The U.S. Army All-American game is one of the 2 major HSFB All-America games (last week’s Under Armour AAG being the other). This game, played in San Antonio, TX, features many top players from around the country. Here’s how/when you can watch it

2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Gameday: Saturday, January 7th

Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX

Kickoff time: 1:00pm

TV: NBC (National Broadcast)

Who To Watch

East Team

#77 OL Tedarrell Slaton. This 4-star OL hails from Ft. Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage HS. Slaton is a beast, standing 6’5” 360lbs. Many see Slaton as a very good prospect at Offensive Guard, but Slaton has recently stated that he prefers playing Defensive Tackle. Because of that, Kentucky and Florida have moved to the forefront of his recruitment, as they’re the 2 schools recruiting Slaton to play defense.

Personally, I believe Slaton is a better prospect on offense than defense, but he has the pedigree to succeed at either spot. Miami has work to do to catch Florida, Slaton’s named leader at current.

#5 WR Mike Harley. This 3-star WR hails from Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the preeminent HSFB programs in America. Harley is committed to West Virginia, but recently received a scholarship offer from Miami. Last week, Harley stated that he was shutting down his recruitment (i.e. no more communication or visits) to stick with West Virginia.

So, why include him? On Monday, Harley told 247sports that a visit to Miami was still possible. Yes, that’s contrary to the “shutting things down comment”. Yes, that’s the circuitous nature of recruiting. Harley and his parents may visit Coral Gables the weekend of January 13th. Miami needs WRs and needs speed, and Harley could provide that in spades. We’ll see what happens.

West Team

#9 DE Hunter Echols. This Los Angeles (CA) Cathedral star is committed to USC, but that hasn’t stopped Miami from engaging with him late in the 2017 recruiting cycle. Echols has real interest, which he has detailed in several interviews recently. The 6’3.5” 231lb DE would be another nice addition to the DL group at Miami.

Echols is scheduled to visit Miami on January 13th, and USC — to whom he is committed — on January 20th. Due to the fact that Echols is committed to USC, Miami obviously has a tall task in front of them to get him to flip. But, DL coach Craig Kuligowski is one of the best in the country, and his resume speaks for itself. He’ll do his best to get the talented Echols away from the hometown Trojans.

#27 WR Devonta Smith. The last name on this list is arguably the most important for Miami. Smith, a 5-star WR from Amite (LA), is an electric player at a position of desperate need for the Hurricanes. He has good size at 6’1” 170lbs, with elite athleticism and playmaking ability.

I’ve said this in previous articles, but Smith was once committed to Mark Richt at Georgia. Since then, his recruitment has been opened up, with many teams working to get Smith to their team. Along with Miami, who Smith will visit last on January 27th, Smith will visit LSU on January 13th and Alabama — the overwhelming favorite in Smith’s recruitment at current — on January 20th.

Smith was in the news this week, as a DB in the game threw him into a bench at the end of a 1-on-1 rep. It was holding and a personal foul against the DB, but I digress. That was Smith’s 1 bad rep of the week really, and Scout recruiting writer John Garcia Jr. had the HL’s from Smith dominating the competition.

No matter what, and in spite of 1 bad rep, Smith is an elite player and Miami is going to recruit him all the way until National Signing Day.

Those are the Canes targets in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. You can see them, and all 100 players in this elite showcase, at 1pm on NBC.

Go Canes