Six players in Friday’s Under Armour All-America High School Football Game are expected to name their college choices during ESPN2’S broadcast. While those players aren’t spoiling any surprises, that doesn’t prevent their Under Armour teammates from playing the guessing game.
The college announcements have become among the highlights of the broadcast.
The players announcing include:
* Cornerback Kendall Sheffield of Marshall (Missouri City, Texas), who is considering Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and Texas A&M;
* Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, Va.) defensive tackle Tim Settle (Oklahoma State, Southern Cal, Virginia Tech, and Washington State);
* Warren Easton (New Orleans) wide receiver Tyron Johnson (Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech);
* Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.) defensive tackle Daron Payne (Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State);
* McKinney North (McKinney, Texas) running back Ronald Jones II (Notre Dame and USC);
* Skyline (Dallas) linebacker Anthony Wheeler (Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, or Texas).
Soso Jamabo of Plano West (Plano, Texas), who hasn’t announced his own decision, only paused once in predicting where any of the six would go.
“Daron to Alabama, Tyron to LSU. Tim Settle to USC, Kendall to, that’s tough,” Jamabo said, before looking over to Cedar Hill wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge, who flashed Texas A&M’s trademark Gig’ Em hand sign. “And Anthony is going to Texas and Ronald is going to Notre Dame.”
Other players weren’t so sure, and differed from Jamabo’s choices, though the consensus certainly was that Johnson would stay home to play for LSU.
“Ronald and Anthony will go to Texas,” said Allen (Texas) quarterback Kyler Murray, who has said he will sign with Texas A&M. “Wheeler, I hate to jinx it, but he’s going to Texas A&M, I hope. Settle will go to Virginia Tech, Tyron, I’m going to say LSU and Payne to Auburn.”
Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Academy offensive lineman Lester Cotton, who is headed to Alabama, was less sure of Payne’s position.
“Daron, I know he dropped Mississippi State, so it’s either going to be us or Auburn,” Cotton said. “I feel like he is pointing to Auburn, but there’s also a good chance he would go to Auburn. I don’t know the rest of them well enough to guess.”