UA Game: What we've learned in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Under Armour week is heading toward game-time and from media day to multiple days of practice, there was a lot to learn. Here is the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.
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MORE UA GAME WEEK: Skill position 1-on-1s | OL-DL 1-on-1s | Team Ice Practice No. 2 Takeaways | Team Fire Practice No. 2 Takeaways | Three-Point Stance from Day 2 | Team Fire Practice No. 1 Takeaways | Team Ice Practice No. 1 Takeaways | Rumor Mill | Florida staff shake-up led to flip for Xavier Filsaime | Ellis Robinson is ready to get to work | Myles Graham is Florida 'through and through' | Oregon's persistence, stability won out for Jeremiah McClellan | Recruits weigh in on impact of transfer portal | Prospects share weirdest recruiting pitches | Media day interviews | All-Lobby Team | Players discuss the good and bad about recruiting | Storylines to follow | DJ Lagway talks Florida | Bussey recruitment still wide open | Cam Coleman on his Auburn flip | Ryan Williams is down to three
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ROBINSON WAS CLOSER TO FLIPPING THAN FIRST THOUGHT
Five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson ultimately stuck with his commitment to Georgia that he made on Feb. 1. But after position coach Fran Brown left for Syracuse, Robinson was much closer to flipping to Miami than first thought.
When the in-home visits were happening in December, Miami made a huge push for Robinson and the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout was listening. The word from coach Mario Cristobal and his staff was that Robinson could get developed under position coach Jahmile Addae and prepped for the NFL.
But where can someone get prepared for the pros more than at Georgia? It was an interesting pitch and one that almost worked but Robinson stuck with the Bulldogs.
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THERE COULD BE OTHER FIVE-STAR CORNERBACKS
With one more re-ranking after the all-star games, Ellis Robinson is the only five-star cornerback but that could definitely change because at least two other players will be under serious consideration from the Under Armour Game.
Texas signee Kobe Black looks great, has length and can run with receivers. Alabama signee Jaylen Mbakwe won the Fastest Man competition, plus he’s smooth and sticky in coverage. There could be others who make a statement at the All-American Bowl so by the end of this it would be a surprise if only Robinson remains as a five-star.
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STILL QUESTIONS AROUND LAGWAY
There is no ignoring that Florida five-star quarterback signee DJ Lagway threw for 4,604 yards with 58 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and also rushed for 957 yards and 16 more scores in his senior season. Those are just ridiculous numbers that demand attention.
But some of the same concerns we saw at the Elite 11 this summer have popped up again against elite competition this week at Under Armour. Lagway has an extended throwing motion. The ball does not pop off his hand and sometimes it floats to the receiver. In Willis, Texas, he can get away with some of that but against the best of the best – here or in the SEC – there are concerns.
Lagway continues to be one of the more-discussed prospects in this class. He has unreal ability in games but has struggled a bit (with the other quarterbacks in an all-star setting) this week.
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SIMMONS HAD A REALLY TOUGH CALL
Every time Colin Simmons visited Texas, he loved it. Then every time the five-star defensive end took a trip to LSU, he loved it as well. The Duncanville, Texas, standout went back-and-forth, back-and-forth between the two programs over and over again until he finally had to settle on one and the Longhorns won out.
Simmons has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain this week which is unfortunate because it would’ve been great to see him against national competition at the highest level. But he looked great at media day. He’s not the biggest defensive end ever but he’s twitched up and looks ready to go at any moment. His production during his high school career is unquestioned.
Now the question becomes can Simmons flip his five-star Duncanville teammate Dakorien Moore, the top-rated receiver in the 2025 class, from LSU to Texas to play together again?
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ONCE JIMBO GOT FIRED, IT WAS OVER FOR COLEMAN
Any attempt by the new Texas A&M coaching staff to keep five-star receiver Cam Coleman was for naught – and probably never had much of a chance.
