This year is a unique year for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Scout.com as a new challenger has emerged and players from all over the country now have three big all-star games to choose from. Scout.com will provide in-depth coverage of all three games.
The West quarterback battle may be one of the most intriguing storylines of the entire game as Dayne Crist, Andrew Luck, and Blaine Gabbert will be battling it out to see who will get the starting nod.
Texas gunslinger Andrew Luck is a rock solid performer. He brings a little bit of everything to the table. He has a good arm and throws with terrific accuracy. He also has the ability to take a little off and deliver the catchable ball. A quality that is often overlooked.
At 6-foot-5, 225-pound Notre Dame commitment Dayne Crist checks in as the third ranked quarterback in the nation by Scout.com. He has nice presence in the pocket and a lively arm. Crist fels the pocket well and has the ability to make some things happen on the ground when the play breaks down.
Blaine Gabbert may be entering the game a little rusty due to the fact he suffered a grade one shoulder separation and did not see much playing time down the stretch as a senior. Gabbert may not be entering the game off of a terrific senior season, but he may have the best intangibles of the group. He has outstanding size, arm strength, and mechanics.
The West squad will also feature a bevy of talented running backs. Leading the pack will be Scout.com five-star prospect Darrell Scott. Scott is ranked as the overall running back in the country. He has drawn many comparisons to former Army All-American star Adrian Peterson.
Texas running back Justin Johnson will be giving Scott a run for his money as the top back on the squad and may even push him for a starting spot. He has earned the nickname “Bus1” in Gilmer for his ability to run over you or around you.
Sam McGuffie, Covaughn Deboskie, and Marcus Wright will round out the running backs who were selected to play and all three guys are versatile backs who will do a great job catching the ball out of the backfield. It will be interesting to see how the coaches will use the exciting Michigan verbal commitment McGuffie in their schemes. It would be assumed that he will not only see time split out wide and in the backfield but will return kicks and punts as well.
Dan Buckner and Michael Floyd will headline the receiving unit. Buckner is a receiver with a massive frame. He has the ability to make the tough catch and plays and lives with the swagger that many of the great receivers seem to possess. He has size and speed but his biggest asset is his hands.
Floyd is no doubt a special player. Despite the fact his big frame he runs and moves extremely well. Floyd has all of the tools. He has tremendous hands and makes the tough catches, but he is also the type of receiver that can make some things happen in the open field. He has a chance to be the top player on the West squad by the time it is all said and done.
Like the first two receivers we profiled Jameel Owens is also a member of the Scout.com Top 100. Owens is not as tall as Floyd or Buckner but he is a big-framed guy as well. Like the first two guys Owens biggest strength is his ability to go out and haul down the tough passes. He has tremendous hands and also blocks well.
D.J. Shoemate looks to carry on the Servite High tradition as last year Servite LB Chris Galippo was recognized as the games MVP. Shoemate is a speedy receiver that is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Rounding out the wide receiver corps is Washington Husky commit Jermaine Kearse who has nice size and speed.
Andrew Jones and Austin Holt will be handling the tight end position and both players are traditional tight ends who bring a healthy mix of blocking abilities to the table, but both have the ability to beat you in the passing game as well.
If you thought the quarterback and running back battle were going to be heated wait until you get a look at the big nasties on the inside get to work. Three of the top six rated offensive tackles in the country, Tyron Smith, Matt Kalil, and J.B. Shugarts will be going to war to see who is good enough to get the starting nods. Throw in Colorado commitment Bryce Givens and you have four players that all rank with-in the Scout.com Top 100 and all four have serious potential to be special players on the next level and beyond. It will be interesting to see if a player like Shugarts goes in to the week with a chip on his shoulder to prove that he is better or at least on equal footing with guys like Kalil and Smith.
If you thought all of the superior talent was going to be along the offensive line was going to be at tackle you would be sorely mistaken as there will be some players like Trevor Robinson and Stephen Good who play the game with nasty dispositions. Good is an interesting story as he missed basically his entire senior season due to a shoulder injury and is just now getting back in to the swing of things.
Justin Sorensen and Justin Tucker will be handling the kicking and punting duties for the West.