RCS Los Angeles: Talent impresses at New Speed Combine
GLENDORA, Calif. - More than 1,200 prospects turned for the Los Angeles stop of the Rivals New Speed Combines presented by adidas on Saturday at Citrus College. Several big name prospects turned out for the event while a handful of others earned a chance to come back and compete at Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas. Here’s a recap of the day’s biggest news and notes.
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Three-star offensive lineman Brandon Mello was already signed up for Sunday’s camp but turned out on Saturday to test himself against the other combine competitors. On the recruiting trail, Mello has added several offers lately, including Pac-12 schools UCLA, Oregon State and California. He said the new staff at Cal, including offensive line coach Steve Greatwood, have done a nice job of keeping in touch and making him feel like a priority thus far. Mello is set to visit Berekely again soon and is making trips to Oregon and Oregon State by the end of the month.
Oceanside, Calif., three-star Donovan Laie was immediately noticeable when he arrived on Saturday despite being in a sea of hundreds of prospects. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle passed the eye ball test immediately.
Laie landed his first offer from Oregon State toward the end of his sophomore year. The Beavers tried to get him up for a spring practice, but he has not been able to see Corvallis yet. Although no trip to Oregon State is currently scheduled, he does plan to make his way up there during the recruiting process.
Trips to Colorado and Colorado State are being planned around May 20. Both schools have offered, and Laie said the Buffaloes are a team that stands out to him early.
“What I know is they have a good coaching staff,” he said. “I just want to see how good their o-line is and their tradition out there.”
Laie made his way out to USC for a spring practice recently and was encouraged with the feedback he received from the coaches and athletic director. The southern California prospect said that is an offer he covets due to their tradition and proximity to his home.
The drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was beneficial for Desert Pines class of 2020 defensive end Jonathan Pickett, who earned his way back for Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp.
Pickett, however, did not come out of nowhere to snag one of the few return invitations. While playing varsity as a freshman this past season, Pickett landed his first scholarship offer from the Arizona State Sun Devils.
“They came to see how I played and the next week after that they gave me the offer,” Pickett recalled. “They liked my size, the way I played, my enthusiasm and how I motivated myself. I like the academic part of (Arizona State) and the football. The weight room stood out. The way it looks, it looks like they take themselves seriously.”
Pickett had made a visit to Arizona State for a preseason practice. He is also hearing from Arizona, Oregon and Alabama. He plans to make a visit to Oregon later this month to check out their campus in Eugene.
Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas is no stranger to top Division I recruits, but class of 2018 wide receiver Cedric Tillman came out of nowhere to snag one of the last invitations to Sunday's Rivals 3 Stripe Camp. The rising senior measured in at an impressive 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, but it was what he did at that size that earned him a return invitation.
Tillman ripped off a 4.15 shuttle time and then posted an outstanding 38.5-inch vertical. He then went out and recorded a 4.62 40-yard dash to complete on of the best all-around testing performances at Saturday's camp.
The recruiting process has not really gotten started yet for Tillman. He has seen a little interest from Princeton and UCLA. With the spring evaluation period kicking off shortly, and plenty of college coaches expected to be through Bishop Gorman over the next month and a half, Tillman picked a good time to come up with a big performance.
Class of 2019 Mountain View, Ariz. wide receiver Jacobby Dinwiddie was one of the most productive underclassmen in his home state last year and he put up impressive testing numbers on Saturday to match his impressive stats. With his efforts he earned an invitation to Sunday’s camp. Dinwiddie claims early from Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State and Michigan State. He said he’s still in the very early stages of his recruitment, but grew up as a fan of Ohio State.
A second Rivals 3 Stripe Camp invitee from Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas from Saturday was wide receiver Cameron Wiley, who sent a buzz through the combine when he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds. Wiley spent time on both varsity and junior varsity as a sophomore, but mostly played running back. He is transitioning to wide receiver full-time this season and hopes to start generating college attention. He got off to a good start with his showing at Saturday's combine.
Among other players who received invitations to Sunday’s event included Class of 2020 wide receiver Elias Ricks, who is waiting on his first offer. Ricks is receiving early interest from Oregon State, Stanford and Washington. Also earning an invite was Class of 2018 linebacker Dilan Gonzalez, who made the trip all the way from Broomfield, Colo. Gonzalez is waiting on his first offer, but recently visited UCLA.