Under Armour All-American Game Highlights

The Under Armour All-American Game has established itself as one of the premiere showcases for high school football talent in America. For the past five years, football talents such as Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Matt Barkley, and many others have participated in the event. Last week the nation's top football stars put on a showcase for college coaches, recruitniks, and college football fans alike.

Who were some of the top performers from the 5th annual Under Armour All-America Game?

Below are some of the players that impressed me the most.

1. Channing Ward--DE--Aberdeen High School (Aberdeen, Mississippi)--Channing Ward was easily the most impressive defensive player in this contest regardless of position. He gets my defensive MVP award for the Under Armour All-America Game. He was flying around the football field and making plays all over the place--he was constantly in the Black team's backfield. For the contest, Ward racked up two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Blessed with a long, lean body at 6'4, 250 pounds, Ward is blessed with tremendous, speed, size, power, and instincts. Currently rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ward is currently ranked as the sixth best defensive end in the nation. He's the total package and I look for him to make an instant impact for the Ole Miss Rebels next fall.

2. Jameis Winston--QB--Hueytown High School (Hueytown, Alabama)--I've followed Winston's recruiting process very closely ever since I got to watch his highlight tape this summer and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY. Winston might very well be the best dual threat quarterback I've seen coming out of the high school ranks since Vince Young. Yes, he's THAT good--not a doubt in my mind. Winston was touted as the best quarterback prospect in America according to ESPNU and he lived up to that billing in this game. He made several beautifully accurate passes, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to Alabama commitment Amari Cooper (more on him later). Winston demonstrated the ability to throw on the run accurately and also the ability to throw under pressure accurately. He was named offensive MVP in the game--completing 8 of his 9 attempts for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The MVP honors were well deserved for Winston and the accolades simply keep rolling in for him. He also won the quarterback skills challenge--demonstrating uncanny accuracy when hitting the targets and then uncorking a deep ball that traveled at least 80 yards in the air. His combination of size, running ability, accuracy, and arm strength has been unrivaled on the high school level. He tied for 1st place with BYU commitment Tanner Mangum at the Elite 11 competition over the summer--a competition of the nation's best quarterbacks. Winston came into this game as one of the most talented high school football prospects in recent memory and this game only further cemented that notion. There have been talks that Winston could possibly be a top 10 draft pick in the Major League Baseball draft but for now he's chosen to play quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles next fall. Watch out E.J. Manuel--with Winston coming to town, no quarterback's job is safe. Look for the gifted signal-caller to push Manuel for starting time as a true freshman.

3. Amari Cooper--WR--Miami Northwestern High School (Miami, Florida)--The Alabama commitment is the next great product of Miami Northwestern High School--a school that produced the likes of current Louisville stars Teddy Bridgewater and Eli Rogers last year. Cooper is blessed with uncanny speed and acceleration and demonstrated his big play ability on a couple of occassions throughout the game. One play came when he torched Deion Sanders, Jr. on a 75-yard touchdown catch. Cooper burned down the sideline, got behind Sanders, Jr. (younger son of Deion), made a beautiful catch in stride, and coasted his way to the end zone. Then he had a scintillating punt return in which he ran to the right side of the field, cut back all the way across to the left side, turned on the burners and raced 93 yards to paydirt for the touchdown. Blessed with tremendous footwork, speed, and ball skills, Cooper will be a big-play threat for the Crimson Tide for years to come. Currently rated as four-stars by Rivals.com--Cooper lived up to his lofty billing in this game and then some.

4. Ronald Darby--DB--Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)--Darby is one of the most talented defensive backs in America and he showed why in this game. He was easily the most impressive DB in this contest, blanketing receivers for much of the contest and breaking up several passes thrown his way. He demonstrated that he'll be a lockdown corner at the next level, wherever he ends up. He recently decommitted from Notre Dame and decided to re-open his recruitment. The talented corner has an upcoming visit to Florida State and is strongly considering Clemson as well. A track phenom as well, Darby has said he's considering other options to look at stronger track programs, something that isn't Notre Dame's strong suit. He's still considering the Fighting Irish but somehow I'm doubting he ends up there. Blessed with legit sub 4.40 speed, Darby can flat out fly and he's also blessed with tremendous feet. He'll be a great addition to the track and football programs at wherever he ends up.

