UA All-America Game: Takeaways from Day One

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Alabama had 18 commitments going into the Early Signing Period, and 14 of those have signed. Out of the six participating in the Under Armour All-America game this year, four really stood out on Day One.

Starting on the offensive side of the ball with wide receiver Xavier Williams: He showed good speed and his hands were strong Sunday. He made a couple of very nice touchdown grabs within a 5-minute span that drew big celebrations from his teammates. On defense, Stephon Wynn, Jordan Davis and Quay Walker showed up often. Wynn played strong at the point of attack and was not pushed back often. Davis was outstanding in the Team session applying constant quarterback pressure. He would have had at least three sacks if they were going live. Walker, the only one out of this group that did not sign earlier this month, was one of the fastest linebackers on either team. He closed on the ball extremely well and the Tide will have to work hard to hold off Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee for Walker.

Not many talk about or even know much about Kwatrivous Johnson. He is likely a right tackle in Starkville, but he was working at left guard much of Day One. He was arguably the most impressive offensive lineman on his team and he definitely out-played his three-star ranking Sunday. He showed the ability to bend, to play with good pad level and he held his ground extremely well. Johnson is the type of lineman Mississippi State has signed under the radar in recent years who then turn into an NFL Draft pick.

When watching Team Spotlight’s defensive linemen work, PJ Mustipher stood out time and time again. He was tough to move and he was getting push and penetration during the Team session and he won each one-on-one rep. He was strong, he worked his hands and he really put on a show Sunday. On offense, Justin Shorter did a great job of adjusting to passes and getting separation. He has a great frame and it was tough for defensive backs to slow him down. These two early signees represented the Nittany Lions very well Sunday.

Many times when you looked up on either field, someone from the state of Georgia was making a play. Georgia signee Brenton Cox had a nice spin move during the one-on-one session. Myles Sims, an early enrollee at Michigan, picked a pass off in the corner of the end zone. Soon-to-be Florida Gator Trey Dean drew a lot of praise during 7-on-7 play. Uncommitted offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum impressed with numerous wins during the 1-on-1 battles. Quay Walker, an Alabama commit mentioned above, also stood out. There are a dozen players from Georgia participating, and many are leaving the state to play college football.

The quarterbacks were up and down on Day One, but the guys they were throwing to made plays on the ball for them. Justin Shorter and Xavier Williams have already been mentioned, but the Alabama and Penn State signees really stood out at receiver. On Team Spotlight, Ole Miss signee Elijah Moore got into the end zone with a leaping grab and he got behind the secondary showing his downfield speed, too. TCU signee Te’Vailance Hunt was very consistent and he showed good speed. Like Hunt, Joshua Moore is out of Texas, and he displayed great ball skills and made a few tough grabs along the sideline. Moving over to Team Highlight, Justin Watkins, who will announce his decision this week, was a star. He showed a great burst, quick cuts and he was tough for anyone to stay with in coverage. Texas A&M commit Jalen Preston is a strong receiver and he used his size against the defensive backs. He high-pointed a ball for a touchdown grab on an underthrown ball that was impressive.