The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas has concluded all of its regional stops. We put together the 10 best by position throughout the camp series this spring. Today: Linebackers. They are listed in order of best performance.
Recruiting wrap: Ohio State and Florida State are neck and neck with Mitchell’s commitment coming on Friday.
Performance: Mitchell was easily the best at the Charlotte Rivals Camp because of his ability to move in the open field and his success in the cat-and-mouse drill. He can be a dominant linebacker as long as he keeps his weight down. Mitchell knocked down a lot of passes in one-on-ones and was able to keep up with running backs and tight ends. He attacked the ball carrier in drills while staying disciplined and patient.
Recruiting wrap: White recently released a top seven of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas A&M and UCLA.
Performance: White had been consistently strong in pass coverage all spring, but was clinical in his appearance at the Dallas camp. He was so successful that afternoon that he ended the day lining up as a defensive back in one-on-ones and was still taking wins.
Recruiting wrap: Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina are three schools on Tindall’s long list of national offers.
Performance: Tindall was noticed early during drill work and his athleticism stood out to everyone at the camp. His ability to redirect and his burst were two things that were especially impressive. Tindall had no problems containing running backs and wide receivers, mainly because he’s such a good athlete.
Recruiting wrap: Gainer is committed to Florida State.
Performance: The MVP of the Orlando stop, Gainer moves incredible well laterally and off the ball. He needs to add weight before college, but his athleticism and length makes his upside unlimited.
Recruiting wrap: Kline recently picked up Boston College and Purdue offers. Michigan State, Ohio State and Pitt are among those showing interest.
Performance: Kline has everything you look for in a linebacker prospect. He has great size, plays with appropriate amounts of aggressiveness and discipline, and showed range in space while winning MVP at the Columbus camp.
Recruiting wrap: Clark is committed to LSU.
Performance: The Tigers know how to develop outstanding linebackers and Clark is already well on his way. He likes to play downhill and be physical, which is sometimes not the greatest quality in a camp setting, but Clark was excellent and showed why LSU thinks so highly of him. He was also much better in coverage and really stood out all day.
Recruiting wrap: Reese has a long list of offers. Miami, Georgia and others are all in play.
Performance: Gainer has a college-ready build and was physically the most impressive linebacker at the Orlando camp. He was in the running to win MVP honors but was narrowly edged at the end of the afternoon.
Recruiting wrap: Djibril is committed to Oregon State.
Performance: The camp setting is perfectly suited to Djibril's game, and he took advantage of his opportunity in winning MVP at the L.A. camp. He is undersized, but has a frame that could fill out and help him be an effective WILL linebacker in the Pac-12.
Recruiting wrap: Stanford just hosted Hollifield for a multi-day visit, but Virginia Tech, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, LSU and Notre Dame are also heavily pursuing him.
Performance: Hollifield isn’t the biggest inside linebacker, but he has great speed and is technically sound. He was very impressive at the Charlotte Rivals Camp and was flying all over the field. He was particularly dominant during the cat-and-mouse drills.
Recruiting wrap: Orji recently committed to Vanderbilt
Performance: Nobody has ever doubted Orji’s physical prowess, but at the same event one year before he simply was not as adept in pass coverage as he proved to be this spring. He might not ever be the player coaches want running with a receiver or back 40 yards downfield, but he definitely showed improved decisiveness and poise defending the pass.
