ORLANDO, Fla. — The 2024 Under Armour All-America Game kicks off Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET from Camping World Stadium, showcasing college football’s next wave of future stars. From check-in to Days 1, 2 and 3 of practices this week, 247Sports’ recruiting and scouting teams have seen a number of recruits on the rise. To set the stage for the showcase on ESPN between Team Fire and Team Ice, we’re spotlighting 13 players worth watching in the game who could make immediate impacts for their teams when the 2024 college football season begin.
Six of 247Sports’ 32 five-stars headline the below list, followed by five four-stars and two three-stars.
Who should fans keep eyes out for?
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Here’s a closer look.
It’s not easy to crack the two deep at Georgia as a true freshman, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But if there’s one member of UGA’s No. 1-ranked class that looks destined to do it, it’s Ellis Robinson IV. The New York native put together one of the top defensive back performances in Under Armour All-America Game practices history on Sunday, picking off three passes and getting his hands on a few more. Robinson is exactly how you want a new-age cornerback to look as he’s over 6-foot-1 and blessed with some additional length in the arms. More importantly, he can run. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him push some older Bulldogs for playing time.
RELATED — Georgia 5-star CB signee Ellis Robinson is confident that he can make an immediate impact with the Bulldogs
Graham Mertz is going to be the starter when Florida opens the 2024 season up against Miami barring some unforeseen setback, but it’s hard to envision DJ Lagway not seeing the field at some point as a true freshman after sizing him up over the past few days. Lagway is built like a front-seven defender (he’s a legitimate 6-foot-3, 230 pounds) and he’s a dynamic runner that totaled 953 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground as a 12th grader. The quarterbacks were protected by their non-contact jerseys all three days of practice, but Lagway still showcased the ability to create and get outside of the pocket when things broke down.
RELATED — Florida 5-star QB signee DJ Lagway shines at Under Armour All-America Game practices after ‘tough’ recruitment
We keep bringing it up, but we will once again reiterate that Auburn hasn’t had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since the 1999 season. The smart money should be on Cam Coleman bucking the trend. Coleman dominated both Sunday and Monday’s 1-on-1 sessions and looks like a legitimate go-to target on Saturdays with the combination of his length, speed, and hands. His ability to sink his hips at the top of his route and get out of his breaks was impressive, but so was how he fought for positioning at the catch point. Coleman totaled just 532 receiving yards as a junior, but doubled that number as a senior, hauling in 61 passes for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns.
RELATED — Nearly choosing Auburn the first time, 5-star WR Cam Coleman was ‘locked in with Auburn’ at the end
Jordan Seaton entered the new year as the top-ranked offensive tackle for 247Sports. There’s a good chance that he will finish there once the rankings finalize, as he was solid all three days in practice. Seaton spent his senior season working at left tackle for IMG Academy and graded out extremely well. There’s no question that he’s athletic enough to protect a quarterback’s blindside, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he ultimately settled in as a right tackle at some point down the line. Regardless, he looks like he’s ready to go — which is obviously big for the Buffs, who gave up a Power Five-leading 56 sacks this past season.
RELATED — Colorado 5-star OL signee Jordan Seaton reflects on whirlwind recruitment, what led him to Buffaloes
From a pure competitor standpoint, there aren’t many wired like David Stone, who had one of the loudest voices on the field. Stone was excellent as a senior at IMG Academy and picked up right where he left off when the 1-on-1 drills started Sunday, as he was able to win with both speed and power. The Sooners spent three years fighting for Stone and the investment should pay off as he’s the type of interior rusher that can dent protection and create plenty of pressure in the middle. He was also very active when his team scrimmaged and able to make some stops in backside pursuit.
RELATED — Under Armour All-America Game: Team Ice OL-DL Monday 1 on 1s
Terry Bussey is one of the most versatile prospects in the country. While there’s still plenty of debate as to whether his ceiling is higher on offense as a wide receiver or defense as a safety, our big takeaway coming out of Orlando is that he’s way more physically developed than we thought coming into the event, and likely won’t need a year or two in the weight room before he can make an impact on Saturdays. Bussey will play offense on Wednesday after showing plenty of wiggle as a route runner during practices. He’s also expected to be featured on special teams, which will likely be the case at the next level, as well.
