The 2011 Under-Armour All-American Game will kick off tonight at 6:00 Central from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. In an added twist this year, Steve Mariucci and Mike Ditka have been chosen as head coaches for the respective teams.
Seven Alabama commitments are on the roster for this game, including Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Trey DePriest, Bradley Sylve, Marvin Shinn, Malcolm Faciane, Ryan Kelly, and Vinnie Sunseri. Neither Kelly and Faciane will play due to injuries (torn ACL's for both), and Marvin Shinn sprained his MCL so he may not play either, but the other four should definitely be in action.
Several other Alabama prospects will also be playing tonight, including Cyrus Kouandjio, Jadeveon Clowney, Isiah Crowell, and Xzavier Dickson. In particular, keep your eye very close on Dickson. He's announcing during the game, and 'Bama has recruited him very heavily for the Jack position. He's likely our top choice at Jack, assuming that Clowney goes to South Carolina as expected, and he's performed very well this week, so hopefully we can snatch him away from Georgia. Tune in to see how his coin flip turned out. Also, be on the lookout for Robensen Therezie. He's announcing at the game tonight, and while most had him pegged as going to Auburn, there has been a lot of talk the past day or two of him committing to Alabama today, so we'll see.
Finally, keep your eye on Cyrus Kouandjio tonight and how he holds up in pass protection. He won't announce until National Signing Day, but he is widely expected to sign with 'Bama, and he plays in a run-heavy offense on the prep level. Pay attention to how he holds up tonight in pass protection, and that will probably give you a pretty good gauge of how ready he will be to contribute as a true freshman next season.
Chime in here with all of your thoughts and comments.
Update: Xzavier Dickson committed to Alabama over Georgia. He did not do a coin flip live or otherwise, saying it was "too big of a risk." In other words, it was probably just a bunch of typical recruiting drama designed to build hype for the announcement. Regardless, good news for 'Bama, Dickson is one of the top prospects in the country and it's a big coup for us to go into Georgia and get a player UGA recruited heavily. Unless the Hail Mary heave in Jadeveon Clowney's direction works out, this is likely our only Jack signee in this class.