UA All-America Game: The Friedman Awards
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Two Under Armour All-America Game practices are in the books and a few players have really made waves for one reason or another. Here are just some of the players that have stood out so far and earned various awards for their performances.
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MORE FROM UA ALL-AMERICA GAME: Takeaways from opening practice | Latest on Under Armour All-America standouts | Video of skill players' 1-on-1s | Video of OL vs. DL
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CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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Brick Wall
One of the top uncommitted prospects on either roster, Campbell could be an immediate contributor for any team he chooses. An interior offensive linemen, Campbell is as strong as they come and he plays with great leverage. He beat multiple five-star defensive tackles during one-on-ones. Campbell has very strong hands and controls the defensive lineman until the whistle. He's shown the ability to slide to stay in front of the defender and reset his hands when needed. As a run blocker Campbell hasn't had a problem pushing defensive linemen around, either.
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Mr. Versatility
Perkins is expected to play linebacker at the next level, but he has the athleticism to play all over the field. He starred at running back during his senior season and could see time with the ball in hands at the next level. Perkins spent Wednesday's practice playing at linebacker but with his team's depleted backfield he jumped over to offense on Thursday and worked as a running back.
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Quiet Assassin
Clemson is really excited about what it's getting in Williams at the receiver position, and rightfully so. The Rivals250 prospect has been dominating the competition in one-on-ones and team drills. His performance thus far deserves to be praised and other prospects having his level of success would be celebrating and putting on a show for the cameras. Williams doesn't do that. After torching a defensive back for a touchdown, he quietly returns the ball to the quarterback and gets back in line for another rep.
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Spark Plug
Anderson has proven to be almost impossible to cover during the first two practice. Alabama is hoping he can be the next Jaylen Waddle and there are a lot of similarities. Anderson has been giving the quarterbacks a lot of room to get the ball to him, but they haven't been able to connect. The quarterbacks in Tuscaloosa will love how fast he is in the open field and the big windows he's able to give them.
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Three-headed Monster
The Team Legends defensive line group might be the most dominant position group on either team, and it's anchored by three five-stars. Nolen has been an absolute animal through the first two practices, and the future Texas A&M Aggie is playing like the most motivated player in attendance, even though he is already the No. 2 player in the Rivals250. Alexander, a Georgia signee, has been playing with a ton of energy and is proving to be way too quick for most of the interior linemen. Shaw, a future North Carolina Tar Heel, is a little banged up, but he looked good in drills during Wednesday's practice. His athleticism and size makes him a mismatch against many of the linemen in attendance.
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The Robber
The Icons team is loaded at linebacker, but Campbell stands out. The Alabama signee is one of the more physical linebackers and he moves really well in space. During team drills at the end of practice on Thursday, Campbell picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown. The play looked eerily similar to James Harrison's interception in the Steelers win over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
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Sticky Hands
Saunders was one of the stars of Wednesday's practice, continuing to show he's one of the best receivers in this class. The Penn State signee didn't have a hard time getting open, but everybody saw how great his hands were. Saunders made a few highlight-reel catches during one-on-ones but the one everybody saw was a one-handed catch along the sidelines. He isn't the biggest receiver but he gets open and his catch radius is so big because he can catch everything thrown his way.
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Walking Giant
There are a lot of huge prospects on the roster but none cast as big a shadow as Oatis. Officially listed at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, the Alabama signee showed up in Orlando looking much bigger. Oatis moves fairly well for his size and it's very clear he'll be effective as a space eater in the middle of Alabama's defensive line. The conditioning program at Alabama will help him a great deal, but it could be a little while before Oatis sees regular playing time.
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The Psychic
It's not surprising to see a five-star mentioned in the awards file, but Johnson definitely looked the part through the first two practices. The future Michigan Wolverine has a great build and used it to his advantage every chance he could. What stands out the most about his performance thus far is his instincts. Johnson has done a great job jumping routes and using his long arms to break up passes all over the field. He's had a couple plays where he broke early on passes but dropped the ball, otherwise he'd have at least one pick 6.
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Hot Wheels
Spears-Jennings might be the biggest surprise so far, and his performance has a lot to do with his speed. The Oklahoma signee won the fastest-man competition, beating known speedster Evan Stewart, and he has been able to blanket most of the receivers he's come across during drills. When it comes to judging these defensive backs on their physical talent, Spears-Jennings ranks near the top of the list.