RELATED — 5-star ATH, Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey planning January visits
Joshisa Trader has spent the past few years playing in the shadows of five-star Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s top-ranked prospect. With Smith at the All-American Bowl and not the Under Armour All-American Game, it didn’t take long for Trader to signal that he’s also pretty dang talented. Trader proved to be one of the best at creating separation and tracked the football extremely well, making a few highlight reel-worthy snags in the end zone. Miami wants to air it out with Shannon Dawson calling plays and Trader has the makeup of a potential weapon that can streak into the deeper third.
RELATED — Signee WR Joshisa Trader reviews latest with quarterback situation
From a physical standpoint, there might not have been two better-looking linebackers in attendance than Aaron Chiles and Myles Graham. Chiles (6-foot-3, 222 pounds) has been billed throughout the cycle as more of a downhill linebacker that can get home on the blitz. He can do just that, but he also caught our eye in coverage on Monday, breaking up a pair of passes out by the sidelines. Graham (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) is also rocked-up and has the makeup of a potential Day 1 contributor just based on the build. The biggest obstacle for Chiles and Graham is likely going to be adjusting to the speed of the SEC, but the Gators — who have had plenty of roster turnover — might not have a choice but to get them on the field early.
RELATED — 4-star LB Myles Graham comments on the departure of Jay Bateman; Gators LB signee Aaron Chiles discusses signing with Florida, unexpected departure of Jay Bateman
Oregon’s No. 6-ranked recruiting class has been lauded plenty behind the scenes at 247Sports because of its pass rushers. We remain bullish on that group, but are ready to buy some stock in the defensive backs after watching Ify Obidegwu prepare for the Under Armour All-America Game and Aaron Flowers compete during the initial All-American Bowl practice. To put it simply, Ify was sticky. He was credited with multiple pass breakups as he stuck with wide receivers of all different sizes and fought through hands to make plays. The Ducks return plenty of talent in the secondary, but Obidegwu might be able to carve out a role sooner rather than later.
RELATED — Under Armour All-America Game: Team Ice WR-DB Sunday 1 on 1s
Eugene Brooks was by far the most consistent interior offensive lineman Sunday and Monday as he manhandled opponents during 1 on 1s. We knew that Brooks, who owns some of the top shot marks in the class, was full of power in the lower half, but we didn’t know that he was so polished from a technical standpoint as he constantly put his hands in the right place and was able to mirror with his feet. Oklahoma is losing five offensive linemen that started a bunch of games in 2023. Brooks could very well find himself fighting for one of the guard spots if he can quickly find his bearings.
RELATED — Oklahoma 4-star IOL signee Eugene Brooks dominating Under Armour All-America Game practices
Chanz Wiggins was one of the biggest surprises of the week as he saw plenty of targets come his way Monday when a few wide receivers were absent from practice. Back in the spring months, we saw Wiggins takeover multiple 7-on-7 games, but we wondered how he would fare against blue-chip defenders in a padded setting. He passed the test. The Hokies return their top three receivers from this past season, but Wiggins — who has plenty of size — could certainly avoid a redshirt, especially after going through Military Bowl practices with the team.
RELATED — Under Armour All-America Game: Team Fire WR-DB Sunday 1 on 1s
Dabo Swinney remains lukewarm on the transfer portal, which means that true freshmen have to contribute for the Tigers. Elyjah Thurmon is one of the lower-ranked prospects on the game’s roster, but he got rave reviews from the UA coaching staff and had his moments during 1 on 1 drillss. Thurmon, who just turned 17 years old, is far from a complete product, but he moves well on the inside and can find leverage. There might be some initial growing pains, but the developmental upside is there for Thurmon.
RELATED — Under Armour All-America Game: Team Ice OL-DL Monday 1 on 1s
247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna contributed to this report.
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