Ray holds his own at All-America game

Published 6:30 am Wednesday, January 4, 2017

He’s done it against the top players in Alabama for the past four years and on Sunday, LaBryan Ray proved he can compete against the top high school players in the nation at the Under Armour All-America game.

The annual All-Star game pits the nation’s most highly-touted senior high school football players against one another. Playing for team “Highlight,” Ray was third on the team with five total tackles. The James Clemens defensive end registered three solo tackles and a pair of assisted tackles while sharing time with some of the nation’s elite pass rushers.

While his team did lose, 24-21, Ray was part of a defensive line that held team “Armour” to 52 rushing yards. Ray’s team, meanwhile, rushed for 210 yards.

Team Armour linebacker Dylan Moses, an Alabama commit from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, set a game record for unassisted tackles with 10. Moses was one of nine players in the game committed to the Crimson Tide. Safety Xavier McKinney of Roswell, Georgia, announced his verbal commitment to Alabama during the game.

Ray is rated by most recruiting services as the top player in the state of Alabama and one of the top defensive ends in the country. As a senior at James Clemens, Ray had a team-high 13 sacks, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, 25 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles and was a first-team All-State selection for the second consecutive season.

Ray was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game last month, but was unable to compete in the game because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Ray will have surgery on the injured shoulder early this year.

As the nation’s No. 2-ranked strong side defensive end, Ray holds offers from every major program in the country. The James Clemens senior has a busy month ahead as he narrows down his choices ahead of National Signing Day on Feb. 1.

Ray will visit Tennessee on Jan. 13, Alabama on Jan. 20 and Florida on Jan. 27. He could also visit Mississippi State, but it has not been finalized yet.