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VIDEO: ALL-USA Defense selections and where they signed plus highlights

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The American Family Insurance ALL-USA teams featured a large number of seniors who formalized their college commitments Wednesday on National Signing Day. Here are game highlights from those seniors:

RELATED: Offense

MORE: National Signing Day Hub

FIRST TEAM

Shaun Wade, CB – Ohio State

Marvin Wilson, DT – Uncommitted

Bubba Bolden, S – USC

 

Anthony Hines III, LB – Texas A&M

Joshua Kaindoh, DE – Florida State

Richard LeCounte, S – Georgia

Nate McBride, ILB – Georgia

Dylan Moses, OLB – Alabama

Jeffrey Okudah, S – Ohio State

Jaelan Phillips, DE – UCLA

Jacoby Stevens, S – LSU

 

Pressley Harvin III, P – Georgia Tech

SECOND TEAM

Louis Acceus, OLB – North Carolina State

Baron Browning, OLB – Ohio State

AJ Epenesa, DE – Iowa

Willie Gay, OLB – Mississippi State

Darnay Holmes, CB – UCLA

Matt Lorbeck, ILB – Northern Illinois

Aubrey Solomon, DT – Michigan

Chase Young, DE – Ohio State

Trevor Denbow, P – Uncommitted


Receiver Jamire Calvin flips to Washington State, his third school since Jan. 7

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U.S. Army All-American Jamire Calvin has changed his mind again.

Calvin signed with Washington State on Wednesday, his third school since Jan. 7.

Calvin from Cathedral (Los Angeles) was seemingly set to be a Nebraska commit but in the days before the Army Bowl, he had a change of heart. During the broadcast, Calvin committed to Oregon State.

He decommitted on Jan. 17 over what he said was something said to him by the coaching staff. He has declined to provide specifics. Calvin then committed to Nebraska last Friday.

But on signing day, he donned the Washington State hat and signed with the Cougars.

You can see his Periscope announcement here:

Aubrey Solomon says he said Michigan despite video that seems to show otherwise

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Five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon committed to Michigan on National Signing Day after he had decommitted following his decision seven months ago.

It’s a nervous day for everyone involved and nerves might have gotten the best of him when he appeared to accidentally say “University of Miami” instead of Michigan when he put on a Michigan hat during his live announcement on ESPNU.

And yes, the Internet noticed.

But Solomon insisted on Twitter that he said Michigan, but it was so loud that it sounded like Miami.

Here are the players that Michigan signed.

VIDEO: Jim Harbaugh shows off dance moves learned from Usher during in-home visit

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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is always adapting and learning, it seems.

Harbaugh is always on the cutting edge when it comes to recruiting, too, which is why the videos below of him showing off dance moves he learned from Usher at four-star DL signee James Hudson’s house come as no surprise.

Harbaugh and Usher became fast friends last month when they met at the White House.

As for Harbaugh’s moves, it appears the Hudsons were at least entertained.

“Coach Harbaugh is very exciting, very entertaining,” Hudson’s mother told the Detroit Free Press. “I’ve never laughed so much. We had a good time. He came in, took his shoes off and made himself at home.”

As for James, he didn’t speak directly to the dance moves, though he did say he appreciates Harbaugh’s personality.

“I wouldn’t say he’s crazy, but he’s a different type of head coach,” Hudson said. “You’re not going to find another head coach like him. He has a joking side, but also knows when to be serious. You see him on Game Day and he’s fired up. That’s what I like about coach Harbaugh. He’s going to have a huge impact on my life.”

Do recruiting rankings matter? Depends where your class is ranked

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Ohio State finished with the No. 2 recruiting class, according to the composite rankings, with a group of 21 players that includes five five-stars and 14 four-stars. Ohio State also has nine early enrollees.

For a time, the Buckeyes had the No. 1 class before being passed by Alabama, and some recruiting sites crunched the numbers and said Ohio State was in line for the best recruiting class ever.

RELATED: Meet the Top 25 recruiting classes for 2017 | Composite team rankings

“It cracks me up when [people] say the ratings don’t matter,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told the Big Ten Network, according to 247Sports. “If they’re keeping score, we’d like to win that thing.  I do look at that. The recruiting services, although they are not 100 percent correct, they’re very close. A lot of those guys that are highly-rated guys turn out to be great players.

