ATLANTA - The 2020 Rising Seniors crop took to the field on Thursday. We were on hand at the Walden Athletic Complex in downtown Atlanta for all of the action.

Who managed to impress?

Physically the smallest of Team Commitment’s three quarterbacks, Mike Wright didn't stand tallest during day one of practice--not in physical height, anyway. But his on-field performance was another story. The Woodward Academy signal-caller not only displayed shifty quickness, but appeared to have the best throwing motion and touch of the trio of quarterbacks. Wright’s presence in the huddle and at the line, where he was constantly chatting up his teammates, was certainly unique, especially considering this was the initial practice. - PG

Valdosta quarterback Tate Rodemaker

Rodemaker has only two offers: Valdosta and Presbyterian. But he should see those numbers climb if he continues the production we saw today. His throwing motion is seamless and repeatable, and his spiral is airtight. He's got a great release and field vision that found open receivers where there seemed to be none. He'll be one of the game's most intriguing prospects moving forward.

Cedar Grove’s Alvin Williams may very well have been the most impressive player, regardless of position, during today’s practice. During an offensive line-versus-defensive line drill, the three-star defensive end constantly raced by massive linemen, reaching the quarterback on nearly every snap. On the first play of the live scrimmage concluding practice, the energetic Williams batted a pass at the line thrown by a 6-foot-4 quarterback--then picked it out of the air for an extraordinary interception. - PG

We expected Anderson to show out, and he met the challenge. He was nearly unblockable on the first day, and showed he has the speed and pass rush toolbox to leave would-be blockers empty-handed. He lived in the backfield throughout the first practice and is on track to see his star rise. - JR

Swinson was an under-the-radar name coming into the showcase, but he proved he's ready to take the next step in his recruitment and exposure. Swinson's size calls attention to him immediately, but he has the speed and moves to make an impact. He should see his offer sheet expand going forward. - JR

It was evident today why running back Jo’Quavious Marks is a Rivals250 prospect with more than 20 offers. The Carver (Atlanta) standout is quick—the lightning fast brand of quick. In the live scrimmage of the final portion of the practice, he broke off the longest run of the day, covering 60 yards or so, and was absolutely untouched. In addition, his pass-receiving skills out of the backfield were unmatched by any other running back I observed today. Though he lacks tremendous size, this kid is a true star whose stock should only rise in the near future. - PG

I’ve now seen Kevin Swint at multiple settings and, as has been the case in every previous occasion, he stands out from most of his peers on appearance alone. The No. 16 overall prospect in the state for the 2020 class, Swint has tremendous size—so much so, the outside linebacker is tentatively projected to play defensive end at the next level, yet he's positioned at inside linebacker for Rising Seniors. During most drills today, the versatile Swint at times appeared head-and-shoulders above most at his position. In addition, during the live scrimmage, he made a tackle reminiscent of Georgia’s Roquan Smith, whereby he impressively traveled from one sideline to the other to make the stop. - PG

Peach County wide receiver Noah Whittington

At 5-foot-9 and around 175 pounds, Noah Whittington is one of the smaller players at Rising Seniors. However, what the Peach County product lacks in size, he makes up in big-play potential. In fact, of the best receptions made during the initial practice, Whittington may have had the top two, including one nearly impossible to describe. On an underthrown ball, Whittington reached beneath an out-stretched defender while falling backwards in the end zone to secure the ball just before the pass fell incomplete. - PG

Allen was active at the linebacker position all day, earning our attention in its own right. What set him apart was love from the coaches. He was consistently called on to be a leader for the defense and for the team overall. In fact, Zach Grange, head coach of Commitment, just took to calling him "Peach" and let him set the tone for others. - JR

Bradwell Institute offensive tackle De'Leon Madria

The offensive line struggled on Day 1, but that's the norm. It takes take for the big uglies to gel and get in step, and that was as evident as ever on Thursday. Still, Madria, who measures in at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, showed he has the feet for offensive line and is able to leverage his size into driving power. - JR

Full disclosure here - we did not catch the best play of the day on video. In fact, we knew that as soon as we saw it happen live. While trying to get the camera up, Cedar Grove's Alvin Williams, on the first play of full team scrimmage, batted a pass into the air at the line. To cap it off, he was able to get under it and force an interception. The talented young defensive end came to play in Atlanta and has justified why teams like Baylor have already offered. Since we didn't get his best play, we'll just offer up some Alvin Williams highlights from the day.

ZACH GRAGE, head coach Thomasville High School, Team Commitment head coach:

Q: Coach Grage, I overheard your talk to the team following practice—how they should walk around with pride because of what they have accomplished. Is this something you instilled with Thomasville teams?

A: I’m doing my best to learn from these guys (Team Commitment)—an unbelievable group of guys—but I try to convey to them that they have earned the right to be here. So, it’s something where they should walk around and act like it. We try to tell our Thomasville guys the same thing. We have pride in the Thomasville program. It has a lot of tradition, which we try to carry on—so, be proud of it. It’s kind of the same thing with these guys. They were chosen to be here based on how they have performed, so walk around with pride and be proud of it.

Q: How did the offense perform considering it was the first day they’ve practiced together?

A: You can probably see, there’s playmakers everywhere. We’re not trying to do so much as scheme goes. We’re trying our best to get folks in the right spot—to get balls in the right hands from the quarterbacks. Really, your offensive line is going to be the key to this game—but they’re always going to be at least a little bit behind because they haven’t worked together before. It’s all new calls and all new coaches for the offense.

Q: What did you think of your quarterbacks’ play at practice?

A: You look at all three of them, and all of them did great things today. I told Coach Tinker going into this that we got three really good kids at quarterback. When I coached in this a couple of years ago, I think that there was one [quarterback] who really stood out. These three—Kendrick [Patterson] from Pelham isn’t the best thrower but he can get it there, and he can run; Mike [Wright] can pretty much do it all; and Tate [Rodemaker] might have the best touch when throwing, but he’s limited in the run game. We have a three-headed monster there at quarterback, and we need to do a good job of rotating the three.

KAREEM REID, head coach Westlake High School, Team Commitment defensive line coach:

Q: Coach Martin, who really stood out today defensively from Team Commitment?

A: The kid from Dutchtown, defense end Will Anderson, is a really good player. Defensive tackle Demarjhe Lewis from Griffin, he was really impressive. Those two stood out the most to me today.

Q: How did the defense appear today, especially considering it was their first practice together?

A: Defensively, we were a little ahead of the offense—but that’s very common because it takes some time for the offense, as a group, to get things down. There were some guys who looked really good, but some others who have some catching up to do mentally. But, at the end of things, it was probably what I would expect from a first day.

Q: Did you instruct any defenders today who performed above and beyond what you might have expected?

A: Again, the Dutchtown defense end, Will Anderson, and the big kid, linebacker Kevin Swint. Swint is impressive looking. I thought those two guys, who I didn’t necessarily expect, stood out a lot.

- Auburn commit Demarjhe Lewis is comfortable with the Tigers and his pledge, but he admits that an offer from Georgia would shake up his recruitment and could cause him to reconsider his commitment status. He grew up watching the Bulldogs, has been in contact with Tray Scott, and visited Athens for a couple of games this past season. Should Georgia offer, this seems like it might be a quick flip at this point.