all about speed, which will always give him a chance to shine during an event like this. He also brings height and length to the table, which immediately makes him a candidate to be a top-level cornerback. Now he just has to prove that he can play with physicality and can handle the skill-level of top receivers such as Justyn Ross, Justin Shorter and Malik Heath in practice all week.

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