Fab 15: Skill positions the focus in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Offensive skill positions were the talk of Saturday’s camp in central Ohio, with five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones getting edged out by a player in his own state for position MVP honors.

MORE: Recruiting notes | Rivals Recap | Live from Columbus

Recruiting Wrap: Michigan State and Penn State have Hamler’s attention, but the three-star wide receiver is in no rush to make a decision.

Performance: Even with a host of big-name wide receivers in attendance, most defensive backs knew the toughest cover at the event would be Hamler. Just 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, Hamler excels in a camp setting due to his explosive speed. His ability to change direction without seemingly decreasing his speed is almost impossible for defensive backs to counter. It was going to take a remarkable performance to top the wide receiver talent in attendance, and Hamler was up to the challenge again.

Recruiting Wrap: Peoples-Jones just returned from visits to Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee. He has a top 10, with a top five coming this summer.

Performance: The five-star prospect lived up to his billing, easily creating separation and catching everything that came his way. Physically, he was a level above the defensive backs who tried to check him. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Peoples-Jones excels in the categories of speed, athleticism and strength, but even with all his physical traits the five-star’s best asset may be his work ethic and desire to be the best.

Recruiting Wrap: Miranda holds 15 offers and is planning to make his decision before the start of summer. He will be an early enrollee at the college of his choice.

Performance: After overextending on a couple of his early reps, Miranda got better and better as the day went on. The offensive and defensive line one-on-ones finished with a best-on-best showcase and that was where Miranda sealed his MVP award. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive guard prospect has a great frame for the position and carries little bad weight. He shows a strong initial punch, locks on with a strong pair of hands and controls well.

Recruiting Wrap: White is committed to Ohio State.

Performance: We have seen a lot of White on the defensive side of the football, but Saturday we got a stronger appreciation of what the 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete prospect can do on offense. White was a match-up nightmare for smaller defensive backs, using his size and speed to create space for himself down the field. The four-star Ohio State commit also possesses a strong pair of hands and attacks the football at its highest point.

Recruiting Wrap: Wills lists Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan State and Tennessee as the schools he has the best relationship with. He has no timetable for a decision.

Performance: Like Peoples-Jones, Wills performed up to his five-star billing but was narrowly beat out for the MVP award. What has always been impressive about Wills is his combination of strength and footwork. He is rarely out of position, even when he is able to land a devastating initial punch that staggers a defensive end. At 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds Wills has long arms that combined with his quick feet should allow him to stay at tackle in college.

Recruiting Wrap: Ellison is still waiting on his first scholarship offer.

Performance: The race for the running back MVP award went back and forth throughout the day, but it was the consistent excellence of Ellison that stood tallest at day’s end. At 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds Ellison has a big-back body type, but he excels in open space and possesses a soft pair of hands. We have seen Ellison several times this off-season now and it continues to be surprising that the central Ohio prospect remains offer-less.

Recruiting Wrap: Gill made his most recent visits to Pac-12 schools UCLA and USC. He holds close to 20 total scholarship offers and lists no favorites.

Performance: Gill was one of those running backs that pushed Ellison for the running back MVP award. A heavily-recruited class of 2018 prospect, Gill has the game that fits a camp setting extremely well. The 6-foot, 170-pounder could easily split out and play a receiver spot with his skill set. He has outstanding ball skills and catches everything thrown his way. Combined with his speed and agility, Gill was a match-up problem for linebackers.

Recruiting Wrap: Reid is closing in on double digit offers, with a list that includes four of the Power Five Conferences.

Performance: When we first saw Reid at the Rivals Camp Series a year ago he had a devastating initial punch, but lacked in other areas of his game. The Jordan Reid we saw on Saturday was a much more well-rounded prospect. At 6-foot-4 and 284 pounds Reid has an interior offensive lineman’s size and skill set. He still has that big initial punch, but now complements it with better technique and an intensity that remains high.

Recruiting Wrap: Clifford is committed to Penn State.

Performance: With a Quarterback Challenge event the next day, the position saw a strong field of competitors. Clifford was the highest rated passer coming into the event and he took home MVP honors. A veteran of the Rivals Camp Series, we have seen strong progression from Clifford over the last year. He has always been a very accurate passer, but he is filling out his 6-foot-2 frame and throwing with greater velocity, which was critical to counter the windy conditions.

Recruiting Wrap: Dotson just returned from a visit to Florida State and is scheduled to visit Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State later this month.

Performance: All of the receivers were battling the elements Saturday, including wind that wreaked havoc on thrown balls. On one particular route, Dotson got loose on a wheel route, but the quarterback’s pass got caught up in the wind and looked out of reach. Dotson, however, turned on the jets and ran underneath the pass, catching it in the end zone. That play summed up the impressive characteristics of speed, route-running and ball skills we saw throughout the day from the 6-foot-5, 226-pound Dotson.

Recruiting Wrap: Georgia currently leads for Stevens, with LSU, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee, USC and Oklahoma following the Dawgs.

Performance: The No. 1 athlete prospect in the 2017 class, Stevens decided to play wide receiver on Saturday and showed well among a deep group of prospects. At 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds, Stevens has a physical advantage over almost every defensive back he faces and knows how to utilize his size to box out defenders on thrown footballs. Stevens definitely has potential on the defensive side of the football, but Saturday also showed us high Division I potential on offense.

Recruiting Wrap: White remains wide open heading into the spring evaluation period. Purdue and Illinois are among his most recent visits and both schools have offered.

Performance: White decided last week that he was going to pursue the defensive side of the football in college, but the class of 2017’s No. 12 ranked running back may want to rethink that after showing again on Saturday that he is one of the Midwest’s premier ball carriers. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound White has the frame and skill set that fits better at the running back position than it does at safety and he showed great quickness and change of direction with natural hands.

Recruiting Wrap: Carrigan is still waiting on his first offer.

Performance: The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Carrigan has great size for the position, but has not been able to generate scholarship offers yet. Based on what we saw from the West Virginian, teams looking for a combo tight end in the 2017 class will do well to look his direction. While he has the size to play in-line and handle the blocking assignments of the position, Carrigan showed excellent speed for a tight end and he possesses a great pair of hands.

Recruiting Wrap: Johnson picked up his most recent offer on Saturday from Syracuse. Iowa State and several MAC programs have also offered.

Performance: Getting a chance to see the 6-foot, 195-pound Johnson gave us a stronger appreciation for his playmaking ability. In a deep group of running backs, Johnson probably had the most spectacular catches of the group. With the wind moving footballs off course, Johnson showed outstanding body control reeling in several passes that few others would catch. He also showed great speed down the field and was able to get consistent separation from linebackers.

Recruiting Wrap: Washington is still waiting on his first offer.

Performance: Washington participated in both the Rivals Camp and the Quarterback Challenge this weekend, taking home the Mr. Mechanics award in the latter event. He set the stage for his weekend on Saturday, though, by proving to be one of the most fundamentally sound passers at the event. Washington was a favorite of quarterbacks coach Peter Vaas, no doubt because of his sound mechanics. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, he also has great size for the position.