Army All-American Bowl 2015: Top Recruits and Storylines to Watch

There are still teams in college football preparing to play a bowl game, but coaches and scouts will have their hands full January 3 when the nation's best high school recruits make their way to San Antonio, Texas, for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. 

Of all the showcase events for recruits, the Army All-American Bowl is the most high profile and provides the biggest stage to make that one statement in order to lock down a scholarship offer from the school they most want to attend. 

Recruiting season is entering the home stretch before national signing day February 4. There's a lot on the line for everyone, even in an exhibition setting, so expect to see a high-caliber game and the future of college football represented well. 

Rank	Player	Commitment/List
1	Martez Ivey, OT (Apopka, FL)	Florida, Auburn, LSU
2	Trent Thompson, DT (Albany, GA)	Georgia (Committed)
3	CeCe Jefferson, DE (Glen Saint Mary, FL)	Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, Florida State
4	Mitch Hyatt, OL (Suwanee, GA)	Clemson (Committed)
5	Kahlil McKenzie, DE (Concord, CA)	Tennessee (Committed)
6	Rasheem Green, DT (Gardena, CA)	USC, Miami
7	Chuma Edoga, OT (Powder Springs, GA)	USC (Committed)
8	Deon Cain, WR (Tampa, FL)	Clemson (Committed)
9	Keisean Lucier-South, DE (Orange County, CA)	UCLA (Committed)
10	Justin Hilliard, LB (Cincinnati, OH)	Ohio State (Committed)

The Uncertain Future of Martez Ivey

Martez Ivey, who is listed as the No. 1 overall recruit, was supposed to make one school's fanbase very happy this weekend. The big offensive tackle was poised to announce his decision Saturday, but he has opted to keep things open. 

According to Wesley Sinor of AL.com, citing a 247Sports report, Ivey wants to wait until LSU and Auburn are able to meet with him on his turf: "He is reportedly holding off because of upcoming in-home visits from Auburn and LSU. It now appears he will wait until National Signing Day to make his decision public. Ivey has been split between Auburn and Florida for months. His best friend and teammate, Chandler Cox, is committed to Auburn."

That could signal bad news for Florida, though the Gators are close to Ivey's home in Apopka and have settled their coaching situation with the hiring of Jim McElwain in December. 

Most of the top recruits in the country aren't going to commit until national signing day because they like to take as much time as possible to hear all of the pitches, and it brings them more media attention. Ivey is just playing the game, like so many others before him have done. 

Still, landing the top-ranked high school recruit would be a major boon to McElwain's initial class as head coach at Florida. He's got time to work on things, but he will be tested by two other SEC powerhouse programs. 

Devonaire Clarington's Decision

Even though Ivey will make everyone wait to hear what school lies in his future, star tight end Devonaire Clarington has no reservations about making up his mind Saturday. 

Clarington, who is a 4-star recruit and is the fourth-ranked tight end in the 2015 class, tweeted on December 23 that his decision would be made at the Army All-American Game:

The schools Clarington will decide between include Texas, Miami, Florida and LSU. The Hurricanes have the home-field advantage, as the star prospect is from Miami and plays at Booker T. Washington High School. 

Texas has been the most active recruiter. Clarington had an official visit to the school November 7 and two different visits from Longhorns assistant coach Chris Vaughn in December.

Clarington does have an official visit to LSU scheduled for January 16, though that will obviously change depending on what his decision ends up being. The Miami native already looks like a pass-catching monster at 6'5" and 222 pounds, but there's room for him to add more strength to overpower college defenders. 

Whatever Clarington's decision, he's going to make one school very happy and lethal in the passing game when he arrives on campus. 

Donte Jackson's Last Stand

It's one thing to be a standout during practice and another to carry that talent over into games. Few players have drawn reviews in the week leading up to the game comparable to star athlete Donte Jackson. 

Barton Simmons of 247Sports wrote in his practice notes from Monday that Jackson was dazzling as a cornerback and a wide receiver: "Jackson looked five-starish on Monday. He has an Adoree' Jackson skill set and like Jackson he made plays on both sides of the ball. He was the most natural cornerback and had the best break on the football. Whe he swung over to the offensive side of the ball, he won every rep we saw."

Simmons notes that Jackson has "looked five-starish" because the website has him listed as a 4-star player and the No. 7 athlete in the class. Everyone ahead of Jackson has committed, so his performance will only increase the desperation to get him signed. 

Andrew Lopez of The New Orleans Times-Picayune noted that Saturday should see Jackson doing a little bit of everything on the field:

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He's been a lockdown cornerback and when he switches to offense, shows some of the best burst of any of the wide receivers in attendance. I could forsee a game where Jackson makes plays on offense, defense and in the punt return game where he should get a chance to make an impact. Don't be surprised to see Jackson rise in the national recruiting rankings when this week is done.

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Since Jackson is from New Orleans, it's not a surprise that LSU is on his short list of schools. Georgia is also listed as a serious player for his services so the SEC figures to get one of the premiere athletes and arguably the fastest-rising player from this week. 

Jackson's versatility on both sides of the ball, as well as his ability to contribute on special teams, will be one of the key aspects of the All-American Bowl. He's got everyone eating out of his hands right now, so don't expect anything less than a dazzling effort when the game starts. 

Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports unless otherwise noted.