UA All-America Game: What we learned from Sunday's game
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The performances in the Under Armour All-America Game helped answer some of the questions we had after the week of practices. Some were still unanswered but most of the outstanding issues did get ironed out. Here are the five things we learned from the Under Armour All-America Game.
MORE UA ALL-AMERICA: Commitment predictions | Five biggest questions for UA game | Travis Hunter goes in-depth on shocking decision | Five things we've learned | Friday's top performers | Midweek progress report | Thursday's awards | Stock rising | Takeaways from opening practice | Latest on Under Armour All-America standouts | Video of skill players' 1-on-1s | Video of OL vs. DL | Domani Jackson feature | Javontae Barnes discusses finalists | Mathews breaks down top schools
*****
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series
*****
Nolen and Brownlow-Dindy will be a scary combination for Texas A&M
Walter Nolen has been dominant all week and that continued in the game. The No. 2 prospect in the class bullied most offensive linemen he came across and lived in the backfield for much of the first half. He ended the game with three tackles and a fumble recovery for team Legends. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, his future running mate, only participated in the walk-through practice on Saturday but he showed up ready to play on Sunday. He's been sidelined with an injury for most of the fall but he didn't miss his chance to show off with these All-Americans. Dindy had success his powerful hands and then quickly disengaging to get into the backfield or make the tackle. These two elite interior linemen should make the Texas A&M defensive line one of the best in the nation.
*****
Hunter proves to be more effective on defense
Travis Hunter, the No. 1 player in the country, has had a relatively quiet week but he popped a few times during the game on defense. Jackson State's future star blanketed his receiver for most of the game, except for one play that drew a defensive pass interference penalty. For the most part, Hunter's receiver wasn't targeted but he did have a very nice pass breakup when the offense was trying to get the ball to his receiver on a screen pass. In the past, Hunter, who is listed as an athlete, has shown the ability to be a five-star receiver as well but he had a very hard time making an impact on offense without solid quarterback play.
*****
Marshall is better than the No. 12 receiver in this class
Another Texas A&M signee, Chris Marshall is clearly better than the 12th ranked receiver in this class. The huge outside receiver covers a ton of ground and has better short area quickness than defensive backs anticipated. Marshall was an easy target for quarterbacks in the game, bringing in six catches for 84 yards. He could have added a long touchdown catch to his stat line but the ball went off his finger tips, one of his only drops of the entire week.
*****
Burden and Gracial could be stars for Missouri
It wasn't surprising to see Missouri signee Luther Burden make the play of the game. The No. 1 receiver in the nation played well all week and didn't skip a beat when the game started. His long touchdown catch and run on the first play of the game is a highlight that will be shown throughout his college career and beyond. Burden finished the game with three catches for 86 yards and one touchdown. On the defensive side, Marquis Gracial proved to be a very stout interior lineman and had his way with more than a few offensive lineman. He proved to be very difficult for offensive linemen to push around, finishing with two tackles, a sack, and a tackle for a loss.
*****
Major movement coming in the OL rankings
There were 12 Rivals250 offensive linemen participating in the game but a couple of the ones that aren't ranked near the top had very good games. Neto Umeozulu had a good game. The future Texas Longhorn was also one of the best offensive linemen throughout the week of practice. Kelvin Banks, the top ranked offensive linemen in the game and Umeozulu's future teammate in Austin, capped a forgettable week of practice with a similar performance in the game. Meanwhile, five-stars Zach Rice and Devon Campbell did well throughout the game and had very few negative plays.