Blue-Grey All-American Bowl: North 34, South 27

Big Ten Conference Tyler Vroman was among the many high-profile prospect that participated in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium. Photo courtesy of Underground Sports Network.

On one of the biggest stages around, against many of the country’s best in the Class of 2022, Big Ten Conference target Tyler Vroman nearly stole the show as North defeated South, 34-27, at the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Jan. 31.

The scene was set at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, with a national broadcast on ESPN3, and Vroman delivered three receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns to successfully secure the Offensive MVP trophy.

Without much delay, his 74-yard touchdown catch came on a trick play in the first quarter. For an encore, he had a 20-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, a sequence that was rightfully nominated for SportsCenter’s Top 10.

The play of Vroman was mainly, though not solely responsible for the outcome of the game. Mid-American Conference target (MAC) Seth Borondy had himself quite the day with a pair of scores, on a 25-yard run and 50-yarder in the first half.

ACC target Blake Kendall did the best to keep the South close throughout. He scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Missouri Valley Football Conference target Kingston Oliver before halftime.

Also worth mentioning, live on ESPN during the first half of play, Rutgers commit Brad Harris created quite a national buzz when he made his commitment to the Scarlet Knights. He was not the only big man with a big name on the North.

Wyoming commit Wesley King was another, along with Big Ten Conference target Zach Cochnauer, Mountain West Conference target Jayson Montgomery-Scott and Ohio Valley Conference target Quentin Duffy. The list goes on and on.

Up front for the South, American Athletic Conference target Dalton Lyons did well along the line of scrimmage, same goes for Sun Belt Conference target Ethan Clark and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Hastings Carruth.

Ohio Valley Conference target Ryan Hacker, Sun Belt Conference target Beau Sellers and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Jerome Logan on the South were difficult to deal with down in the trenches. They could not be stopped.

There was no shortage of options on the North. Early and often, right until the final whistle in fact, MAC target Mark Wilson looked in the direction of Kent State commit Jameel Gardner and Youngstown State commit Rayshawn Manning.

On paper for the South, American Athletic Conference targets Thomas Wadsworth and Tyler Siddons were a rather formidable tandem when it came to the offensive side of the ball. Conference USA target Blayne Romano was the beneficiary.

Clemson commit Jahiem Lawson was expected to be the marquee name for the South and its coach, NFL veteran Ken Stills. Rightfully so, given the hype leading up the game about the well-known national recruit. Still, others made major contributions.

One, in particular, was Southern Conference target Davion Williams, who was named Defensive MVP for the South. Conference USA Caleb Gallashaw and and Southland Conference target Xavier Walton deserved an acknowledgment.

Colonial Athletic Association target Mason Peterson, Missouri Valley Football Conference target Ray Coffey, Southern Conference target DeAnthony Joyner and MAC target Javier Wills took advantage of their opportunities on the North.

With the focus on Ohio Valley Conference target Justus Johnson, Missouri Valley Football Conference target Lee Hutton, Colonial Athletic Association target Wesley Chandler and Southern Conference target Nasir Winston turned a few heads.

Similarly on the North, Missouri Valley Football Conference Dadrien Montgomery, Andrew Lockhart and Jayden Gibson, also Colonial Athletic Association targets Hunter Pavolic, Ryan Salvosa and Solomon Davis, each left a lasting impression.