Wednesday evening, some of the nation’s top players in the 2024 class took to Camping World Field for this year’s rendition of the Under Armour All-American Game.
Among those in attendance were two Tar Heel early signees, running back Davion Gause and defensive back Zion Ferguson, who shared the sideline for Team Ice throughout the afternoon into early evening. While neither guy was the focus of the broadcast like some of the other big names that were in attendance, both guys had a solid day for themselves.
Gause carried the ball just five times, but he easily had the best day amongst the running backs. He finished with 27 yards and a touchdown on those five touches, the only running back to find the endzone in this one. He showcased just how decisive of a run he is and was making sharp cuts the whole day. He also showed a little bit of the burst that he was able to add to his game in his senior season after losing 10 lbs. in the offseason. All things considered, this was a nice showing for Gause in an event that doesn’t typically lend well to running backs.
It was hard to grade Ferguson on this game for a couple of reasons. For one, his defensive front was so dominant, especially early, that the secondary wasn’t tested until late. He was also moving back and forth between cornerback and safety. He showed plenty of versatility, looking really promising in coverage out of his field safety spot and nearly coming away with an interception where he covered a lot of ground quickly. At corner, he did a good job of staying in the hip pocket except on the one catch he allowed where he was dropping into a deep zone to prevent a big play down the field. He was able to make a strong break on the receiver after the catch, though, and finish off the tackle. One thing that was noticeable and will be worth monitoring moving forward was how much he was manhandled on the one run play that came to his side. He will have to add to his frame to be able to shed those blocks and make tackles at the college level.
Overall, it was a good day for the two Tar Heel signees who had pretty quiet weeks of practice. The attention will now turn to San Antonio and the four members of the early signing class that will participate in Saturday's All-American Bowl.