Five players punched their tickets to the 2023 Under Armour Next All-America Game with their performances Sunday at the 2022 Under Armour Next Football Camp Series at Mission Viejo High School in Southern California. It was the third stop of the year for the series after camps in Miami and Atlanta.
Taking centerstage Sunday was 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos (California). The USC-recruit, who is considered the No. 2 overall college football recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, was named Quarterback MVP.
Nelson, who had already accepted an invitation to UA Next AA Game, will be joined in Florida next year by his teammate, wide receiver Makai Lemon, who earned a spot in the game with his performance Sunday. Lemon, who has also given his verbal to USC, is considered a 5-star prospect.
Last season, Nelson and Lemon led Los Al to a 9-2 record and a No. 98 ranking in the High School Football America 100, powered by NFL Play Football.
Related: High School Football America 100
Nelson completed 170-of-275 passes (61.8%) for 2,690 yards with 39 touchdown against only eight interceptions. 65 of his completions went to Lemon, who amassed 1,065 receiving yards with 15 touchdowns.
In addition to Nelson and Lemon, Carlsbad (California) quarterback Julian Sayin, St. John Bosco (California) defensive back Marcelles Williams, Alemany defensive back Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins and Orange DB Arron White punched their tickets to next January’s game.
Also on hand Sunday, was Serra (Gardena) defensive back Rodrick Pleasant, who had already accepted an invitation to play in the ’23 UA Next All-America Game.
Other players recognized following their performances at Sunday’s camp were:
DL MVP
Ezra Funa (Mater Dei, Calif.)
Marquise Jones Jr. (San Joaquin, Calif.)
Jaeden Moore (Central Valley Christian, Calif.)
OL MVP
Ryan Blum (Basha, Ariz.)
Eugene Brooks IV (Desert Pines, Nev.)
Siaosi (Rhino) Tapaatoutai (Bishop Alemany, Calif.)
BJ Tolo (Mater Dei, Calif.)
Running Back MVP
Nygel Osbourne (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
Linebacker MVP
Leviticus Su’a (Mater Dei, Calif.)
Quarterback Accuracy Winner:
Jamar Malone II (Higley, Ariz.)
Quarterback MVP:
Malachi Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
Israel Carter (Centennial, Calif.)
Wide Receiver MVP
Jamari Johnson (Inglewood, Calif.)
Defensive Back MVP
Justus Woods (Carlsbad, Calif.)
The Under Armour Next Football Camp Series, created in partnership with Intersport and 3STEP Sports, stresses the importance of skill development above all else, and focuses on various athletic measurements including the 40-yard dash, pro agility and the vertical jump.
