Under Armour Initial Notes

(Jan 5th, 2009 11:25 am)

Here are my initial thoughts on the second annual Under Armour All-American Game:

-Matt Barkley is the best prospect in the nation. No offense Russell Shepard. Shep will be a good one, but he is not even in the same realm as Barkley. Yes, Shep is more athletic and has great feet and is a tremendous leader. Well, Barkley has almost all of that and a great arm, wonderful poise and makes great reads. The game of football for a quarterback is almost as much pre-snap as it is post-snap. Barkley has Shepard by leaps and bounds in that area. This is not a knock on Shepard - and take it from a guy that has caught a pass from him - he will be great for LSU. He just isn't as good as Barkley - who was the game's MVP.

Initial U.S. Army Notes

(Jan 3rd, 2009 11:18 pm)

Here are my initial thoughts on the ninth edition of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl...

-Lane KIffin might be sorry he passed on Tajh Boyd. The co-MVP showed the ability to move and slide around in the pocket while keeping his eyes down field and his shoulders square enough to throw accurately. He finished with three touchdown passes.

-Bryce Brown showed why he is the nation's top running back. He showed not only great burst and explosion as a runner but tremendous ability to make plays in the passing game. Brown shared MVP honors with Boyd.

-Tom Savage might be the best quarterback prospect on either team. He has the size, the build and situation to be a very good four-year starter at Rutgers. He moved well enough - Ben Roethlisberger style - and showed great accuracy on the run. Arm strength was also very strong.