Under Armour All-America Game 2015: Recruits Who Made Biggest Impact at Event
The future took center stage Friday at the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game, where Team Highlight took down Team Armour, 46-6.
In the process of the lopsided outcome, tomorrow's collegiate and professional stars stole the show with big performances against the best of the best.
Certain programs and legions of fans also left the proceedings as major winners. Take LSU, for example, which scored a commitment from 5-star wideout Tyron Johnson, as illustrated by ESPN College GameDay:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
On the field, a few names took advantage of the spotlight. Observers around the globe will want to become familiar with the recruits, as Friday was only the beginning.
Top Performers
Daylon Mack, DT, Undecided
It should come as no surprise that 5-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack put on a show Friday.
The Gladewater High School (Texas) product weighs in at 6'0" and 330 pounds, so his ability to stand out among eventual college players seems a given.
Through just two quarters of play, it was apparent that the fourth-rated defensive tackle in the 2015 class was a man among boys, as ESPN's Derek Tyson points out:
Such a speed-size combination rarely comes around, especially at the age of 17. As Rotoworld's Raymond Summerlin muses, Mack is well on his way to the next level given his current trajectory:
"Daylon Mack is a name we will be talking about in the first round of the draft in a couple years. Amazing first step for a 330lb DT.
— Raymond Summerlin (@RMSummerlin) January 2, 2015"
Funnily enough, Mack is not ready just yet to reveal where he will even go to college. Texas A&M, TCU and Texas seem to lead the pack, but pushes for his services are likely only to intensify after Friday's epic showing.
Byron Cowart, SDE, Undecided
Mack is not alone in his all-star game dominance.
Byron Cowart, a 5-star recruit and No. 1 strong-side defensive end in the 2015 class, is actually Mack's equal in the minds of those who ran the event, as Tyson captures:
The Seffner, Florida, native, who weighs in at 6'4" and 250 pounds, lived up to his incredible hype with sheer athleticism and speed that allowed him to fluster opposing quarterbacks all night long.
Rivals Camp Series captures just one instance:
Like Mack, though, Cowart's eventual destination remains a mystery. He seems to want to stay local as well, hence Florida and Florida State leading the charge over others such as Alabama and Arkansas.
For fans of the sport in general, a glimpse into the future of major-program play with Cowart's performance Friday was quite a treat, regardless of where he ends up.
Deondre Francois, QB, Florida State
Florida State’s future looks great.
Deondre Francois, a 4-star quarterback and the No. 4 pro-style passer in the class, took the globe by storm Friday night and surely did enough to jump up the board after entering the game ranked No. 100 overall.
While he did not see a huge amount of action, Francois made an impact, with 103 yards and a touchdown pass, the latter of which drew praise from Tyson:
"I wanted to just come out here and have fun," Francois said, per The Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "It was nice to get a pass to George because he and I were roommates this week. We tried to set something up."
At 6'1" and 195 pounds with 4.6 40-yard dash speed, Francois continues to do nothing short of improve as he learns the position.
For the Seminoles, Friday was another reassurance that the quarterback position is in good hands down the road.
Player rankings based on 247Sports' composite ranking system. All recruit measurements and stats courtesy of 247Sports.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