5. Latroy Pittman--WR--North Marion High School (Citra, Florida)--Pittman gets my award for hit of the game. He absolutely leveled FSU commit Chris Casher when he laid a bone-rattling crackback block on him. Pittman also had one catch in the game too and is committed to the Florida Gators.

6. Jordan Jenkins--DE--Harris County High School (Hamilton, Georgia)--Jenkins was easily one of the most impressive defenders in this game and was constantly in the White team's backfield. He racked up two sacks for the Black team. He recently committed to Georgia and it will be interesting to see where their coaches decide to play him. He could play DE or LB and has an impressive looking frame, 6'3, 245 pounds with not an ounce of fat on his body. He was a very, very impressive player and it's going to fun to watch him wreak havoc in opposing SEC backfields for years to come.

7. Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick--TE--Whitney High School (Rocklin, California)--He had one of the most acrobatic catches of this game and demonstrated the athleticism of a wide receiver. He made a beautiful touchdown grab when he was able to rotate his body in mid-air, pulling down a TD catch between a couple of defenders. He's currently committed to USC and appears to be the next Trojan great at the tight end position.

8. Marcus Maye--S--Holy Trinity High School (Melbourne, Florida)--Maye was one of the most impressive members in the secondary in this contest. He was constantly making plays all over the football field and broke up a number of passes. Not only that--he blocked a punt and recovered a fumble for a safety. Maye is currently rated as four-stars according to Rivals.com and is committed to the Florida Gators.

9. Brian Poole--DB--Southeast High School (Bradenton, Florida)--Poole demonstrated his ball skills and ability to return the rock with ease in this contest. He picked off a pass and set the Under Armour All-America Game record with a 93-yard interception return for a touchdown. Poole is committed to the Florida Gators as well.

10. Cyrus Jones--DB/WR--Gilman (Baltimore, Maryland)--Cyrus Jones was one of the most explosive playmakers in the country coming into this game and once again that was on fine display. Jones snatched an interception and cruised 40 yards for a touchdown return for his team. Jones has a highlight tape that will leave you shaking your head. He wants to play wide receiver at Alabama but I wouldn't be surprised to see him transfer at some point down the road. The Crimson Tide are landing so many big-time stars and they all want to play, which is simply not possible considering their depth at a variety of positions.

11. Landon Collins--S--Dutchtown High School (Geismar, Louisiana)--Collins was rated as a five-star prospect before this game and he only helped his status, showing his tremendous ball skills and speed in the open field. He snatched an interception and then returned it for around 20 yards (unofficial) before being brought down. Collins is one of the most impressive safeties in this class and I'd say he's earned the lofty ranking as the top safety in America. Blessed with blazing speed and ball skills, look for Collins to make a splash within the next two years for the Crimson Tide. He'll help to provide depth at the safety position, where Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix is already waiting in the wings for 'Bama.

12. Johnathan Gray--RB--Aledo High School (Aledo, Texas)--Johnathan Gray is the most decorated high school football player in the history of the sport. He was blessed with tremendous bloodlines from day one as his father is the all-time leading rusher at Texas Tech and his brother Cyrus Gray is a dynamic tailback for Texas A & M. The youngest of the Grays shattered numerous records owned by the "Sugar Land Express" throughout his earth-shattering high school career at Aledo High School. He became just the third high school football player to eclipse 10,000 rushing yards in his career. He set state records for career carries, touchdowns, points, 100-yard games, and single-season rushing touchdowns. As a senior, Gray earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. He rushed for 3,435 yards and 59 touchdowns on 295 carries entering the postseason round of four this past year. He also hauled in 22 catches for 458 yards and five touchdowns through 14 games. He set the national record for career touchdowns with 206 in his high school career. Gray also finished in the top five nationally in career rushing yards, points, carries, and 100-yard games. So with his endlessly impressive resume, did he live up to the hype? YES! Gray was very impressive in this contest, displaying excellent vision and speed between the tackles and a super soft set of hands in the open field. The talented Texan made one of the most acrobatic grabs in this game when he hauled in a catch over a defender down the sideline, but he ended up landing out of bounds. He's dubbed as the top all-purpose running back in the nation and this game did nothing to change that. Gray will take his dynamic all-around skill set and take it to Austin, Texas, where he'll be suiting up for the Texas Longhorns. If their offensive line can fix their issues, the Texas ground attack should be something special for years to come with Gray and Malcolm Brown in the same backfield.

13. Ifeadi Odenigbo--DE--Centerville High School (Centerville, Ohio)--When describing Odenigbo, the only phrase that comes to mind is "freak of nature). He reminds me very much of current South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney. If there is one player who gets my award for most underrated player in the country, Odenigbo is hit. He's blessed with an insanely relentless motor and is highly, highly disruptive in opposing backfields. He spent most of his time laying crushing hits on White team's quarterbacks. He's super quick off the edge and will be a starter from day one when he lands at Northwestern. He's the most decorated recruit ever to sign with Northwestern and the Wildcat fans will embrace him with open arms. Currently rated as the nation's 50th best prospect according to ESPNU and 109th best prospect according to Rivals.com--you could make the strong argument that Odenigbo deserves to be ranked in the top 10 overall. He's that good. He's going to be fun to watch at Northwestern.

14. Randy "Duke" Johnson--RB--Miami Norland High School (Miami, Florida)--Randy "Duke" Johnson is one of the most talented all-purpose backs in America. Blessed with a super soft set of hands and excellent moves between the tackles, Johnson is one of the most gifted running backs in his class. He and Johnathan Gray were extremely impressive at "The Opening", a national 7-on-7 tournament hosted by Nike over the summer. Johnson is very explosive on special teams and even ripped off a huge return in this game. He must take care of his ball security issues as he fumbled a couple of times. That being said, it's easy to see Johnson is oozing with talent out of every pore. He'll be a great one for years to come for the Miami Hurricanes. I look for him to make an instant splash next year as a true freshman.

15. Chad Kelly--QB--St. Joseph's (Buffalo, New York)--Chad Kelly was one of the more impressive quarterbacks this summer at Nike's "The Opening" and he had yet another impressive showing in the Under Armour game. He showed excellent escapability in the pocket and was scrambling for his life against an unber-talented defensive line from the White team. He's got excellent speed in the open field and made several accurate throws but he definitely has room for improvement as a passer. If he can refine his passing skills, he'll be a dynamic dual threat quarterback for the Clemson Tigers for years to come.

16. Tanner Mangum--QB--Eagle High School (Eagle, Idaho)--Mangum is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the 2012 recruiting class. He's tied for the best quarterback in this class in my book, right there with Jameis Winston. Mangum actually tied Winston for the best quarterback at the Elite 11 camp this summer. Throwing a beautifully accurate ball, Mangum connected with a variety of receivers in this game. He didn't have his best performance but he also switched teams due to QB depth on the black team--which shows how much of a team player he is. The BYU Cougars are lucky to have this ultra-accurate signal-caller. He completed over 70 percent of his passes as a high school senior and has excellent ball placement. Mangum will serve a two-year Mormon mission before he lands at BYU, so Cougar fans will wait in anticipation of his arrival.

17. Marvin Bracy--ATH--Boone High School--(Orlando, Florida)--Bracy was one of the most explosive players in this contest, putting his mind-blowing speed on fine display on numerous occasions. He made several catches throughout the contest and was simply a nightmare to defend. Blessed with sub 4.40 speed, Bracy is a track phenom as well and will take his talents to Florida State.

Other players that impressed: Joe Bolden (Michigan commit), Noah Spence (Ohio State commit), Daris Powe (Cal commit), Keith Marshall (UGA commit), Bryson Echols (Texas commit)

That's it for now, folks! Look for more from me in the upcoming days about the U.S. Army All-American Game! Until then, remember that life is best described in football terms!