The Phenix City (Ala.) Central standout who committed to the Aggies in July over Auburn flipped to the Tigers on Dec. 1. He said this week that once former coach Jimbo Fisher was fired in College Station, he was absolutely not going there any longer and would pick among Auburn. Florida, Penn State and others.
If Fisher (and position coach Dameyune Craig) stayed, Coleman probably would’ve honored his commitment. With both out, there was not much new coach Mike Elko could do.
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LAWS COULD BE SURPRISINGLY SPECIAL
Emmett Laws is listed at a very generous 6-foot-1 and 265 pounds on the Under Armour roster and while it looks like he would get completely manhandled and pushed around by these mammoth offensive linemen, that has not been the case this week.
The Virginia Tech signee has been doing the winning in one-on-ones and team drills and he’s been shockingly productive against some of the best offensive guards and centers in the 2024 class.
I don’t ever want to hear any Aaron Donald comparisons because there is only one Aaron Donald and not every undersized defensive tackle is Aaron Donald. But Laws has been super effective up the middle. He’s pushing people around and using his low center of gravity to win. He’s just more aggressive than a lot of his opponents, kind of like, well, Aaron Donald.
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MCKINLEY COULD BE ANOTHER FIVE-STAR
Five-star Oklahoma signee David Stone is having a phenomenal week at Under Armour and has all but secured the top spot in the defensive tackle rankings. But Miami signee Justin Scott is going to have to really impress at the All-American Bowl to keep No. 2.
That’s because Dominick McKinley has been dominant during one-on-one drills and he could not only push for a move up in the position rankings but to five-star status as well. With his size, aggressiveness and violent hands, McKinley has done what he’s wanted this week and a big Under Armour game could solidify things even more.
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JONAH-AJONYE MADE A MAJOR IMPRESSION
Georgia signee Joseph Jonah-Ajonye missed the Under Armour media day events but when he showed up at practice the four-star defensive lineman from Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge was one of the best-looking prospects at the entire event.
There are four five-star prospects ranked ahead of him at defensive end in Williams Nwaneri, Eddrick Houston, Kamarion Franklin and 2025 reclass Armondo Blount but Jonah-Ajonye is making a big-time case to move up in the rankings.
Is he a five-star? The game will really determine that but however it shakes out, Georgia is getting an elite player not only in him but also in Conroe Oak Ridge teammate five-star linebacker Justin Williams, who looks like the exact definition of what a top-rated linebacker should look like.
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HIGH SCHOOL QUARTERBACKS DON'T LOVE THE PORTAL
Quarterback recruiting is tough enough to decipher and for those players to figure out an incredibly complicated puzzle sometimes, now the transfer portal is making it more difficult.
Let’s take Mississippi State signee Michael Van Buren as an example. The four-star QB from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances had been committed to Oregon since May but in the closing days before signing day, the two sides parted ways. Van Buren took a late visit to Starkville before he signed.
The Ducks had another quarterback in the class in four-star Luke Moga. OK. But then Oregon added Oklahoma starter Dillon Gabriel and UCLA starter (and former five-star) Dante Moore. For months, it looked like Van Buren was the leader of the class and the quarterback the Ducks wanted. Then the portal made that way more difficult.
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NWANERI HAS A CHANCE TO BE REALLY GREAT
Williams Nwaneri is already a five-star prospect and the No. 3 prospect in the 2024 class. But seeing him here this week has only reinforced that the Missouri signee has so many special qualities it’s pretty much hard to believe.
Has he absolutely dominated every rep during practice? No. And he hasn’t shown that ferocious aggressiveness needed to be an unstoppable defensive end in the SEC and beyond. But he definitely has all the tools to be arguably the best player in this class and down the road a first-round NFL Draft pick.
Nwaneri is best on film when he can blitz off the edge, be disruptive in the backfield and more than anything, when he can chase down plays from sideline to sideline. This is the biggest test he’s ever faced against some legit offensive tackles. He’s done a nice job but even more should be coming in the future.