“You have the Darron Lees and some other under-the-radar guys that turn out to be phenomenal. The Josh Perrys. But that’s always going to happen. But when you start throwing around numbers like (a 247Composite average star rating of) 94 and five-stars and four-stars, those aren’t the end all, but sure they matter. We’re all competitive; we’re very competitive here. And to say we had one of the historical classes of all time, a lot of hard work went into that.”

That was a contrast to what Texas coach Tom Herman had to say about his first class, which was the lowest-ranked this century for the Longhorns.

“What rankings don’t do though is crack their chest open and look at their heart,” Herman told news reporters, according to the Dallas Morning News. “They don’t look at work ethic; don’t look at what their coaches say about them.”

MORE: The wildest and wackiest stories from National Signing Day

Washington was ranked in the top 25 by most recruiting rankings, but lost out on some players who decommitted. Defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu from Oregon flipped to USC and in-state running back Connor Weddington flipped to Stanford.

Coach Chris Petersen was undaunted.

“We never worry about the kids that don’t come here,” Petersen said, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. “That has nothing to do with the success of our program.”

“What has everything to do with our program, how good we’re going to be?” Petersen said, motioning to the list in front of him. “These guys better be able to play. When we don’t miss on these guys, that’s everything.

“People can say whatever they want. We know who we want in our program, and we know what we can do with them. And I think the results this year spoke loud. I think we feel similar about these guys.”

UCLA had a top 20 class that was small in numbers with 18 players, which impacted its placement. Coach Jim Mora acknowledged his staff sees the rankings, but said that was not a huge determining factor in how they pursued recruits

“We don’t look at rankings other than to just get a general idea of how people around the country view our players,” Mora said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. “We trust our eyes. We have over 80 years of playing and evaluating experience at the highest level, the NFL level, so we try to evaluate as an NFL staff would and that involved involves evaluating character, certainly potential, you’re guessing on some things.”

But ultimately where a class or player is ranked coming out of high school doesn’t compare to their production when they get to college. Still, you have to get those players on campus.

“The No. 1 thing to me has always been recruiting and development,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Getting these young men, it’s a big part and a big step. This is good group, a competitive group, a loyal group with 12 guys who won state championships. You can speak volumes to that group as a whole, not just the (ranking) by their name, but what kind of kids these young men are.”

Guess it all depends on your perspective.

#TBT: ALL-USA and Olympic track star Allyson Felix returns to alma mater

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Four-time Olympian Allyson Felix returned to her high school recently and posed in front of the track that bears her name.

“Good to be home,” she tweeted.

Felix was named to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA first team in 2003. As a senior at then-Los Angeles Baptist, her time of 22.11 seconds in the 200 meters at a Grand Prix meet in Mexico City was the fastest in history at the time for a high school girl. (The school was later renamed as part of Heritage Christian).

Before her junior year in high school, she won two gold medals at the World Junior Championships in the 200 meters and as part of the medley relay.

Felix turned pro at age 17,  bypassing her college eligibility, and finished second in the 200 meters in the U.S. Indoors championships as a high school senior.

She won silver at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the 200 meters. It was the first of her nine Olympic medals — six golds and three silvers. She won a pair of gold medal in Rio last summer in the 4 x 100 meter relay and the 4 x 400 meter relay. She also took home three gold medals in 2012 in London, in the 200 meters, the 4 x 100 relay and the 4 x 400 relay.

She also has 12 medals from the World Championships, including nine golds.

Felix is a four-time winner of the Jesse Owens award from USA Track and Field in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2012.

Though she did not compete for USC, she earned a degree in elementary education.

Allyson Felix was an ALL-USA selection in 2003 at Los Angeles Baptist High (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

Allyson Felix was an ALL-USA selection in 2003 at Los Angeles Baptist High (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

Jimbo Fisher on recruits: Great players don't care about the depth chart

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For those who think recruits examine depth charts, team needs and how many players might be in front of them, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has this message: “Great players don’t care.”

The subject came up on National Signing Day because the Seminoles signed three very good running backs in an effort to replace All-American Dalvin Cook. Cam Akers, the No. 1 running back and No. 2 overall player in the class, is already on campus. Khalon Labron, the No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 28 overall, and Zaquandre White, the No. 7 running back, will enroll in June.

