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What to watch for: Notre Dame in the Under Armour All-America Game

After a year hiatus, the Under Armour All-America Game is back, and Notre Dame will have three of its class of 2022 signees playing in the contest.

Irish fans can mark their calendars for Jan. 2, 2022 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN to watch the prestigious all-star game. Here’s a quick look at the three Notre Dame recruits playing in Orlando, Fla.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish football linebacker signee Jaylen Sneed
Irish linebacker signee Jaylen Sneed is on the brink of five-star status.

Hilton Head (S.C.) High linebacker Jaylen Sneed wowed us in the offseason, dominating shorts and t-shirts events. He followed that up with a strong senior season in which he earned 2021 Mr. Football South Carolina honors.

He’s improved his rankings across the four major recruiting websites as a consensus top-50 recruit. Rivals ranks him as the No. 47 overall player in America. Will he continue his rise in Orlando?

There’s nothing to suggest he won’t. The Irish signee is strong, explosive and has incredible instincts from his linebacker position. Whether it’s covering tight ends 20 yards downfield or coming up to stop the run, Sneed will be all over the field. Sneed has the chance to earn five-star status this week.

Three of the four major recruiting websites have Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic quarterback Steve Angeli ranked as a three-star recruit, while ESPN has him as a four-star prospect and the No. 143 overall player in the country. Which ranking is more accurate?

We won’t get the exact answer to that in the practices leading up to the game and the contest itself as only his playing career in college can answer that, but Angeli throwing to and competing against other All-Americans will give us a better idea.

The other quarterbacks in the Under Armour All-America Game are Florida State’s AJ Duffy, South Carolina’s Braden Davis, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman, Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann and Utah’s Nate Johnson.

Angeli’s mindset isn’t to prove his doubters wrong, but he can still do just that in the process.

Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy offensive tackle Ty Chan had a strong offseason too. He participated in the Future 50 Camp over the summer in Bradenton, Fla. and had strong one-on-one reps versus Alabama defensive line signee Jaheim Oatis. After the event, Chan shot up the Rivals rankings, from No. 189 to No. 114 overall nationally.

Chan lined up at guard during the Future 50 and showed that he can be a bully on the inside. He also has the athleticism and length to stay at tackle. It’ll be interesting to see where he plays this week.

Other notable recruits

Texas A&M cornerback signee Bobby Taylor Jr.: Son of former Irish defensive back Bobby Taylor Sr.

Louisville defensive end signee Popeye Williams: In-state recruit from Westfield (Ind.) High.

North Carolina offensive tackle signee Zach Rice: Major Irish target before picking the Tar Heels.

Michigan wide receiver signee Amorion Walker: Was committed to Notre Dame for nine months before flipping on National Signing Day.

Texas A&M defensive end signee Anthony Lucas: Considered Notre Dame before choosing the Aggies on National Signing Day.

The full roster, although slightly outdated, can be viewed here.

Blue & Gold’s coverage of the event

Under Armour originally had Tuesday planned as a media day for interviews with the recruits but sent out a memo Sunday night saying that it was canceled.

BlueandGold.com will make its way over to Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Wednesday, Dec. 29 for the first practice that evening and will cover the second practice the following morning. We will not have live coverage for the practices on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

All of our coverage will be found at BlueandGold.com and on our YouTube page.

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