All-American Bowl 2020: Predicting Where Every Uncommitted Player Will Sign
The All-American Bowl has been one of the greatest annual high school football traditions since 2000, as have the mid-game hat ceremonies in which the best of the best announce where they will attend college.
The 2017 implementation of the December early-signing period has eliminated a lot of that fanfare. Of the 21 highest-rated players from this year's East and West rosters, cornerback Kelee Ringo is the only one who hasn't signed somewhere.
But there are still 14 uncommitted players in this game, many of whom will declare during NBC's broadcast.
Where will those players land?
Based on the latest news, visits and rumors, here are our best guesses.
Players are listed in descending order of 247 Sports composite ranking.
Kelee Ringo
1 of 11
Position and Ranking: Cornerback, No. 8 overall
High School: Saguaro, Arizona
Prediction: Georgia
Kelee Ringo is the only uncommitted 5-star recruit playing in the All-American Bowl, so the cornerback's announcement will be the biggest one of the day.
But of the 14 players in this game who have yet to sign (or announce where they have signed), Ringo's destination seems the most certain. Though people have made a big fuss over spotting him in Ohio State, Oregon and Texas gear over the past year, Georgia has been the heavy favorite to sign Ringo for quite some time.
In the past calendar year, he has made five visits to schools: four to Georgia (three unofficial) and one to Oregon.
If he were attending a high school in Athens, we wouldn't think much of it. But four trips from Arizona to Georgia? That's rather telling.
And why not Georgia? Kirby Smart signed the No. 3 corner (Tyrique Stevenson) and No. 3 safety (Lewis Cine) in last year's class; the No. 2 corner in 2018 (Tyson Campbell); and the No. 2 safety (Richard LeCounte III) and No. 4 safety (DeAngelo Gibbs) in 2017. At this point, the recruiting cycle feels incomplete until the Dawgs add at least one top-50 player to their secondary.
Oregon fans are hoping he'll make the surprise decision to join forces with Kayvon Thibodeaux, Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe in what would be an outrageously talented young crop of defenders. But brace yourself for Georgia to sign this man and make a major push for the No. 1 class.
Gary Bryant Jr.
2 of 11
Position and Ranking: Wide Receiver, No. 57 overall
High School: Centennial, California
Prediction: USC
Gary Bryant Jr. is a must-have recruit for Clay Helton and USC.
That's not because the Trojans desperately need wide receivers. If Tyler Vaughns returns for a senior year alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Kyle Ford and Bru McCoy, USC should have one of the nation's best receiving groups.
It's because without Bryant, USC could go 0-for-25 on the top recruits from the state of California.
Oregon signed four of those guys. Washington got three. Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State each snagged two. Aside from wide receiver John Humphreys' signing with Stanford, everyone has gone out of state thus far. And once those floodgates open, it's hard to close them. Just ask the Florida schools that are having a nightmare of a time trying to keep the likes of Clemson, Alabama, LSU and Georgia out of their 5-star-studded backyard.
The good news for USC is that most of the recruiting experts expect Bryant to sign there, so at least it wouldn't be a total California drought for the Trojans. But the 79th-ranked class will need more than just one 4-star wide receiver to make a significant move.
Per the 247 Sports class calculator, adding Bryant merely brings their score to 169.88, which would still rank outside the top 50 without accounting for the other 4-star and 5-star players who have yet to sign elsewhere. It might not immediately have a negative impact on USC, but folks will be talking about this lackluster class for years.
Xzavier Henderson
3 of 11
Position and Ranking: Wide Receiver, No. 59 overall
High School: Columbus High (Miami), Florida
Prediction: Florida
A ton of signs indicate the Florida Gators will sign one of the top 10 wide receivers in this year's class.
For starters, Xzavier Henderson is from Miami, and Florida is the best program in that state. Neither Florida State nor Miami made much of a push to sign him, but after both went 6-7 in 2019, they probably would have whiffed on the Gators target anyway.
