Helmholdt's Takeaways: Best of the Midwest Camp

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2018 version of the Best of the Midwest Camp saw a new and much-improved venue, and still featured plenty of top talent. Here are takeaways from Monday’s event that featured prospects from states throughout the Midwest and beyond.

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This could actually apply to two prospects, with Indianapolis Pike wide receiver Cameron Williams and Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean linebacker Cameron Williams both earning MVP honors at their respective positions. In this section, though, we are referring to the linebacker who is rated four-stars and ranked in the Rivals250 for the 2019 class. That Williams has been a four-star since the first Rivals.com rankings for the 2019 class were released after displaying his potential to us at several events and through high school film.

He reaffirmed that with outstanding testing times and strong performances in the position workouts on Monday. College programs apparently have not seen as much as we have, however, with just six offering scholarships. Williams wants to visit Clemson, Georgia, Minnesota and Missouri in the coming months, and he has the talent to play at any of those schools.

Robinson's first 40-yard dash was timed at 4.22 seconds. By comparison his second effort looked slow, but was still pretty darn impressive at 4.41. Robinson is not traditionally sized for the wide receiver position at just 5-foot-8, but he could be a good fit for the slot position in the right offense. Several schools already see him as the right fit, with Duke, Minnesota, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia and in-state programs Kentucky and Louisville extending offers.

And, it’s not just in the upperclass, even though three-star class of 2019 prospects Jalen Graham and Lew Nichols both had impressive days, with the latter winning Running Back MVP honors. The Technicians have been the Midwest’s greatest producer of FBS talent over the last decade, and that spigot is not shutting off any time soon. Class of 2021 offensive lineman Raheem Anderson may have been the most eye-opening prospect at the entire event. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound freshman was part of the final five in the offensive line group and had to be close to offensive line MVP honors. Besides having great size for a young lineman, Anderson was very light on his feet and plays with strength and technique that belies his age.

Former Cass Tech assistant coach Jermain Crowell has been building a powerhouse over at Belleville the last couple seasons, highlighted by Rivals100 prospects Devontae Dobbs and Julian Barnett in the 2019 class. Although those two four-stars were in attendance on Monday, they did not participate, but they did not have to for Belleville to have a big day as a football program. Class of 2021 prospect Damon Payne won offensive line MVP honors, one day after impressing at defensive line at another camp in Ohio. The Belleville MVP train continued with defensive tackle Jalen Bell and cornerback Andre Seldon winning the honor at their respective positions.

Despite the uptick in Canadians making it to the FBS level, prospects from our neighbor to the north still feel the need to play out their high school careers in the States in order to get proper recognition. In recent classes four-star Canadian natives Jesse Luketa, Luiji Vilain, Jonathan Sutherland and Patrice Rene have transferred to schools in the U.S. to finish out their high school careers. Monday’s Best of the Midwest Camp featured several Canadians who will likely be on FBS radars in upcoming classes. Canada Prep Academy linebacker Kervens Bonhomme took home Linebacker MVP honors, but Orleans (Ont.) St. Peter class of 2020 defensive end Kenny Mestidor may have been the most intriguing as far as college prospects are concerned. Linebacker Akheem Mesidor and quarterback Christian Veillieux also had strong days and are already generating FBS interest.