NORWALK, Calif. - The 2019 Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas rolled into the Los Angeles area on Sunday, with some of the area's top prospects turning out to compete in the first regional stop of this year’s tour. 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.
QUARTERBACK MVP
Bryce Young was his typical self - smooth, talented and consistent all day at camp. Early in the day with the sun shining and the wind not blowing, Young put nearly every pass right on the money and threw receivers open. When the elements got a little more challenging especially with some gusty winds, it didn’t matter for the USC commit. He was excellent all day, put the ball where only his receivers could catch it and this was in a setting where Young had to sit in the pocket and not even show off his dual-threat abilities.
RUNNING BACK MVP
Bijan Robinson did not sign up for the camp until only a few days ago but he came prepared and looked great all day whether going through drills or in the one-on-one setting against some really talented and physical linebackers. The four-star from Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe is incredibly shifty and slippery where linebackers try to jam him at the line or grab him when Robinson gets by them but he escapes and catches the pass. He has light feet, he can plant and explode and he has fantastic hands to make some tough catches. UCLA, USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma were four programs he’s watching closely.
WIDE RECEIVER MVP
This was one of the more competitive positions throughout the day and there was a lot of debate about which player should win this award but four-star receiver Kris Hutson kept making big, impressive catches and he could not be overlooked. The former USC commit is undersized but uses that to his advantage because cornerbacks can’t get physical with him at the line because he’s already 10 yards down the field. Hutson has impressive speed to stretch the field or he can take a short pass, put a move on and get by defensive backs in one-on-one situations. His recruitment is wide-open.
OFFENSIVE LINE MVP
Drake Metcalf came to the camp with a lot of fire and backed it up especially during the all-important one-on-ones where he used his toughness and his attitude to consistently stop defensive linemen in their tracks. The three-star offensive lineman has gotten much thicker since last year at this time in a good way adding muscle and bulking up. He’s a competitive, tough kid who likes to mix it up, moves his feet well and wants to compete every rep. Arizona State, Oregon and others are involved.
DEFENSIVE LINE MVP
What stands out most about Van Fillinger is that he can play all over the defensive line in all kinds of systems and he will still be productive. The three-star is very active, never stops attacking the offensive linemen, has active hands and a never-say-die attitude as he competed during one-on-one drills. Through camp, Fillinger started wearing down some offensive linemen because he’s on constant attack mode and he can get to the edge if needed or use his power to dominate inside as well. LSU, Cal, UCLA and Utah are among his early offers.
LINEBACKER MVP
Justin Flowe is already a five-star linebacker. He’s already one of the top overall prospects in the country. He’s already been to the Five-Star Challenge. But here was Flowe back at camp, going every rep and picking out the best running backs to compete against in one-on-ones. He was again excellent, physical as any linebacker in recent memory and competitive on every single rep. Flowe not only talks about being the best linebacker he can be, the five-star shows up anywhere, anytime to compete. Texas, USC, Oregon, Clemson, Georgia and many others remain in the mix.
DEFENSIVE BACK MVP
Off the field, Kelee Ringo is pleasant, friendly and conversational. On it, something switches on and the five-star cornerback wants to go after every top receiver, pick off every pass and just take over and dominate. That’s exactly what he did at Sunday’s camp as not many receivers had any success at all against him. Add that competitiveness level to someone who has tremendous length and athleticism and a special prospect emerges. That’s Ringo. He just visited UCLA this past weekend, he wants to see Texas soon and Georgia is intriguing after a visit to Athens.
GATORADE AWARD
Aidan Lee did not earn an invitation to the Rivals Camp until last weekend when he competed at the Rivals adizero Combine in Las Vegas, posted impressive numbers and then came to Los Angeles and looked the part. The Mesa (Ariz.) Desert Ridge receiver is athletic, bouncy and he has great hands. There’s no question Lee has the ability to start landing offers soon.
NINE FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE INVITES GO OUT
Nine players were invited to the Five-Star Challenge from the Los Angeles event in Young, Flowe, Ringo, four-star Ohio State quarterback commit Jack Miller, five-star running back Kendall Milton, five-star tight end Darnell Washington, four-star linebacker Noah Sewell, four-star receiver Lavon Bunkley-Shelton and four-star cornerback Darion Green-Warren.