Blue-Grey All-American Bowl: North 42, South 26

Temple commit Jelon Johnson (left) and Colonial Athletic Association target Cortney Davis (right) were among the high-profile prospects to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

Stages didn’t get much bigger than Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium. With the game on a national broadcast on ESPN3 too, the lights were bright. Considering the venue, and atmosphere in general, those in attendance could not have asked for better conditions.

With seemingly everything set and in place, similar to the many instances beforehand, the product and end result didn’t disappoint, as North defeated South, 42-26, in a showdown on Jan. 30 with many of the country’s premier prospects on display from the Class of 2023.

Colonial Athletic Association target Cortney Davis and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Demir Ashiru essentially rotated at quarterback for the North and put on an absolute show, both of them finishing with multiple touchdowns in the air and on the ground.

Temple commit Jelon Johnson and Ohio Valley Conference target Mason Bowman were a potent combination in the backfield for the North. Missouri Valley Football Conference target Victor Klote and Southern Conference target Amari McArthur were among other weapons.

Conference USA target Ayden Conley, MAC target Royce Daugherty, Southern Conference target Steven Hamby and Southland Conference target Viktor Rasmussen played pivotal roles for the North. That allowed Davis and Ashiru to be considered for Offensive MVP.

There was no shortage of explosive options for the South, either. When all was said and done, Sun Belt Conference target Aaron Jackson, Ohio Valley Conference target Javion Roscoe and Southern Conference target Bandon Raysor made more than a few memorable plays.

ACC target Purnell Richardson, Sun Belt Conference target Neil Sledge and Conference USA target Ajai Brown were forces up front on the South. Same thing goes for Southland Conference target Nick Cravaritis and Sun Belt Conference Hayden Dozier, to name a few.

On the defensive side of the ball, Florida State commit Xavier Perkins and ACC target Alec Hall had their names in the conversation for Defensive MVP. In the end however, Liberty commit Barrett Newman took home the trophy with 11 tackles, eight solo stops, two for losses.

Mid-American Conference (MAC) target Javen Sewell and Ohio Valley Conference target Tayton Swift largely anchored the defense of the North, although prior to the game, Kentucky commit Carson Wright was expected to be the marquee name on that particular unit.