Five-Star Challenge: Reviewing the running back field
The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge would have been held this week but, like countless events across the country, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were a total of 33 prospects who were selected for the Five-Star Challenge before the Rivals Camp Series was halted in March.
This week, we will break down the Five-Star Challenge selections by position and look at other prospects who may have earned the coveted invitation that we were looking forward to seeing in person this spring. Today, we look at the running backs.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
EARNED AN INVITE
RCS Los Angeles: Brown is so dynamic, so sudden and so fun to watch. There’s really no other way to describe his game other than to say he made linebackers look like they were running in tar trying to keep up with him. The 2022 prospect, who’s considering Oklahoma, Alabama and other powerhouses, was a thrill to watch on every rep at the Rivals Camp in Los Angeles. No one could even come close to slowing him down.
Farrell’s take: Brown is fun to watch and impossible to cover in camp settings. He’s not the biggest running back but he plays bigger than his size and cuts so quickly he’s going to be a menace in space at the college level.
OTHERS THAT COULD HAVE EARNED AN INVITE
"Boykins is absolutely explosive with the ball in his hands. The North Carolina commit did a great job at last year's Five-Star Challenge filling in for one of the running backs that was missing and he could have earned another invite this year with another standout performance.” — Adam Friedman, Rivals.com East Coast Recruiting Analyst
“Brown is known for his power and balance at running back, so we would have had eyes on the Tennessee commit's quickness, hands out of the backfield and agility.” — Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst
“A camp setting does not fully showcase Edwards’ abilities, but he would still have been a standout at the position because of his speed and agility. He has such a well-rounded game that I have no doubt Edwards would be impressive at the Five-Star Challenge.” — Josh Helmholdt, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst
“Henderson was extremely productive last season and at the camp series this year he could have shown the same skills that made him such a success on the field. Strength, burst, vision, and great playmaking ability in the open field are just some of the things that make this Ohio State commit such a valued prospect.” — Friedman
“Megwa took home RB MVP honors last year coming off a stellar freshman campaign at Nolan Catholic. While he's a big-bodied, physical, downhill runner, Megwa showed how versatile he is as a pass-catcher at RCS Dallas in 2019. We were excited to see the 2022 four-star back do more of the same this spring.” — Sam Spiegelman, Rivals.com Mid South Recruiting Analyst.
“Pryor is a very good running back that has a chance to be really successful this coming season. At camp series events in the past he's shown the ability to make players miss in the open field. The Ohio State commit does a good job catching the ball with his hands and there is a lot to like about the way he runs with good mix of power and speed.” — Friedman
“Shipley is one of the most dynamic running backs in the nation and he can do it all. The Clemson commit can run between the tackles, outside, can catch passes, and he's a very physical prospect as well. He likely would have put on a show.” -- Friedman