Notebook: Notre Dame TE commit Brock Wright separated himself in Under Armour All-America Game
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tight end Brock Wright put up the best performance of Notre Dame's five commits in Sunday's Under Armour All-America Game. He led Highlight with two catches for 45 yards and a reception on a two-point conversion. Wright, a team captain, was the only one of Notre Dame's five commits to start the game.
• Offensive lineman Robert Hainsey entered the lineup on Highlight's second possession. With Hainsey playing left guard, the offense marched down the field for an 85-yard touchdown drive and the first score of the game. Hainsey was solid blocking the interior, but he did allow some pressure on his quarterbacks when playing at right tackle which led to two sacks. Highlight's final touchdown, a five-yard run by Texas running back commit commit Toneil Carter, followed behind Hainsey's block.
• Quarterback Avery Davis had his stats padded when wide receiver Jeff Thomas, the MVP of the game, took a short pass for a long run on a 79-yard touchdown. Davis, who entered the game as Team Armour’s third quarterback, struggled most of the afternoon connecting with his receivers and finished 3-of-12 for 94 yards. Davis found some success as a runner with four carries for 17 yards.
• Wide receiver Paulson Adebo continued to show his versatility and athleticism. He broke a tackle and made a couple defenders miss on an impressive 23-yard punt return for Armour. He also caught two passes for 20 yards. The Irish have recruited Adebo primarily as a cornerback.
• Linebacker David Adams wasn't able to make any plays trying to stop the run for Armour. Linebackers were left to play in coverage frequently while being prohibited from blitzing. Adams made his lone tackle after being outrun by Carter for a 36-yard reception.
• Linebacker target Ellis Brooks, who plans to visit Notre Dame in January, finished with six tackles for Highlight, which tied him for the team lead with Florida State defensive end commit Joshua Kaindoh.
Pouncey picture
When Jordan Pouncey withdrew his commitment from Notre Dame on Wednesday, it could have been the end of the road for the three-star wide receiver and the Irish. But at least for now, Pouncey is keeping Notre Dame in the picture.
Pouncey, a 6-foot-2, 186-pound product of Winter Park (Fla.) High, released a list Sunday on Twitter of four schools currently in contention for his commitment: Notre Dame, Miami, Texas and Tennessee.
Without Pouncey, the Irish have only one wide receiver in the 2017 class: three-star recruit Michael Young. Pouncey left the Irish class a day after the first report surfaced that associate head coach and wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock was leaving Notre Dame to become Cincinnati's offensive coordinator.
Pouncey has visits scheduled to Miami (Jan. 13), Texas (Jan. 20) and Tennessee (Jan. 27). Pouncey already has used his official visit to Notre Dame.
Several Irish commits have been urging Pouncey to return to the Irish class and started using the hashtag #JP2ND on Twitter.
Quoted quotables
Avery Davis on David Adams: “David’s a freak too. He fits gaps. He comes down hard. Sometimes linebackers aren’t straight in the head. They come down hard. He’s trying to lay somebody out.”
Davis on Paulson Adebo: “I see a little Adoree Jackson in him. He can do everything. If they need him to play DB, he can do it. He’s special on offense. I don’t think you can not keep him on offense.”
Davis on if he’s going to beg Notre Dame’s coaching staff to keep Adebo on offense: “Yeah. I’m definitely going to.”
Davis on sticking to his commitment to Notre Dame: “I committed for all the same reasons I stayed. I love the school, the degree that’s possible of getting, coach Kelly and the tradition at that school. It’s everything. I’ve built a good relationship with all these commits, and that’s something I don’t want to lose.”
Robert Hainsey on Brock Wright: “Brock’s a baller. Finally getting to play with him, he’s the full package. He can catch, run. He’s a great blocker, which is why I like him a lot. A lot of tight ends don’t like to block that much, but Brock puts his hand in the dirt and he likes to win and finish people like I do.”
The five #NotreDame commits after the @AllAmericaGame.@RH56__@yg_3x@realaverydavis@brockjwright40@David_Adams1335pic.twitter.com/vIOFbS3uML
— Tyler James (@TJamesNDI) January 1, 2017
They had a hard time deciding on a pose. @AllAmericaGame@RH56__@yg_3x@realaverydavis@brockjwright40@David_Adams1335pic.twitter.com/dzFGFWbbQu
— Tyler James (@TJamesNDI) January 1, 2017
tjames@ndinsider.com
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Twitter: @TJamesNDI