The Seminoles also have junior Jacques Patrick and redshirt freshman Amir Rasul. Patrick was ranked as the No. 3 running back in the Class of 2015 and Rasul was No. 9 in the Class of 2016.

“I’ve never been around a great player that I’ve ever recruited that ever worried about the depth chart,” Fisher said. “Because they know they’re great players and they know they’re going to play. Those guys, they go take care of their business they’re going to play. They don’t worry about it.”

Love Kobe Buffalomeat? Meet Maverick Wolfley, Wrangler Haresnape

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If you are familiar with Key & Peele on Comedy Central, you know the fun they like to have spoofing football player names.

This video from 2012 has nearly 40 million views on YouTube.

So Jordan Peele was in heaven when he saw the Illinois State signed a 6-7 offensive lineman from Kanas named Kobe Buffalomeat.

Dad Ray told The Chicago Tribune that Kobe is named after Kobe Bryant and he is roughly one-quarter Cheyenne/Arapaho, one-quarter Cherokee, one-quarter Choctaw and one-quarter white.

Kobe became the star of National Signing Day, thanks to social media. But Redbirds coach Brock Spack wanted to make it clear that this was no “publicity stunt.”

“We did it because of his character,” Spack told The Tribune. “He’s a good student. He’s long and a very good athlete. He has big upside.”

Maverick Wolfsley (Photo: 247Sports)

Maverick Wolfley (Photo: 247Sports)

But Buffalomeat’s fame also opened the door for some attention from some other uniquely named football signees.

West Virginia signed Maverick Wolfley, a 6-3, 225-pound fullback from Morgantown High in West Virginia. He is ranked as the No. 1 fullback in the class by 247Sports and is the No. 5 player in West Virginia. He committed to his hometown school nearly two years ago.

And then there is Wrangler Haresnape, a 6-2 linebacker who signed with West Texas A&M. Haresnape is from Plainview, Texas. He is a part of new coach Hunter Hughes’ first recruiting class.


#TBT: Check out some Patriots players from their high school days

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With the Super Bowl on the horizon, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane with the New England Patriots.

Check out pictures from some Patriots’ players high school days, including coach Bill Belichick.

Of note: Gronk looks exactly the same.

Texas point guard Kianna Williams ready for McDonald's All American Game

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Kianna Williams receives her honorary McDonalds All American jersey Photo: McDAAG)

Kianna Williams receives her honorary McDonalds All American jersey Photo: McDAAG)

Kianna Williams is faced with a great challenge at the McDonald’s All American Game. As a point guard, she has to figure out where to get the ball, given a roster of the nation’s best who are leading scorers on their own team.

“It’s like, who do I pass it to?” she joked. “I’m going to go out and have fun. I want to play my game make sure everyone is engaged and having fun also. Hopfully, the West comes out with a win.”

Williams, ranked as the No. 8 player overall in the Class of 2017, received her honorary jersey when the McDonald’s Hometown Heroes presented by American Family Insurance came to Wagner in San Antonio. She was honored in front of family, friends and the school.

The McDonald’s All American Games are March 29 in Chicago.

“It was great,” she said of the ceremony. “I’m blessed. The student body got to come out and support me. I was nervous about how many people were there. There was great energy and excitement. I’m just thankful for all the support.”

Wagner will have McDonald’s All Americans in consecutive years as Amber Ramirez, now a freshman at TCU, was in last year’s game.

“I wanted to follow in her footsteps and I’m so excited to play in the game and can’t wait,” she said, citing a number of other former McDonald’s All Americans, including Elena Delle Donne. “I’ve been watching the game for the last few years.”

She also will get to team with one of her future Stanford teammates, DiJonai Carrington, a guard from San Diego.

“I want to spend time with the other great players and get to know them,” she said. “When we’re competing against each in college, it will be fun to say I know them.

“I’m also looking forward to visiting the Ronald McDonald House.”

Williams also has that Texas pride, with five Texans on the West roster.

“I think Texas is the greatest state. Period,” she said. “I’m biased, but I think we have the greatedt athletes. … It’s great to see everyone’s hard work pay off.”

Duke signee Wendell Carter Jr. honored for Jordan Brand Classic

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Wendell Carter Jr. (Photo: Position Sports)

Wendell Carter Jr. (Photo: Position Sports)

Wendell Carter Jr. was honored as the Jordan Brand Classic Senior Night Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to his school, Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.), to present the school with a banner to mark his selection to the April 14 game in Brooklyn.

