How Oklahoma Players Performed at Under Armour All-America Practice

ORLANDO — If Brent Venables’ pitch alone isn’t convincing enough that Oklahoma is due for a brighter future, just look at the incoming surge of talent.

The Sooners have 13 high school All-Americans scheduled to arrive in Norman, many in about two weeks for the spring semester.

It’s OU’s first top-five recruiting class since 2010, according to the 247 Sports team rankings.

Most of the All-Americans have spent the week between Orlando and Kissimmee, where they’ve been practicing at ESPN Wide World of Sports for Tuesday’s Under Armour All-America Game. The game will be staged at Camping World Stadium — same venue as the Sooners’ loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl just four days ago — and will be televised by ESPN. Kickoff is 5 p.m. ET.

With seven players in the game, Oklahoma has the second-most All-Americans on the roster. Alabama is first with 10. Texas and Georgia each have six.

OU actually had eight players selected to Under Armour All-America status, but defensive end Derrick LeBlanc opted to practice with the Sooners for the Cheez-It Bowl instead.

The Sooners also have four players selected to play in Saturday’s Adidas All-America Bowl in San Antonio: center Joshua Bates, linebacker Sammy Omosigho, cornerback Jasiah Wagoner and defensive back Makari Vickers. Defensive lineman Ashton Sanders played two weekends ago in the Army All-America Bowl in Frisco, TX.

AllSooners has been in Orlando since Dec. 26 and has interviewed 10 of the 13 All-Americans, including all seven playing in Tuesday’s Under Armour game.

At almost no point in practice this week was there a rep that didn’t include a future Sooner, and several times, the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense both included three members of OU’s incoming class going head-to-head.

Following is an assessment of their practices at the Disney complex:

DE P.J. Adebawore

Easily the No. 1 edge rusher on Team Speed this week. His long, long arms and extensive frame combine with a freakishly fast first step to put him on the quarterback in a blink. He’s 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds but is able to play low off the ball and gain leverage on big offensive linemen.

When he gets to OU, he’ll want to play around 270 pounds, so he’s got a lot of physical growing to do. In Kissimmee, Adebawore picked up things quickly and put his prodigious skills to good use, especially in the one-on-one pass rush drills against other Power 5 offensive tackles. He is long and lean but is all to utilize surprising upper-body strength.

Grade: A

QB Jackson Arnold

By far the best quarterback for the week, although Iowa State’s J.J. Kohl won Monday’s skills competition and Florida’s Jaden Rashada is an outstanding player. Arnold showed a firm grasp of the scheme and didn’t hesitate in communication with the Team Speed coaching staff — or in telling his teammates where to be and what to do.

Arnold’s natural leadership qualities stood out, but maybe not as much as his electric release, which is lightning quick. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Arnold missed receivers a few times earlier in the week as everyone was getting used to things, but his accuracy is special.

Grade: A

S Peyton Bowen

Didn’t have a particularly busy week as a defensive back or return man, but ran all week with the No. 1 defense. Might be the smartest defensive back at the event, and seems to anticipate things before they happen. His lateral movement is astonishing, with an innate ability to flip and rotate to change direction multiple times in one play.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Bowen’s intelligence and confidence put him a cut above the competition, and his athletic ability is second to none. He’ll be more impactful at full speed on Tuesday night.

Grade: A-

LB Lewis Carter

No surprise that coaches had to remind Carter early in the week that he’s not supposed to hit his All-America teammates too hard. Carter did that in a 7-on-7 drill and, after he helped his opponent up, he was talked to.

Carter played mostly outside linebacker this week, switching sides with the strong formation call, and routinely involved himself in the action. The 6-foot, 210-pound Carter’s love of the game and enthusiasm for contact stands out, as does his ability to read what’s happening and get himself to the football. He’ll be more effective at game speed Tuesday night.

Grade: B+

OL Cayden Green

A lack of bodies overall forced Green to switch back and forth between left tackle and left guard. A mammoth human at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Green is a mauler, an overpowering presence no matter which position he plays.

He’s better suited for tackle but said he didn’t mind picking up some of the nuances of playing guard. In one-on-one drills, Green mostly dominated, shutting down the rush with stifling power, long arms and quick feet. He really seemed to enjoy blocking down and caving in the left side of the line.

Grade: A

DB Jacobe Johnson

Johnson was good on Saturday but appeared a little under the weather on Sunday. He seemed back at full speed in Monday’s walkthrough, although players didn’t exert themselves. There were times where it looked like the 6-4, 187-pound Johnson might have lacked a little confidence in some of the one-on-one drills as the wide receiver talent on this squad is otherworldly.

Johnson played a lot of safety in high school, and also a lot of receiver, so press coverage isn’t his strength. But each time he struggled, he immediately sought consultation from the Team Speed coaching staff and corrected.

Grade: B-

WR Jaquaize Pettaway

Pettaway mostly worked into the No. 1 rotation but routinely stood out. The 6-foot, 177-pound Pettaway is quick as a lizard and more muscled up than you think, so his explosiveness is fluid and natural. He might be the best receiver on Team Speed at getting in and out of his breaks.

He also showed quick, strong hands at the point of the catch, outmuscling the DB several times to make a catch. He also can contort his body to make acrobatic catches when the throw isn’t perfect, and frequently spent time soaking up instruction from the coaching staff.

Grade: A