Prospects that earned their stripes at Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in N.J.

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas finished the month of April in New Jersey, with prospects throughout the Northeast and Eastern Canada arriving to compete. Competition was strong throughout the event, with the following prospects standing tallest at day’s end.

RELATED: Takeaways from New Jersey | Updates | Full Rivals Camps Series schedule

Notre Dame landed its quarterback of the future earlier this month when Rivals100 class of 2020 Connecticut native Drew Pyne pledged to the Fighting Irish. Pyne did not disappear after that commitment, showing up to lead a deep group of passers who competed Sunday. The group included Penn State commit Ta’Quan Roberson, Florida commit Jalon Jones, Clemson commit Taisun Phommachanh and Boston College commit Stephen Lubischer. A healthy wind separated those quarterbacks whose football could cut through and those that could not. Pyne through pass after pass with velocity and accuracy to take home MVP honors.

It probably does not come as a surprise that the five-star representative in the running back group came away with MVP honors, but Ford had to earn his award on Sunday. Top talents like four-star Patrick Garwo and 2020 standout Jalen Berger had designs on upsetting Ford for the title. The skills that made Ford a five-star, though, shown through on Sunday. One of the keys to being an elite prospect is making the difficult seem easy, and Ford has those abilities. A camp setting not only showcased his quickness and agility, but also his receiving skills. Penn State and Virginia Tech are the top two contenders with a decision planned for May 18.

The defensive back group won the day in competition with wide receivers, but Jacobs did his part to keep the battle close. The rising junior faced many of the top performers on the defensive side of the football, and was a consistent winner in one-on-ones. We knew coming in that Jacobs was a big and physical wide receiver, but what allowed Jacobs to stand out was his ability to win jump balls and make tough receptions in traffic. He shows a strong pair of hands and excellent body control. Seven schools have already offered, including Boston College, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Virginia.

The strength of the offensive line group was on the interior, and by day’s end Worley had risen above to be the group’s top performer. Worley holds 17 scholarship offers and has Penn State as the early team to beat. What stood out about his performance on Sunday was his footwork and ability to move defensive tackles with his technical skills. There are strides he can make in the strength department, but for now Worley’s fundamentals are able to compensate. More than anything, though, it was his ability to lock on and keep his feet chopping that allowed for the four-star junior to have success on Sunday.

The state of New York was well-represented along the defensive line, and Blissett will take the MVP award back to the Big Apple. He set the tone early in offensive line-defensive line one-on-ones, taking the first reps of the day and winning both with relative ease. At more than 270 pounds, Blissett has the ability to play either the five-technique defensive end role or kick inside to a three-technique defensive tackle. That versatility will only enhance his value, which is already recognized via 11 scholarship offers. His quickness and active hands were put to use in winning nearly every rep he took on Sunday.

Linebacker was another position that had unusual depth during the New Jersey stop of the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp. The position is usually at a disadvantage in one-on-ones because they are asked to cover running backs, but there were a number of long and rangy prospects who were able to run down the field with backs and get their hands on passes. Smith is actually listed as a defensive end, but was among the best covering prospects in open space. He could get his hands on the offensive player early in his route, but still have the ability to flip his hips and stay in his hip pocket. Linebacker appears to be his position of the future and more than two dozen schools are ready to give him that opportunity.

Hawkins just missed out on Defensive Back MVP honors at this camp one year ago, but he was able to take home the trophy this time out after besting a deep group of prospects. As a group the defensive backs dominated the wide receivers during one-on-one competition, getting their hands on passes and intercepting more than we have come to expect in these events. Hawkins, a Virginia Tech commit, was responsible for a lot of those pass break-ups and he was able to do it while playing both press and off coverage. Physically Hawkins looks like a safety, but he shows the coverage skills to stay at cornerback in the ACC.