UA Game: Takeaways from Monday’s practices

Despite some big names sitting out on Monday, the wide receiver group continued to make it clear it is the top position group represented this week in Orlando. Five-stars Cam Coleman (Auburn signee) and Ryan Williams (Alabama commit) continue to dominate more times than not, including Coleman flashing with a towering one-handed touchdown and Williams with his smooth route-running and break-neck speed. The two have been the talk of the position all week long.

On Monday many others made a strong impression as well. Braylon Burnside (undeclared) made several plays down the field, Jonathan Paylor (NC State) and his top-end speed had many secondary players on their heels, Jeremiah McClellan (Oregon) showed sticky hands despite contact and Mario Craver (Mississippi State) set up defenders better than any wideout not named Williams during the Monday session.

Monday’s one-on-one session in the trenches for Team Ice may have been the best singular period of practice all week. It had it all, from five-stars talking trash to three-stars flashing dominance, pancakes, easy wins and everything in between.

Five-star Oklahoma signee David Stone tried to set the tone with his aggressive verbal confidence and it may have alerted the blockers to give that much more effort because Clemson signee Elyjah Thurmon was up for the challenge in what was a back-and-forth blue-chip battle of power and leverage between two of the nation’s best. The energy there became infectious and Texas signee Zina Umeozulu picked up where Stone left off, winning with speed and an inside move on routine off the edge.

Miami signee Booker Pickett Jr. and Syracuse signee KingJoseph Edwards each looked explosive off the edge, too.

On the other side, Colorado signee Jordan Seaton continues to show well, winning more than not and showcasing perhaps the best redirection ability on his team. Oklahoma-bound Eugene Brooks was again the easiest winner in the trenches, even posting a defensive lineman with one hand as he failed to lose a rep for the second day in a row.

One of the most satisfying parts of any all-star setting is seeing those who slip up in one workout make up for it the next time out. There were several samples of this on display Monday, all over the field.

Massive offensive lineman JacQawn McRoy (Oregon) put a five-star rusher on his behind to highlight a strong one-on-one session. Another five-star rusher, Dylan Stewart (South Carolina), turned in some one-on-one wins with speed and power after a slower start on Sunday.

Clemson wide receiver signee Bryant Wesco showed strong hands Monday after battling the ball a bit during the last workout. Another blue-chip wideout in Ohio State-bound Myles Graham finished reps at the catch point despite heavy contact on more than one instance Monday after coming up short in that scenario the day prior.

Some of the prospects working out are dominating to the point where it’s surprising when a rep doesn’t go their way. None fit that framing like No. 1 cornerback and Georgia signee Ellis Robinson, who has been arguably the top performer of the week in Orlando. Not only is he rarely giving up catches, even to this special wide receiver group, but he is attacking the football and coming down with ridiculous interceptions along the way. At least four passes have fallen into his arms, most with high difficulty, and it hasn’t mattered to the five-star.

Another defender in blue-chip territory is making the strongest case to become the next five-star in new LSU commitment Dominick McKinley. Soft spoken on the field, his game couldn’t be louder in how he bull-rushes blockers to the turf just as much as he is winning with hands and overall athleticism.

More Rivals250 prospects playing steady ball into the New Year include Ohio State secondary recruit Aaron Scott, Oregon DB signee Ify Obidegwu, Auburn cornerback signee Jalyn Crawford and Miami wide receiver signee Joshisa Trader.

As is customary at these star-studded events, the quarterbacks collectively got off to a slow start but continue to show a bit more comfort each day out. There’s a difference between one-off arm talent impressions and consistency regardless of setting, but the two are showing more close together as the week wears on.

There’s no denying five-star DJ Lagway‘s talent and his deep ball looked better than ever on Monday, where the Florida signee also continued to showcase good decision-making in the RPO game during team settings.

Penn State signee Ethan Grunkenmeyer may have had his best overall workout, showing a quick trigger in both his processing and actual release as he settles into the scheme.

On Team Ice, NC State signee Cedrick Bailey pushed the ball to the third level with more accuracy than we’ve seen over the last few days, too. It will be fascinating to see the athleticism of this QB group on display come showtime on Wednesday.