Five Irish recruits compete at Under Armour All-American Bowl

Five of Notre Dame’s recruits are in Orlando, competing at the Under Armour All-American Bowl. Representing the Irish are linebacker David Adams, cornerback Paulson Adebo, quarterback Avery Davis, offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, and tight end Brock Wright.

While I wasn’t smart enough to get the assignment to head to Orlando and breakdown each recruits performance in practices before the January 1st game that’ll be televised on ESPN, here’s a collection of reports that should give you a quick breakdown on their performances:

David Adams:

It’s interesting to look at Adams now that we know he’ll be coached by Mike Elko and plugged into his defense—a Wake Forest group that put together a final dominant performance in an upset bowl victory over Temple, a team Notre Dame will open up against next season. While Adams wasn’t recruited with Elko’s 4-2-5 (but multiple) scheme in mind, there’s no doubt that he’ll fit in just fine.

While Adams (and likely many others) might not be as big as his recruiting profile lists, the reviews of his work this week all point to a highly athletic, instinctual athlete.

The two-time first-team All-State player in Pennsylvania earned this review from Jermain Crowell, his coach for Team Armour, according to a Rivals and BlueandGold.com report:

“Really smart football player, really instinctive and high football IQ,” Crowell told Rivals. “He plays downhill. He’s good in pass coverage, good communicator. I like him.”

With some nice depth returning at linebacker for the Irish, Adams shouldn’t be expected to step into the lineup. That makes it possible for him to spend a year learning and adding some bulk to his frame, just like linebacker Jonathan Jones did this season.

Day 2 photo highlights of #Notre Dame commitment @David_Adams1335 in action. Visit https://t.co/rbmBJZj3en for more! pic.twitter.com/GYeAxfGx3Q

— Steve Hare (@share24) December 29, 2016

Paulson Adebo:

If there’s a Notre Dame prospect who is helping his stock this week, it might be Adebo. Playing receiver in Orlando, Adebo looks explosive as a pass catcher, impressive as a route runner and athlete with top-end speed, something that bodes very well for an Irish secondary that is young and on the rise.

Adebo, whose commitment back in June caught many by surprise, also said all the right things when asked about the status of that commitment to Notre Dame.

“The big thing for me was the actual school,” Adebo told Irish247. “It wasn’t anything other than that. Coaching changes, one bad year, it doesn’t change anything… Just the fact that they were one of the few schools that had a good academic program and a football tradition and team. That’s what sold me on Notre Dame.”

No video, but #NotreDame commit @yg_3x (Saiid Adebo) with the catch of the day. Over the shoulder corner rt. against attached coverage pic.twitter.com/kqKAmIbWMr

— Gerry Hamilton (@GHamilton_On3) December 28, 2016

Avery Davis:

No recruit will have more eyes on him than Davis come this fall, as he could enter the season one hit away from the starting job now that DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire are gone. Ready to compete with Ian Book for the backup job, Davis’s athleticism isn’t in question, though his ability to step in and make all the throws necessary might be.

A highly productive high school quarterback at Cedar Hill in Texas, Davis isn’t big, but he’s athletic, and he’s showing plenty of that this week in Orlando, even if it’s also clear he’ll need to do some mechanical work with whatever quarterback coach Brian Kelly brings in to work with his offense. In a recruiting class where the Irish moved on quickly after missing on Hunter Johnson, Davis is doing what’s expected this week.

Team Armour is LOADED at quarterback. Myles Brennan (LSU), Sean Clifford (Penn State) and Avery Davis (Notre Dame) pic.twitter.com/VZDiRJQi4m

— All-America Game (@UANextFootball) December 28, 2016

Robert Hainsey:

While it’s hard to get a true feel for offensive linemen before they get to campus, this is the type of review you want to read about incoming freshman. The early-enrollee got this write-up from Irish247’s analysts after one day of practice:

Hainsey is a mauler. His toughness continues to be on display. He needs to learn to finish his blocks all the way through, but all in all, he had a really good day one. I was impressed when I was told that he looks better in pass blocking than run blocking, which isn’t always the case at the high school level. He is always cross-training at tackle and guard this week and has been getting a ton of reps. Hainsey is clearly taking advantage of this week, as he prepares for enrollment at Notre Dame in two weeks.

Hainsey is playing guard right now in Orlando, though it’s not clear whether Hainsey will play inside or outside yet in South Bend. He was IMG Academy’s starting left tackle.

#NotreDame OL commit Robert Hainsey went one-on-one against #Michigan DE pledge Luiji Vilain Friday at Under Armour Game practices. pic.twitter.com/dpJxTAV7KO

— Jeremy Crabtree (@jeremycrabtree) December 30, 2016

Brock Wright:

Another early-enrollee, Wright certainly looks the part of a ready-to-contribute tight end at the college game. A massively large target who already looks like he’ll be able to hold his own as an attached blocker, Wright does just about everything well—a very nice player to add to a tight end position group that has a ton of depth, and will reportedly be coached by Jeff Quinn.

Wright’s size, speed and strength all look up to par—a big reason why he’s considered a Top 100 prospect and one of the nation’s top tight ends.

As expected, #NotreDame commit @brockjwright40 more involved in passing game today. He's smooth. pic.twitter.com/MzGc200mHt

— Steve Hare (@share24) December 29, 2016