Under Armour All-America Game 2015: Score, Recruit Commitments and Reaction

The Under Armour All-America Game is one of the most important high school football showcases on the calendar. The 2015 game, which Team Highlight won over Team Armour 46-6 on Friday, served as a display for some of the nation's best prospects and a commitment stage. 

It's also a good learning opportunity for the players, who got to work with former NFL head coaches Herm Edwards (Highlight) and Steve Mariucci (Armour). Getting insight from two men with such extensive football resumes is only going to make them better. 

Even though Mariucci's squad was blown out, there were plenty of positives to take away from a recruiting standpoint. Daylon Mack, who was in the opposing backfield all day, was one of those positives, via Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com:

Further illustrating Mack's dominance was ESPN's Derek Tyson, who provided the first-half numbers for the big defensive lineman:

Mack was joined by Byron Cowart in being named MVPs of the game, via Tyson:

Wide receiver Brandon Martin was another standout, making one of the best catches of the day late in the third quarter between two defenders. It was also notable because arguably the top cornerback in the country was in on the coverage, via Shotgun Spratling of the Los Angeles Times:

One school that had a very good day, on the winning side, was Florida State. The Seminoles might still be reeling from their embarrassing loss in the Rose Bowl, but the future looks bright, thanks to the quarterback-wide receiver duo of Deondre Francois and George Campbell, via Tyson:

Francois did put a scare into Seminoles fans when word got out that he took an official visit to the University of Florida, though he told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel that it was just a matter of doing due diligence:

"

I'm just taking an official to see if anything has changed, to see if it's a different atmosphere now that (Jim McElwain) is there. Just to make sure I made the right decision.

I'm fully committed to Florida State. I'm not really thinking about what can they do to make me change my mind. I'm just going on an official to see what they got to offer.

"

While that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, Francois said Florida State is still firmly in control. Florida State can't afford to suffer a big loss, knowing that the wide receiver and quarterback positions are vulnerable next year because Rashad Greene is a senior and Jameis Winston could take his talents to the NFL. 

Commitments

As much fun as it is to watch these players on the field, the real story coming from the Under Armour All-America Game was the commitments. Several of this year's top recruits gave verbal pledges during the game. 

Defensive tackle Tim Settle, a 4-star prospect out of Virginia, announced on Twitter that he's staying close to home:

"

I'll be spending the next four years at Virginia Tech. @UAFootball #UAALLAMERICA pic.twitter.com/IwMH9n7dWr

— Tim Settle (@tim_settle) January 2, 2015"

Frank Beamer's program was down in 2014, but landing one of the top run-stoppers in this year's class is a good start to build upon for 2015. 

Staying with the defensive tackle theme, 4-star recruit Daron Payne apparently wasn't dissuaded by Alabama's loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, via ESPN Recruiting Nation:

"

Da'Ron Payne picks the Tide. #RTR. #UAALLAMERICA

— RecruitingNation (@ESPNRNFball) January 2, 2015"

Nick Saban just watched Ezekiel Elliott gash his defense to the tune of 230 yards and two touchdowns, so adding a 325-pound monster in the middle will be a welcome sight in Tuscaloosa. 

Another area that Saban needed to upgrade was the secondary, and he did it in a big way. Kendall Sheffield, a 5-star recruit from Texas, will join Payne in Tuscaloosa, via Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

In one of the most anticipated moments of the Under Armour All-America Game, star wide receiver Tyron Johnson, a 5-star recruit, announced that he was going to attend LSU next season, via ESPN College GameDay:

James Smith of The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) noted what Johnson's commitment says about the job Les Miles and his staff have done keeping Louisiana talent at home:

"

LSU continues to retain nearly every top-ranked prospect in the state of Louisiana and landing a talent like Johnson has a lasting effect.

Recruiting has become extremely popular among LSU football fans over the years, and as a result, these guys are instant celebrities the moment they walk on campus. It's starting to feed itself and the Tigers are reaping the benefits.

"

Speaking of keeping players home, that's one area Texas has struggled with in the last few years and why the program has been down. Head coach Charlie Strong endured his share of trials and tribulations in 2014, but he is off to a solid start in recruiting this season. 

A perfect case in point is linebacker Anthony Wheeler, a 4-star recruit, who announced on Twitter that he is committing to Texas:

Texas is always a recruiting hotbed, and there is no reason the Longhorns shouldn't dominate the efforts in the state every year. Strong might have to win over a lot of fans in Austin, but few coaches are capable of handling the scrutiny better. 

Young running backs were all the rage in college football this year with players such as Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb making an instant impact. USC hopes it has found someone who can continue that trend with 4-star recruit Ronald Jones committing to the Trojans, via Jones' Twitter:

Plenty of top recruits are waiting to make their decision on national signing day, which is on February 4, but Friday was a huge day for teams that didn't exactly need a boost (Alabama) and others that were looking to make an impact on the recruiting trail (Texas). 

With four weeks to go before players can officially sign their letter of intent, expect things to pick up in a big way. Plenty of schools, such as Michigan under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, need to get in the mix quickly. 

Even though the final score didn't mean much, it was important to see how these high school standouts fared under the bright lights. Playing on national television in front of fans and scouts can make or break a player. 

Most of the big names showed up to play, which suggests the future of college football is as strong as it has ever been.