RELATED:

Ranked No. 4 overall, No. 3 power forward in the Class of 2017 by ESPN. The Duke signee stands at 6-foot-10.

Carter presented his Dream Champion award presented by American Family Insurance to his mom, Kylia.

Wendell Carter Jr. presented his mom, Kylia, with the Dream Champion Award. (Photo: Position Sports)

Wendell Carter Jr. presented his mom, Kylia, with the Dream Champion Award. (Photo: Position Sports)

VIDEO: 2019 guard Deon Stroud is a dunking machine

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Deon Stroud, from San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.), hasn’t garnered a ton of college attention.

But the sophomore guard has some impressive hops, as evidenced by the video below, courtesy of Hudl.

McDonald's All American Jade Williams making a positive impact

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Jade Williams receives her honorary McDonalds All American jersey Photo: McDAAG)

Jade Williams receives her honorary McDonald’s All American jersey (Photo: McDAAG)

Jade Williams’ goal on the court is to make a positive impact.

That she received an honorary jersey for the McDonald’s All American Game is a testament to how positive.

“I’m more of finesse post,” said Williams, a 6-4 Duke signee. “I can pass very well and can finish. I do a lot on defense. I want to contributed everywhere a little bit, but not in a bad way. It’s about making a positive impact, keeping the flow going and help pick up the pace.”

Williams, ranked as the No. 4 forward in the nation by espnW Hoop Gurlz, was honored Thursday when the McDonald’s Hometown Heroes presented by American Family Insurance came to her school, The Colony in Texas.

“The ceremony was really exciting,” she said. “It was really a great opportunity to thank everyone – my teammates, my family, my coaches. It was really special moment.”

RELATED: McDonald’s All American Game girls rosters

Williams is eager to get to Chicago for the March 29 game and the events that precede it.

“I’m just excited for it all, just to be part of it in general,” she said. “I want to see the dunk contest, the shootaround, be part of the game and be around so many talented players.”

Williams will leave Texas for Durham, N.C., and said the reason was “because I can see myself there.”

“My recruitment overall was amazing,” she said. “Everyone I came across (at all the school) and met, I had a good time. It was a really hard decision because I got so friendly with everyone.

“It came down to Duke being the best academics and athletics in my opinion. It’s the best of both worlds. I’m goin to be away from home, but I clicked with the coaches almost immediately and the girls on the team were so nice.”

Cal signee Kianna Smith has big goals for McDonald's All American Game

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Kianna Smith with her McDonald's All American honorary jersey (Photo: McDAAG)

Kianna Smith with her McDonald’s All American honorary jersey (Photo: McDAAG)

Kianna Smith got her honorary jersey for the McDonald’s All American Game on Thursday, and that means one thing: The game is approaching.

“Having the jersey now and every day that goes by is closer to game so it feels more real,” she said. “I’m excited for the event.”

Smith received the jersey when the McDonald’s Hometown Heroes presented by American Family Insurance came to her school, Troy High in Fullerton, Calif. She was honored in front of classmates, teammates, coaches and family.

The McDonald’s game is March 29 in Chicago.

“It was definitely on my list of goals, but it was also a surprise because I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it,” she said. “It really rewarding for all the hard work I’ve put in and it’s a dream come true.”

RELATED: McDonald’s All American Game girls rosters revealed

The 6-foot Smith, ranked as the No. 6 guard and No. 21 player overall by espnW HoopGurlz, also plans to enter the three-point and skills contests during game week.

“Hopefully, I’ll win those and then have the West team win,” she said. “I just want to do whatever it takes to have our team win.”

Kianna Smith presents her Dream Champion award to her former AAU coach, Brian Crichlow (Photo: McDAAG)

Kianna Smith presents her Dream Champion award to her former AAU coach, Brian Crichlow (Photo: McDAAG)

As for how quickly the team can come together with only a few days of practice, Smith said, “I think it will be difficult, but we’re all elite players so I think we’ll be OK.”

Smith, a Cal signee, will get to share the experience with Destiny Littleton, a USC signee from the San Diego area who is the all-time leading scorer in California. The two are teammates on the West Coast Premier AAU team.

“She’s one of my best friends, so it’s cool we could do this together,” Smith said.

