Day 2 Notes: Team East & Joint Practice
Navy All-American Bowl
East vs West
The Alamo Dome, San Antonio, TX
12 p.m. CT January 11, 2024
All recruiting rankings from 247Sports Composite Ranking
As a cold front continues to sweep into Texas and a small winter storm looms on the horizon, everyone on Team East was dressed in pants and trying to stay warm. Only a handful of guys are from the northern part of the country, and the guys from the sun belt region were not used to the frigid temperatures.
Team East jumped right into a walkthrough before going into different scenarios, followed by position drills and seven-on-sevens. They finished with special teams practice. Wide recievers Jaime Ffrench (Texas) and Winston Watkins (Ole Miss) were the returners.
When both teams arrived at the Alamo Dome, warmups were immediately followed by seven-on-seven reps for the skill position players and one-on-ones for the lineman. After that, the teams moved to a full scrimmage with a full lineup, giving everyone plenty of chances to compete and get better.
Iowa defensive lineman signee Iose Epenesa warms up on day two of practice at the Navy All-American Bowl. Photo by Kelii Horvath/East Coast Gridiron.
Small Takeaways
Today I was able to interview a handful of prospects after joint practice. I will transcribe some of those and also leave some of my other notes from the day, similar to yesterday’s segment.
Iowa defensive lineman signee Iose Epenesa lined up one the edge and even flexed inside in walkthroughs. Versatility on the defensive line is a valuable skill. Epenesa is extremely powerful and put an offensive lineman on the turf in the joint session.
Uncommitted 2026 quarterback Bowe Bentley is quite mobile. He maneuvered the pocket very well and is quick when he breaks forward. Bentley has picked up at least two offers since he arrived in San Antonio, with 247Sports reporting that both East Carolina and Arizona have offered the signal caller out of Celina, Texas.
This dawned on me as I was standing out in the cold, but the drops and bobbled snaps for Team West yesterday were certainly due to the frigid conditions at practice. Those problems arose for Team East today, who did not struggle as much yesterday when they practiced in the Alamo Dome. My theory was confirmed when there was only one mishandled snap in the joint session, held in the Alamo Dome.
It was an up-and-down day for SMU quarterback signee Ty Hawkins, who had a poor initial series in the joint practice scrimmage, but he turned things around and flashed some brilliant scrambling. His playmaking ability with his legs makes him special.
Texas fans will be glad to hear this, but it was a good day for Longhorn wide receivers. Jaime Ffrench is an alpha for Team East and is very reliable. He also returned punts for Team East. Daylan McCutcheon and Kaliq Lockett were goofing around with each other before joint practice. It’s always good to see future teammates bonding before arriving on campus. Lockett also had a much better day catching the football—Team West practiced indoors all day.
Top plays
South Carolina 2026 defensive back commit J’Zavien Currence was all over the place making plays today. He came up with a big interception in seven-on-sevens in the morning and tipped a pass in the scrimmage portion of practice.
Georgia Tech defensive back signee Dalen Penson intercepted a Keisean Henderson pass in the scrimmage. While the ball was underthrown, Penson showed great ball skills by high-pointing the ball and not giving the receiver a chance at the football.
Speaking of Houston quarterback signee Keisean Henderson, despite the interception he put together an excellent string of plays during seven-on-sevens in the joint practice. He made some big-time throws downfield and picked apart the defense.
Uncommitted 2026 linebacker Tyler Atkinson had a great pass breakup over the middle guarding a tight end. Atkinson is currently rated as the top linebacker in the 2026 class and has looked the part through two ddays.
Texas wide receiver signee Kaliq Lockett catches a ball during warmups at practice. Photo by Kelii Horvath/East Coast Gridiron.
Day 2 Standouts
Kaliq Lockett - Texas - Signed (No. 21 NATL. No. 5 WR)
After I noted yesterday Lockett struggled with dropping the ball, he quickly flipped the narrative and was one of the best players in the Alamo Dome today. He was reliable in the routine catches and also showed he can make spectacular things happen as well. Great job responding after a sub-par performance the day before.
J’Zavien Currence - South Carolina - 2026 Committed (No. 90 NATL. No. 7 S)
Currence was all over the place today, nabbing an interception early on and tipping a pass in the afternoon. The top-100 player in 2026 has been committed to the Gamecocks for months now, and is primed to make an immediate impact in Columbia, considering he has already made an impact here amongst prospects who are generally a year older than he is.
Malik Autry - Auburn - Signed (No. 78 NATL. No. 9 DL)
Autry may be the most physically imposing defensive lineman in San Antonio, but he was very disruptive today. He got in the backfield so quickly on multiple occasions and in the morning he was very quick to get off his blocker. You can teach technique, hand placement and pass rush moves, but you can’t teach size. And Autry has size.
Will Black - Notre Dame - Signed (No. 40 NATL. No. 6 OT)
Black was an anchor for Team East today. The Notre Dame signee was an anchor at tackle and faced some premier pass rushing talent off the edge. Notre Dame always seems to recruit guys who are ready to play right away (see Anthonie Knapp) and Black appears to be in that same conversation.
Aaron Gregory - Texas A&M - 2026 Committed (No. 34 NATL. No. 5 WR)
Gregory is in the midst of a very talented wide receiver room for Team East, but has shined when given the opportunity. Gregory was given an opportunity on the first rep during seven-on-sevens in the morning and found the endzone on a post route. He was solid throughout the rest of the day but the playmaking ability was evident from the start.
Final Thoughts
I have now seen both teams in action on separate occasions, but also against one another in various formats. There is so much talent out there, but a few players are really beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. One player I need to make an effort to watch is Clemson defensive lineman signee Amare Adams who has reportedly done very well. I just haven’t paid attention to that position group at the right times it would seem.
My status tomorrow and Friday are up in the air due to potential hazardous conditions on the road. I will continue to monitor the weather but if all is well I will be back in San Antonio those days and of course on Saturday for the game.
I will be posting an article with my interviews shortly.