All-American Bowl Recap: Brenan Vernon Is Nowhere Near His Ceiling

The 2023 All-American Bowl concluded on Saturday with a 55-17 dominating victory for the East squad. A part of the East team, Notre Dame signees Brenan Vernon and Adon Shuler both started for the staunch defense that allowed just nine first downs and 170 total yards on the day.

Venom capped off a very good week of practice in San Antonio with a one-handed interception during the game that he rumbled for 21 yards to set up an East touchdown. The Ohio edge rusher has had a wild ride as a recruit. When Vernon originally committed to Notre Dame in June of 2021, he was considered by most to be a five-star level talent.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

Vernon has seen his recruiting rankings fall steadily since then, due to a host of reasons. For starters, Vernon does not really enjoy the media side of the business. It should be no surprise that the media rankings punish him for those lack of attention unfairly.

You can add in the whole being committed to Notre Dame thing. If we are going to sit here and pretend like that doesn’t have a history of happening, we would be lying.

Then there is some prospect fatigue with Vernon. He has been a recruit that people have known about for so long that he is no longer the “new toy.” It has caused the Ohio standout to become one of the most underrated recruits in the 2023 recruiting class.

During the week of practice at the All-American Bowl, you saw everything that had made Vernon such a highly coveted recruit, boasting offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, and Indiana among others. It didn't take long to see the talent.

WHAT PRACTICE SHOWED

It started on the first day when Vernon showed up to the event over 20 pounds lighter than what he was during his senior season. Now sitting at a shade under 6-5 and 260 pounds, Vernon definitely looked the part physically.

The first day was spent just admiring his frame and the development that could follow. Then Vernon started to move and things got even more impressive. Despite being a strong-side defensive end or potentially even an interior lineman long term, Vernon moved incredibly well in person. He was a ton more explosive and twitchy than his senior film.

In the run centric drills, he showed all the physicality that you expect from him. Vernon maintained good pad level all week, playing with strong hands to work the point of attack and gain extension.

When it came to the pass rush one-on-ones, you again saw all the talent is there to be a potential difference maker. He has several wins throughout the week in that department, flashing some big time power and a nice double swipe to win both inside and out.

SCARY UPSIDE

There is, however, serious development that needs to continue in that department. Right now, Vernon is an early rep winner as a pass rusher. If he doesn’t win off of his initial move, he can get stuck at times. You did see as the week went on a much better understanding of how to string moves together and develop a deeper rush plan.

As Vernon becomes more nuanced in that department, things could get scary quickly for opposing offensive lineman. With an awesome combination of length, explosiveness and raw power, the sky is truly the limit for Vernon. It is all about development from here.

The week down at the All-American Bowl was a strong showing for the talented defender. The scary part, Vernon isn't even close to his ceiling.

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2023 Scholarship Chart
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Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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