Wide receiver is also a big-time position of need for Florida with Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland and Josh Hammond (and RB Lamical Perine) all graduating. Those five Gators combined for 179 of the team's 317 receptions in 2019. Even though they have already signed 4-star wideouts Leonard Manuel and Jaquavion Fraziars, Henderson is still a huge target.
The biggest sign is that his brother, defensive back CJ Henderson, spent the past three seasons in Gainesville before declaring for the NFL draft as a borderline first-round prospect. Since Florida is still in the conversation, it seems safe to surmise that his older brother has been selling him on the Gators (at any rate, he hasn't been pushing him away with horror stories).
But Clemson has been to five consecutive College Football Playoffs, will have a golden-haired god at quarterback for at least one more season and is in the market for at least one more wide receiver with Diondre Overton graduating and Tee Higgins likely to declare for the draft.
Only a madman would count Dabo Swinney out of this race, even though it looks like Dan Mullen's to lose.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Alfred Collins
4 of 11
Position and Ranking: Defensive End, No. 71 overall
High School: Cedar Creek, Texas
Prediction: Baylor
All nine Crystal Ball Predictions for Alfred Collins have the 6'5", 275-pound defensive lineman projected to land with the Texas Longhorns.
Overwhelming evidence, right?
Well, the most recent of those nine votes was cast in late September—before October official visits to Texas A&M and Texas and a December official visit to Baylor. Collins also took a pair of unofficial visits to Baylor in November when the Bears were hosting Oklahoma and Texas, almost beating the former and comfortably defeating the latter.
Maybe relevant, maybe not: The official visit came the weekend after Baylor's men's basketball team won back-to-back home games against Arizona and Butler.
As far as excitement surrounding the athletics programs are concerned, he couldn't have picked much better times to be on campus. And with both James Lockhart and Bravvion Roy graduating (and James Lynch maybe declaring for the draft), there are clear openings along the defensive line for Collins to potentially fill for a team that has improved by leaps and bounds over the past two years.
Perhaps all signs pointed to Texas in September, but Baylor looks like the clear choice in January. That may well change again by February, though, as he will likely wait until the second signing day (Feb. 5) to decide.
Jalen Berger
5 of 11
Position and Ranking: Running Back, No. 109 overall
High School: Don Bosco Prep, New Jersey
Prediction: Wisconsin
Long believed to be a candidate to sign with either Rutgers or Penn State, Jalen Berger has narrowed his list to either UCLA or Wisconsin, per a Dec. 31 report by Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports.
"I like the Badgers' chances," Wiltfong wrote.
Considering Wisconsin's running back pedigree over the years—and its complete lack of running backs signed in this year's class—it'd be hard to argue with that decision. Jonathan Taylor is probably going to declare for the NFL draft, in which case there are a lot of touches to be divvied up among Nakia Watson, Garrett Groshek and possibly Berger.
This would be a massive pickup for Chip Kelly and UCLA, though.
The Bruins signed one top-400 recruit last year, and they only have two top-300 guys this year. Berger would instantly become the crown jewel of UCLA's class.
Even more dire, with Joshua Kelley (2,303 yards and 24 touchdowns over the last two seasons) graduating, running back is a gigantic question mark for next season. The only other Bruins who rushed for at least 100 yards in 2019 were quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Austin Burton and wide receiver Demetric Felton, who made an emergency start in the backfield in the season opener with Kelley unavailable.
A commitment from Berger could be a big step in the right direction for UCLA, but it's not one we're expecting to see Saturday.
McKinnley Jackson
6 of 11
Position and Ranking: Defensive Tackle, No. 113 overall
High School: George County, Mississippi
Prediction: Ole Miss
McKinnley Jackson has unofficially committed to the SEC, though it's unclear which school he'll choose. He announced a top five of Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M in August, and those appear to still be the teams vying for his John Hancock.
Jackson took an official visit to Alabama in September, went to Auburn in December and will tour LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M on consecutive January weekends.
Translation: He won't choose a hat Saturday. This will be one of the most noteworthy recruitments that goes right down to the February signing-day wire.
