Norcross DE Hubbard stands out at Under Armour
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Adrian Hubbard said going into Saturday's Under Armour All-America Game that the event was going to be his own personal proving ground. Well the defensive end from Norcross proved himself well.
Coming in as one of the lower-rated recruits in the game, Hubbard finished with three tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
Pretty good for a guy that came in with an three-star average in recruiting rankings and didn't play football as a junior. He's committed to Alabama.
"I felt good about how I did," said the 6-foot-7 Hubbard, who was a basketball prospect before changing sports as a high school senior. "The coaches put me where I needed to be, and I made the plays."
Where Hubbard often ended up was head up over Team Blur left tackle Ja'Wuan James of North Gwinnett High, a Tennessee pledge.
"JaWuan and I have had our battles in the past," Hubbard said. "He's handled me a couple of times, and I got him a couple of times. We're pretty even right now. But it's always good to go against somebody you know. But I think I got noticed a little bit today. All these players out here are All-Americans. It's about who wants it more and making plays."
Quiet day for Rogers
Calhoun wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers made arguably the biggest splash of all the Under Armour players during practices this week but that didn't transition to the playing field Saturday. The five-star prospect had one catch for 13 yards.
And it wasn't for lack of trying. Rogers had at least six passes thrown his way. Most were off target, but he got his hands on at least three he was unable to come down with. Rogers' best play was when he forced a fumble on punt coverage that teammate Brandon Coleman scooped up and returned 25 yards for a touchdown.
"It was a little frustrating," said Rogers, a UGA commitment. "We didn't play very well. It seemed we had a hard time getting the ball to the receivers like we wanted to. But we were just out there having fun, and it was a good experience."
Blur quarterbacks Blake Bell (Oklahoma), Jesse Scroggins (USC) and Chase Rettig (Boston College), combined to complete only 16 of 41 passes 156 yards and three interceptions with no touchdowns.
Gainesville's Tai-ler Jones, playing on an injured ankle, was the most consistent of the Blur receivers. The Notre Dame commitment caught three of the five passes thrown to him, and the other two were uncatchable. He finished with 28 yards.
Atlanta's Antonio Goodwin (Auburn) had one catch for six yards.
Etc.
• Ryan Ayers, a Georgia Tech commitment from South Paulding High, injured a knee late in the first half and did not play in the second half. "It's not that serious," Ayers said. "I just sprained it a little. They just told me don't even worry about it and don't try to play on it."
• It has been pretty much non-stop football for Kolton Houston since preseason practices began for Buford High in late July, and it's not about to stop soon.
The Wolves' season didn't end until mid-December when they won their second consecutive Class AA state championship, with a 14-1 record. Other than a brief Christmas break Houston immediately began to train for the Under Armour game. That done, he will report to UGA on Wednesday for student orientation and begin college classes and team meetings Friday.
• Six players announced their college choices during Saturday's ESPN broadcast: CB John Fulton of Manning, S.C., to Alabama; DT Dominique Easley of Staten Island, N.Y., to Florida; WR Kenny Shaw of Orlando to Florida State; WR Chris Dunkley of Pahokee, Fla., to Florida; CB Toney Hurd Jr. of Missouri City, Texas, to Texas A&M; and WR Darius White of Fort Worth to Texas. Fulton and Dunkley said they were also considering Georgia.
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