Texas A&M lands commit from hulking high school freshman

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National Signing Day is in the rearview mirror, so it’s time to look forward. But this might be a bit too far forward.

Jordan Jefferson, a Class of 2020 offensive line recruit from Navasota (Texas), announced on Facebook that he had committed to Texas A&M. He is the first commit for A&M in that class, in case you were wondering.

“It’s always been my dream to be an Aggie,” he told TexAgs.com.

Jefferson is so young that his class does not have recruiting pages among the major recruiting sites yet. Verbal commitments are non-binding so we shall what happens as other programs are interested.

We do know this — he benched 295 pounds last spring as an eighth grader.

 


Elite 2018 safety Jaiden Woodbey says he plans to 'shock the world soon'

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Jaiden Woodbey from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) is ranked as the No. 3 safety in the Class of 2018 and the No. 32 player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Woodbey, who already has accepted an Under Armour All-America Game invitation, is down to Ohio State, USC, Nebraska and Oklahoma for the moment, and apparently has big plans as seen in this tweet late Thursday night.

About two weeks ago, Woodbey was miffed with suggestions that he might play another position in college. This tweet has been pinned to the top of his timeline since.

VIDEO: Zion Williamson drops 45, throws down two thunderous dunks in 30-second span

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Spartanburg Day (S.C.) didn’t get much of a challenge Tuesday from Greenwood (S.C.) Christian, winning 87-15. Zion Williamson, of course, was the main attraction, and he did not disappoint.

Williamson finished with 45 points and 20 boards against an entirely overmatched Greenwood squad.

“The first play of the game, we already knew what was coming,” Greenwood coach Joshua Chiles told the Index-Journal. “We had a double-team on him simply so they couldn’t throw the lob, because when he dunks it erupts.

“He dunks so hard, the ball goes back, you can’t take the ball out of bounds to get it up, you’ve got people jumping on the court. It’s insane.”

Below is quite the sequence, as Williamson has two monster dunks in the span of several seconds.

Historic Houston football Thanksgiving Day rivalry to resume

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(Photo: Nike Football)

(Photo: Nike Football)

A high school football rivalry in Houston that dates back to the 1920s between two historically black schools will resume on Thanksgiving 2017 with the help of Nike and as part of the celebration of Super Bowl LI in the city.

The Yates and Wheatley high school teams have been taking part in events this week with an on-field competition and block party scheduled for Friday. A number of pro athletes are scheduled to talk to the players.

According to a news release from Nike, the Turkey Day Classic was considered the largest attended high school football game in the nation with 30,000 fans. The celebration began with students being surprised with custom mural and art installations at the schools by Gonzo, an artist based in Houston.

“To come be a part of us is just truly a blessing, and an honor that they would think of us to do something like this and help celebrate and bring this back to our communities,” Yates football coach Michael Watkins told Click2Houston.com.

“It brings out the best in each school. The school spirit is just up, and we’re happy to be a part of that,” Wheatley football coach Cornelius McFarland added.

(Photo: Nike Football)

(Photo: Nike Football)

VIDEO: Neb. girls player drains amazing, no-look buzzer beater from near halfcourt

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This is one you have to see to believe.

Sarah Theiler of Arlington (Neb.) makes one of the most amazing buzzer beaters you’ll ever see, tossing it over her head from nearly halfcourt and hitting nothing but net.

Check out the video below, courtesy of Hudl.

Autistic team manager in Texas gets his magic moment on Senior Night

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In a memorable moment Friday night for the Hudson (Lufkin, Texas) basketball team, an autistic team manager got to celebrate Senior Night by getting introduced as part of the starting lineup and then scoring the game’s first points.

The team had a special jersey with No. 1 made for Justin Forrest.

The idea was hatched by Jacob Pierce, a friend and teammate.

RELATED: This moment for special needs student in Oklahoma is amazing

“It is my senior night, but I love this experience for him. This is once-in-a-lifetime and I’ll be able to tell my kids when I have them that I had one of my best friends go out there and scored the first two points and the gym just went ecstatic,” Pierce told KTRE. “He makes you see the bigger picture in life. It’s a game and you want to win, but you see more than that. It gets you ready for after life. That’s what he does for me. He teaches me what I didn’t know and that’s what I love about him.”

See the videos below from Brandon Ogden of the Lufkin Daily News.

 

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