Winners and Losers of the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour All-America Game took place Sunday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and Team Armour edged Team Highlight, 24-21, in the nationally televised contest.
The game featured recruits from all over the country, and two players walked away with MVP honors. Florida State running back pledge Khalan Laborn was named the MVP for Team Highlight, while uncommitted wide receiver Jeff Thomas earned MVP recognition for Team Armour.
There were multiple winning storylines—and a couple that didn't have happy endings—that came from Orlando on Sunday. Here are the winners and losers from the Under Armour game.
Winner: Georgia
1 of 9
Georgia's strong 2017 class got even stronger Sunday when it landed 5-star athlete DeAngelo Gibbs during the Under Armour All-America Game. He committed to the Bulldogs over offers from Alabama and Tennessee and is expected to enroll this week.
Gibbs can play multiple positions, including safety, wide receiver and cornerback. He saw a lot of time at the Under Armour game as a wide receiver, but at 6'2" and 204 pounds, safety may be his natural position at the next level.
Georgia fans were excited to win a recruiting race that Alabama seemed to gain momentum with each day. Gibbs could be a reliable target for 5-star quarterback pledge Jake Fromm, or he could team up with 4-star safety Richard LeCounte III in the secondary.
Winner: Florida State
2 of 9
Quick trivia: Who was the first athlete to score in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game? Florida State fans will answer with authority: Khalan Laborn. The 4-star running back from Virginia Beach, Virginia, scored on a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
The touchdown served as a reminder of where the future of Florida State football could be. Laborn is one of three dynamic running backs committed to the Seminoles—the others being 5-star Cam Akers and 4-star Zaquandre White. Akers will showcase his talents this week at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
Of the three backs, while Akers is ranked the highest, Laborn could be the best at making a play in space. He can be used effectively in the backfield and as a slot receiver. Laborn showed his elusiveness throughout Sunday's game.
Loser: Clemson
3 of 9
The race for 4-star safety Xavier McKinney was supposed to be easy for Clemson. After the Roswell, Georgia, standout decommitted from Alabama in July, many expected him to take his talents to the ACC and play for coach Dabo Swinney.
McKinney, however, announced during the Under Armour All-America Game that he has recommitted to the Crimson Tide. That's a nice get for a class that continues to distance itself from the rest of the 2017 recruiting classes.
Clemson is hoping that this recruiting loss will be the only football-related one of the year to Alabama. The Tigers will face the Crimson Tide in a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 9.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Winner: Virginia Tech
4 of 9
Before the game even started, Virginia Tech had reason to smile, as the Hokies scored a big commitment from outside linebacker Nathan Proctor. The 4-star talent from Indian Head, Maryland, chose the Hokies over Pitt and Penn State.
Proctor is a versatile linebacker who can play outside and inside, depending on the scheme. Virginia Tech has its variation of the 4-3 setup, and Proctor can be used at several spots, thanks to his quickness and athleticism.
Per Scout.com, Proctor is the top-ranked pledge for Virginia Tech. Nationally, he is ranked No. 161 overall and listed as the No. 11 outside linebacker.
Loser: Ohio State
5 of 9
Ohio State has had better two-day spans.
After Saturday's Fiesta Bowl debacle against Clemson, the Buckeyes were hoping to get a pledge from one of the five players who announced in Orlando on Sunday. Ohio State missed on all five pledges.
The good news for the Buckeyes is that they still have a top-five 2017 class nationally. While Ohio State didn't get a commit Sunday, there's still opportunity for them to land a few players before national signing day. All eyes now will be on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Saturday in San Antonio.
Winner: Jeff Thomas
6 of 9
If nothing else, Jeff Thomas showed Sunday that he is one of the most dangerous athletes in space in the 2017 class. The 4-star wide receiver from East St. Louis, Illinois, caught three passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed his worth with solid kickoff return play.
Thomas, who was key in Team Armour's win, was fun to watch for fans and a headache to defend for Team Highlight players. Per Corey Bender of Scout.com, he set the record for receiving yards in an Under Armour game, which was previously held by Terry Hawthorne (120 yards) from his 2009 efforts.
Thomas' recruiting process is interesting, as he doesn't make a lot of information public. He is expected to take official visits to Louisville the weekend of Jan. 13 and Illinois the following week. Oregon and Missouri are two other schools to keep an eye on.
Winner: K'Lavon Chaisson
7 of 9
Galena Park, Texas, 4-star defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson is one of those athletes who would rather show you his skills instead of speaking to the media about them. On Sunday, Chaisson was active throughout the Under Armour All-America Game, proving that he is a top-five defensive end nationally in the 2017 class.
Chaisson is a lean, slippery defender at 6'4" and 220 pounds. While there are much bigger defensive ends in the class, few have a nose for the football like he does, and he proved that Sunday with a four-sack performance. He will add weight in a college program, and the expectations of him becoming even more dangerous as a defender are high.
Chaisson on Friday announced via Twitter that Texas and LSU are his top two schools. He will visit LSU the weekend of Jan. 13 and Texas the following weekend. Chaisson also has scheduled official visits to Colorado (Jan. 23) and USC (Jan. 27).
Loser: Pac-12 and Big 12
8 of 9
The Under Armour All-America Game announced commitments from Virginia Tech, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Maryland. For those counting, that's three SEC pledges and one each for the ACC and Big Ten.
The Pac-12 and Big 12 did not get a commitment Sunday. Fortunately, there's still plenty of time for the Power Five conferences to add players to their 2017 classes. All eyes will be on Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, as seven players are expected to announce their college plans, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.
One player to watch from the Under Armour game is uncommitted wide receiver Jeff Thomas, who electrified the crowd with his two-touchdown performance Sunday. Oregon is one of the schools in the race for his pledge.
Winner: Maryland
9 of 9
D.J. Durkin finished his first year as Maryland's head coach and led the Terrapins to the Quick Lane Bowl. Durkin and his coaching staff also have recruited a solid 2017 class, which now includes 4-star safety Markquese Bell out of Bridgeton, New Jersey.
Bell, a top-20 safety nationally, chose Maryland over Virginia Tech, Ohio State and several other programs. At 6'2" and 201 pounds, he is a big defensive back who tackles like an outside linebacker. He likes to lower his shoulder and make the big hit, but he also has good makeup speed, which helps him in passing situations.
Bell joins a class that includes several defensive standouts, such as 4-star cornerback Deon Jones, 4-star linebacker Ayinde Eley, 4-star defensive tackle Cam Spence and the defensive tackle/twin brother tandem of 4-star Breyon Gaddy and 3-star Brandon Gaddy.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
