Rivals Camp Series Indy: Prospects that are now on the radar

INDIANAPOLIS - One of the most valuable aspects of the Rivals Camp Series is highlighting under-the-radar and younger prospects who have yet to emerge that made a big statement at one of our camps.

Here is a look at some of those prospects from Sunday’s camp in Indianapolis.

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Marcelino was one of the biggest camp surprises on the day as he was a standout among a group of defensive lineman that have double-digit major college football offers. He won almost every 1-on-1 rep and the two that he lost came when he was going up against Miles McVay, a four-star standout.

At just under 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds Marcelino was explosive, and he battled through the whistle during every rep. Air Force is the only team that has offered right now, but I would be shocked if that doesn't change between now and signing day. This is a player who may have Power Five upside.

Taylor has 16 offers, so he isn't exactly a sleeper, and he has been on my radar for a while. But this was the first time our national analyst team had the opportunity to see him in person, and he definitely made his presence felt.

Taylor worked out at both receiver and defensive back on the day, and it's safe to say he was one of the better players at both positions. Although he has an extensive list of offers, he currently only has one Power Five offer, from Kansas State.

Needless to say, there were plenty of surprised faces when they found out that Taylor didn't have multiple Power Five offers.

Lightfoot picked up an offer from Notre Dame while making a stop in South Bend on the way to the camp. With a couple of major offers it is hard to consider him a sleeper, but prior to his camp performance he was not on the radar from a national perspective.

The 2024 defensive end from Chicago's Kenwood Academy opened some eyes on the day and there is little doubt that his recruitment will continue to take off the next two years.

I've had the opportunity to see Edmond show up and show out at a camp in the past, but without an offer to his name he was pretty much unknown by the national analyst team prior to his standout camp performance.

While Edmond is a 2024 prospect I am pretty surprised that he does not have any offers at this point. He already has the size of an upperclassman and an incredible skill set worthy of offers. Look for Edmond to be a Power Five prospect sooner than later.

Berry-Johnson is a well-known talent in the Chicago area, but after Sunday's performance he likely made a name for himself on a national level. This kid can flat-out play and there is little question that he is a Division I prospect.

Look for the Illinois prospect's recruitment to heat up with offers once college coaches get a chance to see him perform in person this spring and summer.

The only thing we knew about Strebig heading into the camp was that he was young, tall and from Wisconsin. When he measured in at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds as a freshman, everything that we previously thought was confirmed, and we soon learned that he was a heck of a football player as well.

By the end of the camp, Strebig was recognized by many for his incredible upside, which earned him an invite to the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge in June. With his physical gifts, relentless effort and desire to get better every snap, do not be surprised when he becomes a well-known commodity in a few years.

I had seen Thigpen twice in the past, and while he has Power Five offers from Syracuse, Kentucky and Indiana, I have always thought that he may be a bit underrecruited. After witnessing his standout performance on Sunday, I think everybody will agree that he is underrecruited.

Thigpen has great length and straight-line speed to stretch the field. Look for his recruitment to pick up in the coming months.

Sewell has been on my radar for a while, and although I have thought highly of him as a player it was his size that concerned me when it came to a recruiting perspective. After seeing him compete in person and go blow for blow with bigger receivers I am more excited about his skill set than worried about his size.

Sewell currently has an offer from Central Michigan – along with some FCS offers – but you can expect things to pick up once college coaches are able to see his natural coverage ability in person.

Gotkowski was virtually unknown prior to earning his invite to the Rivals Camp via his performance at the Wilson QBX quarterback training camp the previous day. What made his performance even more exciting was the fact that he is the future quarterback for Ben Davis High School, which hosted the event.

Gotkowski was forced to sit out the previous year due to Indiana State transfer rules, but judging by his camp performance he will be a well-known commodity by the middle of next season. He has a lot of arm talent, great mechanics and proved to be accurate throughout the day.

Boyd was just one of many East St Louis players that stood out on Sunday, but unlike many of the others on his team he has flown a little under the radar from a recruiting perspective. He does have offers from Connecticut, Long Island University and Western Illinois but his performance proved worthy of much more.

Boyd has always had the talent, and with his recent physical development he now has the size to go along with it.