RCS Charlotte survey: Prospects weigh in on spring games
RELATED: Thoughts from the sideline | Prospects that earned their stripes at RCS Charlotte | Five teams that should be pleased | The Friedman awards
Spring game season is in full swing and prior to Sunday’s Charlotte stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by adidas, a handful of schools in the Carolinas held their spring games. We caught up with prospects at the camp that attended games earlier in the weekend to get their thoughts on why they chose to visit that particular school and what they thought of the spring game experience.
CLEMSON
“It was really cool getting down there and seeing the atmosphere and how the players communicate with the coaches. All those dudes are really good. They’re all elite talents and they fit in well together. A couple of the freshmen made some big plays and they are really good. The linebackers have about the same build as me, but a little heavier. I feel like I would fit with them well.
"I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to go there this weekend to talk to C oach (Brent) Venables and Coach (Danny) Pearman. They’ve been telling me to come down and see what the atmosphere is like. Knowing that they are the defending champions, I wanted to see what it would be like this weekend, how they are built to win the championship, and how they’ve built such a strong program.” -- Rivals250 North Carolina linebacker Trenton Simpson
“I went there to see what things were like. It was my first visit to Clemson, so I was able to see what it was like, how the fans support the team and it was an unbelievable experience. It was cool and I really liked it. They don’t offer players as early as others, so we will see if they offer me in the future.” -- 2021 North Carolina running back Evan Pryor
“It was great. I got to talk to Coach (Robbie) Caldwell a lot. I had met him before and I loved the atmosphere there. It was pretty crazy how many people they had at a spring game. I just hadn’t been to Clemson yet and I wanted to get that experience. Coach Caldwell had been trying to get me to visit for a while and I wanted to go to a game so I could see the atmosphere.” -- 2021 Virginia offensive lineman Colston Powers
DUKE
“I really liked being at Duke on Friday. Things went well. I love Coach (Derek) Jones and how he operates. We didn’t even talk about football. He cares more about you as a person more than anything. It would mean a lot to me to have a degree from Duke.” -- 2021 athlete Gabe Stephens
NC STATE
“My grandma lives down there and we were already visiting her, so it worked out great. They had already invited me, so I said why not take a look? It looked pretty good. The facility looked really nice and they’re doing some remodeling so it’s going to be even better. The team looks like it’s going to be pretty good, too.” -- 2021 West Virginia defensive back Isaiah Johnson
“My recruitment has been shut down, so NC State is the only place I have visited lately and the only place I'm going to visit.” -- Rivals100 NC State wide receiver commit Porter Rooks
“They have been showing me some love and I wanted to meet the defensive line coach and the defensive coordinator, which I got to do. They’re pretty heavy on me and I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about their program and it’s been showing. I thought they looked good in the game. The defensive line looked good and the coach really gets after them.” -- 2021 Colorado defensive lineman Brayden Wood
SOUTH CAROLINA
“It was great. I’ve been up there for the past couple of weekends, so it was just the usual. I’m trying to build relationships with the coaches and the players and even some of the other recruits, so it was fun.” -- Rivals250 South Carolina defensive lineman Alex Huntley
"I went down there because my brother was playing so I wanted to go support him. I really liked the spring game and everything was good. I went there because of my brother." -- 2021 running back DeAndre Boykins
“South Carolina is like a family and I like how they do it down there. I like how they spread the ball around and how they’re not focused on just running it all the time or throwing it all the time. Everyone in the offense gets the chance to make plays.” -- 2022 South Carolina receiver Jaleel Skinner
WAKE FOREST
“It was really nice there. I liked it a lot. They really wanted me to come up. We’ve been talking more lately and I like Coach (Wayne) Lineburg a lot. We’re building a good relationship. I liked how the cornerbacks played on Saturday and how the coaches worked with the players.” -- 2020 North Carolina wide receiver Marqui Lowery Jr.
