ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2017 Under Armour All-America Game is in the books. Sunday’s game followed a week of practice that showcased some of the top prospects in the 2017 class. Below is a compilation of winners and losers from the week that was in central Florida.
MORE: Full coverage | Offensive roster | Defensive roster | Video interviews
WINNERS
ALABAMA
A day after dispatching Washington and advancing to national title game, Alabama grabbed a commit from Rivals100 defensive back Xavier McKinney during the game broadcast. Tide commit Dylan Moses record a game-high 10 tackles (all solo) in the contest to boot. Jedrick Wills and Alex Leatherwood also spent the week standing out from their All-American peers. It’s good to be Alabama right now, and the week that was at the Under Armour game is only a small part of the reason why.
UNDER ARMOUR
The presenting sponsor won in the way that it got some of top players in the country, many of which have NFL features, in its gear for a week. Spending a long stretch of time getting future influencers acquainted with the brand represents a massive victory. This isn’t charity, after all. There’s a reason the company shells out the money it takes to put on the event.
MARYLAND
Maryland picked up a commitment from four-star safety Markquese Bell. Bell’s choice of Maryland came late in the game after a fellow Maryland-bound prospect, quarterback Kasim Hill, accounted for a touchdown. Hill finished the contest with 87 total yards including a 35-yard run.
Maryland always seems to pick up a commitment during Under Armour week, which should shock no one, as company founder Kevin Plank is a graduate and major supporter of the school.
BRIAN DELANEY'S HEAD
Virginia-bound punter Brian Delaney arrived with a mullet that makes the one worn by Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy look like a buzz cut. He managed to stand out despite playing a normally ignored position and by hopping on what seems to become a post-ironic trend in the same manner as the mustache did years ago. Delaney could easily be the coolest guy in a handful of Brooklyn neighborhoods.
And as long as we’re talking hair, new Alabama commit Xavier McKinney deserves a shout out for having half of his twists died blonde while the other half remained black.
LOSERS
ANYONE TRYING TO STOP JEFF THOMAS
Uncommitted wide receiver Jeff Thomas caught a pair of touchdowns on Sunday. The most impressive of the pair was the second, which featured Thomas turning a short pass into a 79-yard scoring run that saw him make multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone.
His team’s MVP, Thomas finished the game with three catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He set the event’s record for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State had just one commit in the event, and future Sun Devil quarterback Ryan Kelley had a rocky week. He struggled in early-week practices. His accuracy was off, which could have been due to injury as he showed up on the inactive list on game day. Kelley has been better in the past, but for whatever reason struggled mightily during all-star week.
CLEMSON
Clemson was seen as the favorite to land Rivals100 prospect Xavier McKinney, but McKinney pulled a swerve and chose Alabama during the game. And while Tigers wide receiver commit Tee Higgins looked solid in practice all week, he was rarely targeted during the game and caught just one pass (which went for a long gain). Tigers fans won’t likely care that things didn’t break their way with McKinney, however, as they’re still riding a high from their team’s domination of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
GEORGIA
Isaiah Wilson was one of the most impressive players all week, although he did tweak his ankle in the game and had to leave temporarily. The fact that Georgia failed to land in-state prospects Xavier McKinney also probably stings a bit. The Bulldogs had some reason to smile, however, as Kirby Smart and company landed DeAngelo Gibbs, who announced his intentions to attend Georgia during the game. Even still, Gibbs had a couple of drops on Sunday
