Link: Under Armour All-America Game (Jan. 4th)

[BAMAHD]

Barkley is going to be a good one for USC.

 

[resmith]

As BET called it, Branden Smith to UGA.

 

[NYBamaFan]

I would never allow one of my boys to make a spectacle of themselves as these players, with their pick antics, have done. I don't even approve of the way that Andre did it 3 years ago. Way too much ego...

 

[BAMAHD]

No surprise with Smith, Love to have him but everyone knew where he was going.

 

[BigEasyTider]

Gilbert with a beautiful deep throw there...

I'll give Mack Brown credit, he handled the Gilbert / Shepard thing right. He went out and secured Gilbert, and then told Shepard he could play effectively anywhere but quarterback in Austin. At the end of the day, it cost him Shepard, but honestly he got the quarterback he needed.

Gilbert will be putting up All-American numbers at quarterback for the 'Horns while Shepard is playing slot receiver and maybe running the Wildcat.

 

[SimCastilleFan3]

Well I dont think anyone was shocked about Brandon going to Georgia... If Dre were for someone odd reason were not to pick Bama id be hurt!!

 

[BigEasyTider]

I would never allow one of my boys to make a spectacle of themselves as these players, with their pick antics, have done. I don't even approve of the way that Andre did it 3 years ago. Way too much ego...

Agreed.

The only big announcement that I ever really liked was Julio's last year. He just came out, sat down, and said he was coming to Alabama. No hat trick, no lifting the shirt, not pulling anything out from under the table, etc.

 

[BigEasyTider]

Smith is no surprise. Everyone knew he was UGA bound for ages now.

Our cornerback board is simple... we'll nab Kirkpatrick, and if we can turn Jackson then that's just gravy. Aside from that, we're addressing other issues with the scholarships remaining.

 

[TexasBammer]

I liked 26 on the Red team. The guy on Defense... who was he? He seemed to be around the ball alot.

 

[BigEasyTider]

A few thoughts on several players...

• I was hoping to get to see more of Trent Richardson, but I knew we wouldn't. These games are really little more than glorified pass skeleton drills, and the running backs don't get involved. Either way, he impressed everyone a great deal in practice, so that's good news.

• Matt Barkley won MVP, and rightly so. Some people think he is the top QB in the country, and I can see why. He has good size, good arm strength, and he's about as polished of a passer as you will see on the high school level. If he can stay healthy, he ought to be a star at USC. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up winning the Heisman one day.

• Craig Loston is a beast, and he should be one heck of a safety. LSU hasn't exactly developed some of the highly-touted DB's they have signed quite like you would think (Eugene, for example), but they'd really have to mess up for this kid not to be a great player.

• Darren Myles was a bit hit or miss to me. He's got good athleticism, and he clearly belongs here, but he has a ways to go. Even not considering the touchdown he gave up to Marlon Brown, Myles was just too often taking poor pursuit angles to the football, and he paid for it. He's a good prospect, but I do think he has a ways to go in terms of technique before he can really be a contributor in this league.

• Andre Debose is truly an incredible athlete. He's got great explosion in the open field, great top-end speed, and he can change direction on a dime. I was really hoping he would pick Miami, but I can see why he would pick Florida. You cannot be a more perfect fit for a scheme than he is for the Urban Meyer offense. If Harvin goes pro, I imagine Debose will be one of the most productive true freshmen in the country... as I said earlier, he'll be a 500 / 500 guy. And honestly it's better for us to have him at Florida than LSU.

• Petey Smith made some nice plays, and he's a pretty solid prospect. I do not believe he has a firm offer from us, and I think he'll end up at Auburn. He should be a pretty good MLB for them, but honestly he's really a player a generation too late. As much as the SEC throws it these days, you need more athletic linebackers, while Smith is really a power linebacker designed to play the run on the inside. I tell you, fifteen or twenty years ago, this would be a kid that every SEC program would be going after. It just goes to show you how the game has changed.

• Russell Shepard showcased himself as an elite athlete, but he's a terrible quarterback and that showed this week. He can be a truly elite slot player if he wants to be, but he'll never play quarterback, and he'll have to fully come to terms with that if he is ever going to make it at the next level. And considering that's he's already popping off at the mouth about how he is going to beat out Jefferson and win the starting job next year as a true freshman, I'd say he's about to get a harsh dose of reality. He's an egotistical kid who thinks highly of himself and who has a big mouth, it'll be interesting to see how he reacts once he fully realizes he won't be an every-down quarterback.

