USC, Alabama draw elite recruits at Under Armour All-America Game

By foxsports
Published

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Deondre Francois threw for 103 yards and a touchdown to help Team Highlight beat Team Armour 46-6 on Friday in the Under Armour All-America Game.

Francois, from IMG Academy in Bradenton, has committed to play at Florida State. He was 4 for 4 with a 60-yard completion to George Campbell, another Florida State recruit from East Lake High School.

Francois threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Williams of Orlando First Academy Prep. Williams has committed to Clemson.

"I wanted to just come out here and have fun," Francois said. "It was nice to get a pass to George because he and I were roommates this week. We tried to set something up."

Ronald Jones II of McKinney (Texas) High School had a 63-yard touchdown run to give Team Highlight a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. He committed to Southern California before the kickoff.

"This was a nice way to end my high school career," Jones said. "Now I'm ready to begin my new journey as a Trojan."

Daylon Charlot of Patterson (Louisiana) High School had a 53-yard punt return to make it 24-0 in the first half.

Ohio State commit Eric Grover-Williams, from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown for Team Armour.

Defensive end Byron Cowart from Armwood High School in Seffner was named MVP for Team Highlight after recording four tackles and a sack. Cowart was supposed to make a verbal commitment during the game but has pushed his announcement back to national signing day Feb. 4. He will choose between Florida, Florida State and Auburn.

"I didn't want any distractions this week so I could focus on this game," Cowart said. "I'm glad I decided to push things back so I can focus on making the right decision."

Defensive tackle Daylon Mack from Gladewater (Texas) High School was the MVP for Team Armour after recording seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. He is also planning a signing-day decision between Texas, TCU and Texas A&M.

"I just wanted to impose my will on the offense today and cause a lot of havoc," Mack said. "This scoreboard wasn't what I wanted to see but it was still fun."

Damien Harris of Madison Southern High School in Berea, Kentucky, led all rushers with 110 yards on 16 carries. His 36-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Highlight a 46-6 lead.

Alabama received verbal commitments from defensive back Kendall Sheffield of Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, and defensive tackle Daron Payne from Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama, during the game.

Defensive tackle Tim Settle from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Virginia, committed to Virginia Tech, and wide receiver Tyron Johnson from Warren Easton High School in New Orleans committed to LSU.