All-American Bowl: Joint Practice Day Two Recap

After separate practices in the morning, the East and West squads met in the Alamodome for a joint practice. It was an early preview of Saturday’s All-American Bowl and several Notre Dame signees stood out amongst the nation’s best.

On the West side, Notre Dame was represented by offensive lineman Sullivan Absher, linebacker Drayk Bowen and cornerback Micah Bell. They were opposed on the East side by defensive lineman Brenan Vernon and safety Adon Shuler. The future of the Irish program did not disappoint during this de facto scrimmage.

OL SULLIVAN ABSHER (West)

Absher had a really nice morning practice. He followed that up with another solid showing in the joint practice this afternoon against the East squad. The pass rushing one-on-ones were a bit up and down for the North Carolina standout.

He played with a solid base and improved patience in that phase of the game. Absher had several good reps this afternoon, showing the ability to anchor down against power.

There were still some reps that showed a lack of experience in that regard. In one rep in particular, fellow Irish signee Brenan Vernon was able to get under his pads and bull rush him into the quarterback.

Once again, when Absher got to the team portion of the practice, he fared very well. In that setting, his physicality and power are able to shine through.

DE BRENAN VERNON (East)

Vernon had a couple really nice reps during pass rush one-on-ones, including the bull rush against Absher. The Ohio native worked both on the edge and inside on pass rush reps and flashed the raw power and explosiveness to be a difference maker in that area if developed properly.

There were, however, some inconsistencies in that department. Vernon still needs to develop more of a pass rush plan but when he wins early, his power and length are hard to counteract.

During the inside run period, Vernon continued to play good football. He routinely plays with good pad level and strong hands to lock out at the point of attack. Vernon stacked back to back good days.

LB DRAYK BOWEN (West)

For a player who has excelled so much in space while at Andrean High School, Bowen has really been tremendous at consistently fitting the run inside. He was the Mike backer during both the inside run and team portions of the practice.

Bowen continues to stack good days and has quickly become one of the leaders of the West defense. He has picked up the defensive system quickly, helping to get players around him lined up properly.

The East offense didn't test him much in the pass game, so his work today was in the run game. So far, Bowen has stood out not just as a playmaker at linebacker, but he's also arguably the best athlete at linebacker for either team.

CB MICAH BELL (West)

After a tremendous morning practice, Bell made one of the plays of the day for the West defense during 7-on-7. Bell was able to stay in phase and drive on a comeback route at the sideline for the interception.

Bell is a tremendous mover, both from a straight line speed perspective and in short areas. He was consistently able to stay attached to even the quicker wide receivers throughout the day.

After pushing through a back strain yesterday, Bell showed that he is among the most difficult defensive backs in attendance on Wednesday. He was fantastic in both practices.

S ADON SHULER (East)

It was another day at the office for Shuler, who wasn’t tested a ton during the joint practice. The West squad did test him once during the team drills on a tight end corner. Shuler was able to stay attached and force an incompletion on the play.

Like Bowen and Vernon, Shuler continues to stack good days. There is little question that he belongs among an incredibly talented group of defensive backs at the event. Shuler has looked the part.

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