• Garrett Gilbert looked pretty dang impressive to me. He made one bad decision on the throw into the end zone, but I can see why he is highly-touted. Moreover, it's nice to see him recovering well from his shoulder surgery.

• Finally, to close, a big criticism directed towards ESPN... their production tonight was simply terrible. It was a very amateur-esque production, almost like you were watching on YouTube. The NBC guys simply blew them out of the water with the Army AA game.

 

[BEATtutorsee]

Hasn't been a particularly good past couple of days for LSU has it?

 

[LsuSabanFan]

Hasn't been a particularly good past couple of days for LSU has it?

Actually we landed the Loston a few days back incase you missed it.As far as Russell goes let the wizard(crowton) work on him then we'll see.Same was said about Vince young at Texas but he proved the doubters wrong.
I agree that he is not polished and not ready right now but that guy has heart and confidence which goes a long way in college football.Plus he is ready to do what the team needs him to do.Even it is doing what Tebow did a few years back.

 

[BEATtutorsee]

My, my how quickly ya'lls tune can change. It's all good fellas, I'm just razzing ya a bit.

 

[TiderinArkansas]

Jefferson looks like a stud to me, future star so I don't know where Shepperd fits in mainly because it would be one thing if Jefferson was just a passer but as well as he moves it doesn't seem to me like a Leak/Tebow thing where Shepperd would come in for running purposes.

 

[CrimsonBleedRed]

and about Shepard...there is a fine line between egotistical and confident and having a big mouth and being outgoing. Russell Shepard = confident and outgoing. A player like, oh I don't know, Ryan Perrilloux = egotistical and a big mouth.

Now you're just splitting hairs. Big mouth is big mouth plain and simple. To me RS=RP attitude and talent wise. IMO, RS is in no position to be talking about beating out Jefferson for the QB job, when he is going to be a full yr behind in the LSU system. Like RP and his "4 Heisman" statement, RS should know his role and shut his trap.

 

[BamaFanInCA]

man...that game was practically a waste of time. i mainly tuned in to see TR get some carries, but all he got was ONE decent carry. this was definitely a pass happy game. that matt barkley kid definitely looked impressive though. from the skills competition to the actual game, he was solid. too bad he's going to SUC. and how high was Marlon Brown on our list for WR's? cause he looked pretty good. kind of reminds me of DeAndre Brown.

well...no big commitments at the Army game or the UA game. i guess signing day will be a big day for us (that's if we get Kirkpatrick and Patrick as expected, hopefully get Massie and pull in either Randle, Patterson, or both).

 

[GA_Tide]

The little I saw, TR actually looked good in pass protection. And while that is not what we wanted to see, it is very important in getting a young RB on the field early and often.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

FV Trent Richardson interview (Video)

 

[Crimson Surfer]

Stars of the game

QB Matt Barkley, 6-3/226, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
ASSETS: Good fundamentals with a strong and accurate arm.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Has a tendency to press and throw into coverage.
WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE IN THE GAME: Barkley made some money throws, starting with his first pass of the game, hitting Marlon Brown on perfectly-thrown slant route for a 71-yard score. He showed touch with a 35-yard scoring strike to Jamal Reid. But his best pass of the first half was an out route to Brown. He trusted his receiver and threw to a spot. Another impressive pass was when he looked off the safeties left and threw down the seam on the other side of the field.
CONCLUSION: Barkley showed tonight why he's the top-rated passer in the country . He threw the ball very well, looking off safeties and making good reads and decisions. Barkley was named MVP.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

Barkley leads team to win at Under Armor

In a contest that featured six highly rated quarterbacks, the Under Armour All-America Game on Sunday evening produced one star from the bunch.

Matt Barkley, the top pro-style passer prospect in the country, put on a show as his White squad topped the Black team 27-16.

Matt Barkley closed the week with a stellar game performance.
Despite pressure in his face all evening, the USC commit finished 11-of-22 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, he set the pace for the entire game when he hit wide receiver Marlon Brown on a short slant route that was turned into a touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage.