Mind of Mike: Ringo blazes, Sewell impresses and more early thoughts

ATLANTA – The Mind of Mike is a scary place. Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell shares his thoughts on the early session of the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas.

MORE #RIVALSCHALLENGE: LIVE from Five-Star Challenge | Five-Star Challenge Roster | Mind of Mike from Media Day | Commitment checkup | All-Lobby Team | Flip Watch | Commits predict next pledge | LIVE from media day | Matchups we can't wait to watch | Ten players Farrell will be watching closely | Full coverage of Rivals Camp Series

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State

Arizona defensive back Kelee Ringo has a chance to be special. He didn’t have the best afternoon in coverage and cramped up a bit, but he wowed everyone with the back-to-back 40 yard dashes to win the Fastest on the Field Award for the second straight year. Ringo ran a 4.36 and followed that with a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash to blow away the competition. And remember, this is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound cornerback. He’s going to blow up the NFL Combine in a few years.

Utah linebacker Noah Sewell impressed everyone with his ability in coverage and his agility as a receiver taking reps. He looks like he’s slimmed down to around 250 pounds and he can move. He gained separation just fooling around on offense, and on defense, he was very quick in turning and running with running backs.

Speaking of running backs, Bijan Robinson toyed with all the linebackers in one-on-ones and then did some work at wide receiver because he wasn’t being challenged enough by the ‘backers. He’s a dynamic runner and an excellent receiver.

Five star defensive lineman Bryan Bresee is very impressive for his size and plays with a ton of power. The Clemson commitment worked outside and inside in one-on-ones and was much better on the inside, using his hands well and moving linemen where he wanted to. He has a great push-pull move as well that was the highlight of the one-on-ones.

All of the quarterbacks threw well in the early session and, for the first time in a long time, I can’t say anyone struggled. However, here’s how they looked to me from the afternoon.

Harrison Bailey – The Vols commitment was stellar and on point every time I watched him throw. His accuracy level has increased and his mechanics have improved.

Brock Vandagriff – This kid is going to be a giant in a few years and puts great touch on the ball. Oklahoma is getting a good one.

Kyle McCord – He has a strong arm and leads his receivers well. The Ohio State commitment has a lot of upside.

Bryce Young – Young is more dangerous when he can move around but he showed nice touch on his passes and was accurate. The USC commitment is filling out as well and won the Quarterback Challenge.

Drew Pyne – The Notre Dame commitment was solid during the one-on-ones and drills and has added some size which has helped his velocity.

Jack Miller – Miller is a smooth quarterback who can fit the ball into tight spots and has adequate arm strength. He doesn’t spin it as well as some others but you can see why Ohio State loves him.

Max Johnson – The big lefty committed to LSU was up and down early but came on late in the one-on-ones and started to drop some dimes.

J.J. McCarthy – McCarthy, the Michigan commitment, needs to add size and strength which will help with his velocity but he certainly didn’t look out of place with his 2021 counterparts.

On the offensive line, I was impressed with many prospects, but Georgia prospect Amarius Mims is going to be a special one in the 2021 class. I was also impressed with Bryce Foster and Donovan Jackson who are also 2021 prospects and Aaryn Parks had a strong day for the 2020 class. Sedrick Van Pran is also an impressive kid along the offensive line and Walker Parks was impressive as well.

New 2020 class addition Donell Harris is an elite talent and very quick off the edge, but he has a much higher ceiling as a 2021 prospect. Harris, who de-committed from Miami and re-classified to 2020, looked like a lock to be a five-star in his new class, but he struggled a bit with bigger linemen who got their hands on him as they were able to move him around with ease. Is he a linebacker at the next level or a defensive end or will he be a hybrid? Will he be a five star in 2020? These are all questions we have in our head

Isaiah Raikes, a Texas A&M commitment, carries some bad weight but it does nothing to stop him. He has a non-stop motor, a great first step and he took as many reps as anyone. 2021 defensive tackle Savion Collins also took a ton of reps although he struggled with pass rushing moves. Jaquelin Roy was also impressive on defense.

Georgia wide receiver commitment Marcus Rosemy is very impressive and was arguably the best receiver in the first session. However, there was a ton of talent at the position including Notre Dame five-star commitment Jordan Johnson, UNC commitment Joshua Downs and LV Bunkley-Shelton who had the catch of the day with a one-handed grab. Mookie Cooper was also tough to check and Javon Baker has a good early session as well.

On the defensive back side of things, Jaylon Jones was very impressive in all coverage aspects and Rashad Torrence and 2021 CB Tony Grimes were good as well.

Five-star Arik Gilbert is a freak at tight end and easily beats defenders down the field. He also put an amazing move on five-star linebacker Justin Flowe in the Cat-and-Mouse drill, showing off his agility. He was clearly the best tight end at the event and it’s a shame that Darnell Washington had to pull out of the event late. It would have been a great battle of five-stars at the position.

Tennessee linebacker Bryson Eason is one of the best looking kids you’ll see on the hoof at his position and he was having a good day until he injured his shoulder. Flowe took reps on offensive and defense and was special as always and I’ve already mentioned Sewell.

Stephen Dix, a Florida State commitment, moves very well and has a good frame to add weight. Recent Florida commitment Derek Wingo has added good weight and impressed. The linebacker group overall was very impressive.