SOMERSET, N.J. – The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas was back on the East Coast Sunday, welcoming top prospects from New Jersey and surrounding states. At day’s end, several prospects rose to the top of their position groups and a couple earned invitations to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas in Atlanta next month.
QUARTERBACK MVP
Pyne came into this year’s New Jersey Rivals Camp stop as the reigning MVP, after winning top position honors a year ago and punching his ticket to the Five-Star Challenge as a sophomore. That 2018 group was very good, but the collection of passers he faced in 2019 was even deeper. UCLA commit Parker McQuarrie, Miami commit Tyler Van Dyke, Massachusetts commit Brady Martin and 2021 Ohio State commit Kyle McCord all came with strong performances, but at day’s end Pyne defended his title.
RUNNING BACK MVP
Byers impressed everyone on Sunday, but made an especially big impact on former NFL Pro Bowler Jamal Lewis, who coached the running backs at the event. Lewis named the two-star athlete as his favourite prospect of the bunch. Byers is short on scholarship offers but long on explosiveness and used Sunday to prove he’s a major matchup problem as a receiver out of the backfield. UMass is Byers’ lone FBS offer as things stand, but that could change eventually.
WIDE RECEIVER MVP
The talent at the quarterback position on Sunday meant that wide receivers were not having to contend with defensive backs for many off-target footballs. A constant rain, however, made catching footballs difficult, and those who were able to snatch the football out, away from their bodies stood out. No one did that was well as Robinson, who possesses a strong pair of hands and made a number of impressive catches. The New Jersey native had two of the most impressive receptions on the day, one that he ripped away from the defensive back and another when he elevated for a ball thrown high.
OFFENSIVE LINE MVP
Traore out-performed his 5.5 three-star ranking on Sunday, as he showcased incredibly light feet for a massive tackle. The New York product dominated one-on-ones and looked smooth and technically sound ikn drills. He currently holds offers from West Virginia, Tennessee and others, but should see his offer list grow during his senior season. He has the build and the technique to help any number of major college programs.
DEFENSIVE LINE MVP
Just days after announcing his commitment to Texas A&M, Diggs was back working on his craft at the Rivals Camp. The defensive line group was overall deeper and more effective in the one-on-ones against their offensive counterparts, and several prospects challenged Diggs for top honors at the position. A pure edge rusher, though, Diggs’ combination of speed, length and athleticism could not be handled. He started off his day with an impressive move across the face of the offensive tackle, and continued to dispense of his opposition with an array of rush moves throughout the one-on-one session. Diggs earned an invitation to the Five-Star Challenge with Sunday’s performance.
LINEBACKER MVP
Current Notre Dame linebacker Shayne Simon is a veteran of the Rivals Camps, but he was never able to achieve the feat of being a position MVP like his younger brother. Cody Simon bested a deep group of linebackers on Sunday by showing the athleticism and ability to play in space you need to stand out in a camp setting. Running backs have a big advantage when going one-on-one with linebackers in passing routes, but Simon’s explosiveness and agility allowed him to overcome that disadvantage and stand out from his peers.
DEFENSIVE BACK MVP
Physically, Chestnut does not look like a sophomore, and on Sunday he did not play like one either, taking home the MVP award despite several prospects at the position posting performances that merited consideration. Chestnut is already a big cornerback, but he possesses the fluidity and change of direction that helps him stay with receivers throughout their routes. During the reps he played off coverage, Chestnut showed a great break on the football the the ability to close quickly on a thrown football.
GATORADE AWARD WINNER
Bailey showed up at Saturday’s Rivals adizero Combine despite already having an invitation to Sunday’s camp, but it was Sunday that saw the long, raw defensive end shine. Bailey was in the running for MVP honors despite being new to the position. A native of Canada, Bailkey will attend Florida’s Clearwater High School next season and has incredible upside. He could see his recruitment explode in the months ahead.
ADDITIONAL FIVE-STAR INVITES
Berger was edged out by Byers for position MVP honors, but the Rivals100 prospect still had an outstanding day and earned a ticket to Atlanta for the Five-Star Challenge next month. The position coaches raved about Berger’s skill set during position drills and his quickness and agility stood testament to Berger’s high rating. He did not rep as often as some of the other running backs, when Byers and others made their case for MVP honors, but flashed high ability when he did.