If you're thinking Ole Miss is the favorite because Jackson attended high school in Mississippi, here's a fun geography fact: LSU, Alabama and Auburn all have shorter drives to George County High than Ole Miss does. No one has a clear edge in the proximity department.
But in the "We can get you on the field in 2020" department, the Rebels have a huge advantage. All three of their starting defensive linemen were seniors, and the only 4-star or 5-star defensive-line recruits left on the roster—Charles Wiley and Sam Williams—have both since converted to outside linebacker. Jackson could immediately become the top lineman as a true freshman at Ole Miss as opposed to becoming one of many talented players vying for playing time at the other four schools.
By waiting until February, though, he'll get to see who is sticking around and who is leaving for the NFL. Perhaps those decisions will impact his choice. For now, though, Ole Miss seems like the slight favorite.
Darion Green-Warren
7 of 11
Position and Ranking: Cornerback, No. 184 overall
High School: Narbonne, California
Prediction: Michigan
It's going to be Michigan, USC or Nebraska that gets Darion Green-Warren's commitment Saturday, and no one seems to believe the Cornhuskers have a legitimate horse in that race.
Will the cornerback stay close to home and serve as a late splash in USC's recruiting class, or is he Ann Arbor-bound for a Wolverines team that will need to replace two key defensive backs in Lavert Hill and Josh Metellus?
Well, 17 of the 18 Crystal Ball Predictions have Green-Warren heading to Michigan, and the lone USC vote was cast in April. Surprises happen all the time in these hat ceremonies, but this one looks like a slam dunk for the Wolverines.
If and when USC loses this recruiting battle, keep in mind that this is not a position of imminent need for the Trojans. Redshirt junior safety C.J. Pollard (15 tackles) was the only junior or senior in USC's secondary to record at least three tackles this season. USC already has six 4-star or 5-star cornerbacks with at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Clay Helton would be thrilled to get a commitment from Green-Warren, but it wouldn't be devastating if he didn't. Getting Bryant, a wide receiver, is a much bigger priority.
Malik Hornsby
8 of 11
Position and Ranking: Dual-Threat QB, No. 221 overall
High School: Fort Bend Marshall, Texas
Prediction: Baylor
Malik Hornsby originally committed to North Carolina in May 2019, but he had a change of heart in June and reopened his recruitment. (That will probably turn out to be a great career move, considering Sam Howell appears to have UNC's QB job locked down for at least the next two years.)
But don't expect him to announce his new destination Saturday, as he has already lined up an official visit to Arkansas on January 24.
Maybe things will change during that visit—or maybe they'll change if Matt Rhule leaves Baylor for an NFL gig—but most in the know have been projecting Hornsby to the Bears for the past two months. Baylor has not yet signed a quarterback in this year's class, and Hornsby has been a priority for quite some time. Charlie Brewer should be back next year, after which Hornsby would feature prominently in an open competition for the starting job in 2021.
Because he won't be an early enrollee, Hornsby is probably going to be content with taking a redshirt year in 2020. That bodes well for Baylor winning this recruitment battle.
If he is trying to play immediately, though, Arkansas would be a great choice.
Ben Hicks is out of eligibility, Nick Starkel was dreadful for most of this season and with Chandler Morris decommitting from Arkansas when his dad was fired from the head-coach position, there's no telling what the Razorbacks plan to do at quarterback. Dual-threat freshman K.J. Jefferson is probably(?) the guy, but if he struggles as much as he did in limited opportunities this year, they could slide in dual-threat Hornsby without making any other fundamental changes to the offense.
LV Bunkley-Shelton
9 of 11
Position and Ranking: WR, No. 224 overall
High School: Junipero Serra, California
Prediction: Arizona State
One of the biggest reasons Arizona State has improved under Herm Edwards has been his commitment to (and success with) recruiting in the state of California.
The year the Sun Devils hired Edwards, only one of their top 13 recruits was from California, and even he (Blake Barnett) was a transfer. The following year (2018), their top six recruits were from California. It was a similar story last year with Jayden Daniels (San Bernardino, California) headlining that class and immediately becoming the starting quarterback.
