Army All-American Bowl Roster 2018: Breaking Down Top Recruits in Marquee Game

The last seven days have been massive in the college football recruiting world as the nation's best prospects gathered for two all-star games. 

Saturday's Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, is the second of the two. There are plenty of top talents who are signed and uncommitted, ready to showcase their talents inside the Alamodome against other 4-star and 5-star players from across the country. 

The last week has also been used by committed players to persuade those still unsigned to join up with them at certain programs. 

Saturday's game gives us a good mix of talent committed to the biggest programs in the nation and those still figuring out their final decisions. 

Here's a look at a few players worth watching on Saturday afternoon. 

Xavier Thomas, DL, Committed to Clemson

Clemson's prized recruit in the class of 2018 is quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is participating in Saturday's game, but the Tigers are also getting one heck of a player in defensive lineman Xavier Thomas. 

Thomas, who comes from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, won the Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year award at the Army All-American Bowl awards ceremony on Friday night. 

The 6'3" pass-rusher already has a tenacious technique that will strike fear into the hearts of many opposing offensive linemen in his freshman season at Clemson. 

Thomas has had all eyeballs on him throughout the week of practice in San Antonio, and he was named the top performer during Thursday's practice by Barton Simmons of 247Sports. 

The South Carolina native transferred to IMG in January to hone his skills as a pass-rusher. When he signed his national letter of intent during the early signing period, he told Lou Bezjak of The State about the improvements he made in Florida. 

"I learned a lot of different tricks. IMG prepared me mentally and physically to play at the next level," Thomas said. "I learned to manage my time well with football and academics."

Thomas, who is one of eight Clemson commits playing in the game, will get a taste of being teammates with Lawrence as both are on the East roster. 

J.T. Daniels, QB, Committed to USC 

The trend of reclassifying has made waves in college basketball, with Duke's Marvin Bagley III being the most recent star to enter college earlier than expected. 

We haven't seen a ton of reclassification in football recruiting, but it came to the forefront during the early signing period, when quarterback J.T. Daniels announced his move from the class of 2019 to the class of 2018 and his commitment to USC. 

With Sam Darnold departing for the NFL, Daniels has a real chance to compete for the starting job as a freshman. 

The quarterback out of Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, admitted to Jim Halley of USA Today that Darnold's decision to turn pro didn't affect his reclassification. 

"USC is my favorite school," Daniels said. "Sam Darnold's leaving or staying didn't affect my choice. If he stays, I can learn the system behind him. If he goes, I can compete for it."

For those who want to see more of Daniels, the Army All-American Bowl is your best chance before he steps on campus, and he could be throwing to a potential college teammate in wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who will decide between Notre Dame, Stanford and USC during Saturday's game. 

Isaac Taylor-Stuart, CB, Uncommitted

Fans of the SEC might want to become more familiar with defensive back Isaac Taylor-Stuart, who is leaning toward a move to the conference from Helix High in San Diego, California. 

Taylor-Stuart won't be making his final decision until national signing day in February, but he's hinted at what programs may be in the lead for his signature. 

"I personally like Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M," Taylor-Stuart said, per Adam Gorney of Rivals. 

Taylor-Stuart has visits lined up with USC, Tennessee and Georgia in the coming weeks, and he could take one to Alabama as well.

The 6'2" defensive back will be the focus of many recruiters who hope to use commits to sway his thinking over the next month. 

Although he is a California kid, it looks like his next step after the Army All-American Bowl could be somewhere in the southeastern United States. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.