Three Takeaways from the Under Armour All-American Game
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The Florida Gators were well-represented at the 2023 Under Armour All-American Game. The Gators had ten signees at the event, which was second most behind only Alabama who had twelve signees at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Florida only had eight players in the game since wide receiver Eugene Wilson and cornerback Dijon Johnson could not play. However, Florida’s signee still had a good week of practice and one signee made a big impact in the game. Here are my three takeaways from the Under Armor All-American Game.
SDE Kelby Collins named Team Speed MVP
Florida’s highest-ranked recruit, Kelby Collins, had an impressive week of practice and balled out in the Under Armour All-American Game. The Alabama native recorded two sacks in the game and was named the MVP for his team, Team Speed.
Collins spent most of his time playing defensive tackle instead of defensive end. Collins looked very comfortable at defensive tackle and was still applying pressure to the quarterback from the inside.
After his performance, we could see Kelby Collins move up in the rankings. Collins is currently the 33rd-ranked recruit in the nation. I think there’s a possibility Collins could jump in the rankings and earn his fifth star on Rivals.
2. OT Roderick Kearney impresses at right guard
Another Florida Gators that had a good night in the trenches was offensive line commit Roderick Kearney. The former Florida State commit got the start for Team Phantom at right guard and played very well against some of the nation’s best defensive linemen.
Kearney was winning his one-on-one battles and creating running lanes for his running backs. Last week at practice, Kearney did have a video of him getting beat badly by Texas A&M signee David Hicks.
However, that did not faze the Orange Park native as he continued to show out in practice and played well in the All-American Game. Kearney will enroll early at Florida and the Gators might need to for some snaps next season as they are looking thin at offensive tackle and guard.
3. Florida’s defensive backs hold their own in practice
While they didn’t get much action in the game, Florida’s defensive back class impressed during practice. Florida had four defensive backs at the Under Armour All-American Game, but Dijon Johnson didn’t practice or play.
Ja’Keem Jackson, Sharif Denson, and Jordan Castell had their moments during the practices. Jackson and Denson got lots of snaps in the game but didn’t get many balls thrown in their direction, but they did make some nice tackles.
Florida’s defensive back is one of the best in the country for a reason and they showed why in Orlando. Most, if not all of Florida’s defensive backs signees will be enrolling early so they’ll have opportunities to earn early playing time next season for the Florida Gators.