The Sun Devils have already signed four 4-star guys from California in this class, and there's a good chance LV Bunkley-Shelton makes it five—even though two of those four guys are also wide receivers.
The fact of the matter is guys want to play with Daniels, they know they'll be given the opportunity to play by Edwards and there are plenty of openings in this receiving corps.
Both Brandon Aiyuk and Kyle Williams are graduating, taking 110 receptions, 1,674 yards and 10 touchdowns with them. Running back Eno Benjamin (42 receptions for 347 yards) is leaving early for the NFL, which means the Sun Devils only have one returning player (Frank Darby) who made at least 10 catches this year.
Not only would he get a chance to play, but Bunkley-Shelton could also become Arizona State's top receiver as a true freshman—provided he does what most are expecting and chooses the Sun Devils.
Edgerrin Cooper
10 of 11
Position and Ranking: LB, No. 244 overall
High School: Covington, Louisiana
Prediction: Texas A&M
Edgerrin Cooper committed to Oklahoma in June, but he decommitted one day before Thanksgiving and no longer appears to be considering the Sooners.
In fact, Rivals' Sam Spiegelman reports that Cooper has nothing to consider because he already privately chose a team during the early-signing period. He'll simply announce that decision Saturday with hats from LSU, Texas A&M and Utah on the table. (That didn't stop Florida State from offering him on Dec. 27, though.)
The only official visit Cooper took after decommitting from Oklahoma was to Texas A&M. The Aggies were also the last team to offer the linebacker before the announcement that he was reopening his recruitment. It doesn't take an expert in reading tea leaves to piece together A&M as his most likely destination.
Is there room at the inn, though?
The Aggies primarily play a 4-2-5 defense. Unless Buddy Johnson makes the surprise decision to declare for the NFL draft, both starting linebackers will be back next year. And Jimbo Fisher already procured a top-100 overall linebacker in Antonio Doyle. Staying in state with LSU would seem like a good move here, but Texas A&M looks like the obvious choice.
The Rest
11 of 11
Dwight McGlothern, CB, No. 333 overall, Prediction: Virginia Tech
The recruiting experts have no clue on McGlothern. Of the 10 crystal ball predictions on 247 Sports, the top vote-getter is a tie between USC and "undecided" with three each. USC, Oregon, LSU and Virginia Tech have all been pushing hard to get this cornerback from Texas, and it's unclear if he'll make his decision at the All-American Bowl or wait until next month. We'll go with Virginia Tech here, but only because the Hokies desperately need to add to this class.
Vito Tisdale, S, No. 335 overall, Prediction: Kentucky
Per 247 Sports, Tisdale made four visits in 2019, three of which (one official, two unofficial) were to Kentucky. The other was an unofficial visit to Alabama in March. But the Crimson Tide have already signed two higher-rated safeties in this year's class and added a pair of top-100 overall safeties last year. It just makes the most sense for the young man from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to stick close to home.
Brady Ward, OT, No. 560 overall, Prediction: Arkansas
Ward was already considering Arkansas, taking an official visit there this past October. And now that the Razorbacks have an offensive line guy (Sam Pittman) as their head coach, signing with the SEC West bottom-feeders has to be even more enticing. There's plenty of room left in that recruiting class too. Arkansas has the 67th-best class and only 11 commits. Even though he is ranked well outside the top 500 overall, he would be one of the top Hogs in this cycle.
Reis Vernon, P/K, No. 3493 overall, Prediction: Nebraska
Nebraska has a lot of things to figure out this offseason, but it sure would be nice if the Cornhuskers could get one reliable kicker in 2020. Six players attempted at least one field goal this season, and it wasn't until late November that the Huskers figured out Matt Waldoch might be their guy. Getting a player like Vernon who can kick or punt—Nebraska's lone 2019 punter, Isaac Armstrong, is out of eligibility—could be a big pickup.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
