Rivals Camp Series Los Angeles: Where will the top talent land?
MORE L.A. RCS: Five players now on the radar | Gorney Awards | Prospects who earned their stripes | Five teams that should be pleased | Thoughts from the sideline | Prospects make commitment predictions
NORWALK, Calif. - Many of the top prospects in the region were in attendance for Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas at Cerritos College and they discussed their recruitment. Here is an early look at where things stand and a prediction by the analysts covering the event on where they could be headed.
There are three early leaders when it comes to Banks, a four-star linebacker who was impressive Sunday and someone who might grow into a full-time defensive end. Alabama holds the slight edge in Banks’ recruitment and a trip to Tuscaloosa could solidify things, but Washington and Oklahoma are right there as well. Oregon landed his teammate, Jonah Tauanu’u this past cycle, and has a teammate in 2021, Seven McGee, already committed. Sounds like the Ducks will remain a player for Banks as well.
Gorney’s pick: Alabama
Cassidy’s pick: Alabama
Friedman’s pick: Washington
Bryant is one of the more electric and exciting receivers in the class, a playmaker who could make something happen every time he has the ball in his hands. He has one official visit planned to Oklahoma in April and that could be a hugely important trip as he gets more familiar with the coaching staff and his role in Lincoln Riley’s offense. Arizona State is another school to watch and USC is going to stick around until the end. He recently hung out with recent signee Drake Jackson on campus and if the Trojans’ offense gets kicked into high gear this year under new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, then things could get even more interesting.
Gorney’s pick: USC
Cassidy’s pick: USC
Friedman’s pick: USC
The top-ranked outside linebacker in this class, Flowe is starting to seriously think about upcoming visits with Texas, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma and others on the top of his mind. All those schools still have a very real chance at landing Flowe but USC should not be counted out either especially if the Trojans regroup and have a good season - or move on to another high-profile coach leading up to signing day. His recruitment remains wide open, especially with more visits on the way.
Gorney’s pick: Texas
Cassidy’s pick: Texas
Friedman’s pick: Alabama
The long and athletic four-star receiver is still mainly focused on his basketball season but recruiting has picked up and soon Humphreys is going to have to start focusing on his long list. Notre Dame, Stanford and USC are three programs that definitely stand out early on. Both of his parents went to Stanford, his sister plays volleyball at USC and Humphreys definitely has a lot of interest in the Irish. This one could go a bunch of different ways.
Gorney’s pick: Notre Dame
Cassidy’s pick: Notre Dame
Friedman’s pick: Stanford
The three programs that the five-star running back talked about exclusively at the Rivals Camp were LSU, Georgia and Ohio State, although he is still interested in USC, Oregon and others as his recruitment continues. Milton is planning to enroll early, but he’s still not rushing his decision as the spring gets underway. Like a lot of other top prospects, Milton plans to keep a close eye on USC’s offense this season. With his size, toughness and running style, the five-star seemed most intrigued by LSU at this point.
Gorney’s pick: LSU
Cassidy’s pick: Ohio State
Friedman’s pick: LSU
On Feb. 4, Phillips released his top 12 and since that time, the four-star cornerback has landed offers from Clemson, Michigan and Georgia. At the camp, Phillips laughed that he might add some more schools to his list when usually the next step would be narrow it down even more. It’s still early for the four-star cornerback and having a dozen programs still on the list is considerable, but there are definitely some that stand out. If he takes visits to those new schools that have offered, there’s no telling where his recruitment could go but some do look best at this point.
Gorney’s pick: Texas A&M
Cassidy’s pick: Texas A&M
Friedman’s pick: Oregon
The five-star cornerback admits he’s still in the early stages of his recruitment and probably won’t release a top list until closer to the start of his senior season. In recruiting, that’s an eternity away. But he had an exceptional visit to Georgia in recent weeks and really has his eye on Texas as well and really seems to like the situation in Austin. Washington, UCLA and other Pac-12 schools cannot be counted out, either.
Gorney’s pick: Texas
Cassidy’s pick: Georgia
Friedman’s pick: Ohio State
Robinson won the position MVP award at Sunday’s camp and he looked outstanding throughout the event, definitely one of the best running backs nationally. Since that time, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Auburn and Tennessee have all offered and that could drastically change the path of his recruitment in the coming months. But Robinson has talked highly of UCLA and his relationship with that coaching staff, along with USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
Gorney’s pick: UCLA
Cassidy’s pick: Oklahoma
Friedman’s pick: Ohio State
There are a lot of programs flooding into the recruitment of Sewell, who at 268 pounds still looks outstanding as an inside linebacker. Clemson and Georgia just offered and the four-star continues to be intrigued by LSU, Texas A&M and others. There could be a Pac-12 program that has his attention the most, though, since his brother, Penei, plays at Oregon. Sewell also likes the Ducks very much and that family connection could play a tremendous role in his thinking as his recruitment continues.
Gorney’s pick: Oregon
Cassidy’s pick: Oregon
Friedman’s pick: Oregon
To get a full grasp on Washington’s recruitment is nearly impossible at this point because he continues to load up on offers and is still taking visits all over the country, including one in the coming weeks to Georgia. Everybody wants the 6-foot-7, 255-pound five-star prospect because he could be one one of the best tight ends in Rivals history. There’s a chance he’s that special. Penn State just landed a commitment from his friend Micah Bowens, but Tennessee, Georgia, Clemson, Miami, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M are also high on the list.
Gorney’s pick: Alabama
Cassidy’s pick: Alabama
Friedman’s pick: Georgia
