GLENDORA, Calif. - The 2018 Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas rolling into the Los Angeles on Sunday, with just under 200 of the best college football prospects in Southern California turning out to compete. With so much talent on hand, there were plenty impressive performances, but only a select few can win position MVPs or earn a much-coveted invite to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas. We run through the players who won awards and earned their stripes at Sunday’s event.
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QUARTERBACK MVP
As usual the L.A. stop of the Camp Series was loaded with quarterback talent and the group featured double-digit prospects who will play at the Power Five level. But Hilinski separated himself from the pack by the end of the day and sealed the MVP award with his showing during the showcase portion of one-on-ones. The three-star prospect has been collecting offers over the past few months and Georgia seems to have the early edge in his recruitment after a recent visit to Athens.
RUNNING BACK MVP
Last year at the L.A. stop of the series Dollars pulled an upset when he won MVP honors at the position. On Sunday he came into the event with a target on his back but more than lived up to lofty expectations. Dollars took on all comers, including linebacker MVP Justin Flowe, and shined with his speed and ability to move in space. Dollars is taller back but moves like a player much smaller and in the open field tackling drill linebackers could barely get close to him let alone get a hand on him. Oregon, USC and Washington are among the schools with the inside track for Dollars, who also earned an invitation to the Five-Star Challenge for his performance.
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END MVP
Johnson was fantastic all day and what stood out most was his route running. Since he could get open against almost anybody, it was easy for him to catch a lot of passes. Even when corners were draped all over him, the 2020 receiver made some really difficult catches. Oregon State is his early favorite - his father played for the Beavers - and many other offers are expected.
OFFENSIVE LINE MVP
This was a really close call because interior offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu was fantastic as well but four-star Tauanu’u dominated on the outside. The Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne moves his feet really well for a big man, plus he’s tough as nails especially when defensive ends come right at him. USC is considered a favorite but Oregon, Texas, Florida, Florida State, Auburn and others cannot be counted out.
DEFENSIVE LINE MVP
Jackson had an excellent day at defensive end showing off his speed to the edge and he’s bulking up so power is not an issue, either. He’s fast, has violent hands, deals with physical offensive linemen well because he has impressive spin moves and won a lot of his reps against top-notch prospects. A bunch of Pac-12 schools are involved early but no favorites have emerged.
LINEBACKER MVP
A class of 2020 prospect, Flowe already has a long list of offers but doesn’t quite have the national name recognition of some other players in his class. That won’t be the case for long as he turned in one of the best performance of any prospect at any position on this year’s camp series. Flowe is a big, physical linebacker who plays with impressive intensity and his competitive spirit helped bring extra energy to the event. Whether it was in the open field tackling drill or in pass coverage, Flowe was basically unstoppable. USC and Alabama are just a few of his early offers but Flowe’s recruitment is still in its early stages.
DEFENSIVE BACK MVP
Steele was recently upgraded to five-star and he showed why on Sunday, talking the talk and walking the walk when it came to battling other elite prospects at the event. Steele is a technician at the corner position and showed good footwork during drills and when it came time to be physical during one-on-ones and in the tackling drill, he was ready for that, too. Schools from all over the country are in the mix for Steele, with Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, UCLA, Miami, LSU and Oklahoma are among the programs near the top of his list.
GATORADE AWARD
The Gatorade Award goes to a prospect who is under the radar but impresses the event’s coaches with his competitive spirit and hustle. No player epitomized those values better on Sunday than Eget, a prospect who stood out in the loaded quarterback group despite not being ranked or having any offers. Eget showed impressive arm strength and accuracy and was praised by Rivals Camp quarterback coach Steve Clarkson for his performance.
ADDITIONAL FIVE-STAR INVITES
Williams especially stepped it up later in camp with two interceptions. As others were winding down after an intense camp, the four-star cornerback stepped it up even more and kept battling receivers. The Gardena (Calif.) Serra prospect is undersized but he’s surprisingly tough at the line and he has an exceptional break on the ball.
Floyd was in the running for linebacker MVP but Flowe had such a fantastic performance it was impossible not to give the 2020 standout the award. Still, the four-star linebacker was super physical at the line of scrimmage and then did a really nice job in coverage. Floyd has developed physically and still moves well and he’s definitely a special prospect.