Tag: AllAmerica

ORLANDO, Fla. — Around 100 of the nation’s top high school football prospects will get together over the next few days for the annual Under Armour All-America Game. The week of practice and game in early January have served as a recruiting and evaluation benchmark for well over a decade and sees a major shift this year as juniors are set to compete for the first time.

While only a handful of the prospects expected to participate have yet to sign with the school of their choice, there are plenty of storylines to be had, especially with no shortage of star power on the roster. The week officially kicked off Sunday with player check-in and gets into full swing Monday night with the first practice of the week set for 5:45 p.m. local time. The week of practices is set to be held at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex before everything culminates on Thursday with a full-contact game at Spec Martin Stadium near the campus of Stetson University (4 p.m. ET/ESPN).

The team at 247Sports gets you ready for the Under Armour All-America Game below. As a reminder, you can always view the game’s rosters on 247Sports.

FIVE-STAR FLAVOR

Nine of the Top247’s 32 five-star prospects are set to compete this week, headlined by second-ranked 2025 player and future Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell. Russell is the lone five-star quarterback set to compete. The remaining five signal-callers are Maryland signee Malik Washington, Colorado signee Julian Lewis, Texas signee KJ Lacey, 2026 Florida commit Will Griffin and 2026 prospect Derek Zammit.

Georgia defensive line signee Elijah Griffin, Texas safety signee Jonah Williams, Oregon wide receiver signee Dakorien Moore, and Oregon cornerback signee Na’eem Offord are the next four highest-rated five-stars slated to play in the game. Alabama defensive back signee Dijon Lee, Oklahoma offensive tackle signee Michael Fasusi, Auburn edge rusher signee Jared Smith and Florida wide receiver signee Dallas Wilson round out the pack.

CLASS OF 2026 TAKES THE NATIONAL STAGE

In previous recruiting cycles, the second National Signing Day window in February acted as a clean transition into the rising-senior class. The next month’s worth of offseason showcases and 7-on-7 tournaments provided a gradual introduction for fans of recruiting to familiarize themselves with the next wave of young talent.

That changed when both the All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-America Game allowed juniors to compete a year earlier than normal. With bowl practices and early enrollment providing significant obstacles for prospects in the class of 2025, this year’s Under Amour All-America Game has a staggering 34 underclassmen set to compete of the 99 players on the most recent roster.

That group of 34 prospects in the class of 2026 is highlighted by four of the five 2026 five-star prospects with Maryland edge rusher commit Zion Elee, offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, wide receiver Tristen Keys and offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho leading the way.

PROSPECTS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Much like how the Senior Bowl provides a valuable exposure point for NFL scouts in their evaluation processes, the postseason high school all-star games do much of the same as it gives 247Sports a chance to see the best go against the best and compete alongside each other. All the prospects who lace up the cleats and put on the shoulder pads will be under the microscope, but below are some individuals that we’re particularly excited to see.

– DL Jahkeem Stewart (USC signee): A reclassification and transfer cost USC defensive line signee Jahkeem Stewart his final season of high school football, giving the No. 54 player in the country only one full season of varsity action prior to his eventual enrollment at USC. Stewart has been a staple on the offseason camp circuit and has routinely taken over events and finished with MVP honors. This week’s practices and game will be a vital final benchmark to check in on Stewart’s progress, considering we haven’t seen him in pads in nearly 13 months.

– QB Malik Washington (Maryland signee): There were few quarterbacks with a better senior season than Maryland’s Malik Washington, who led DMV powerhouse Archbishop Spalding to a third straight MIAA state title and a national top ten ranking. As the No. 50 overall prospect in the country and the No. 5 QB according to the 247Sports rankings, Washington is in striking distance for a potential move into five-star territory if he can ace his final test this weekend.

–  DL Elijah Griffin (Georgia signee): There might not be a safer prospect as we approach the final hurdle of the evaluation process than Savannah (Ga.) Christian’s Elijah Griffin, who currently sits as the highest-rated non-QB in the country according to the 247Sports rankings. It remains to be seen how involved Griffin will be during the week, but if Griffin is a full participant he has a chance to completely take over the week of practice and game to make a final push into the top three.

– OT Michael Fasusi (Oklahoma signee): The Sooners landed one of the biggest wins of the 2025 cycle with a sustained effort to land the signature of five-star offensive tackle Fasusi, and the prototype tackle has a legitimate chance to compete for playing time next season in Norman. Fasusi earned Alpha Dog honors the last time he competed at a national showcase in the state of Florida, and a similar performance over this week could be enough to vault him into the conversation at the top of the OT board with David Sanders and Andrew Babalola.

– WR Quentin Gibson (Colorado signee): The MVP of the Texas 6A Division 1 state title game put together a senior season that was truly remarkable, finishing with 93 catches for 2,009 yards and 36 touchdowns. In the process, breaking Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s DFW Metroplex record for receiving touchdowns in a season. Gibson cemented himself as a Fort Worth legend with his performance throughout the playoffs, leading North Crowley to their first state title since 2003. The knock on Gibson’s game is his diminutive size and slight frame, but he can answer plenty of questions on that front if he still produces against the plethora of top-flight competition in Orlando this week.

THE SEC WILL BE WELL REPRESENTED

With the large chunk of juniors set to participate this weekend, there aren’t as many signees or commits as previous editions of the Under Armour All-America Game. However, Florida leads the way with an impressive seven signees and commits playing for both Team Icon and Team Unstoppable, while Iron Bowl rivals Alabama and Auburn are tied for second with five signees each represented in the game.

Florida — Seven (WR Dallas Wilson, WR Vernell Brown III, LB Ty Jackson, DL Jalen Wiggins, RB Byron Louis, WR Naeshaun Montgomery, 2026 QB Will Griffin)

Alabama — Five (QB Keelon Russell DB Dijon Lee RB Akylin Dear, TE Marshall Pritchett, OL Micah Debose)

Auburn — Five ( EDGE Jared Smith, DB Anquon Fegans, RB Alvin Henderson, DB Blake Woodby, OL Kail Ellis

Oregon — Four (WR Dakorien Moore, CB Na’eem Offord, OL Douglas Utu, LB Gavin Nix)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Monday, Dec. 30 — Practice 1 from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 31 — Practice 2 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 — Practice 3 from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 2 — Game at 4 p.m. (will be televised live on ESPN)