RCS New Jersey: Youth emerges
The New Jersey stop of the Rivals Camp series presented by Under Armour was absolutely loaded. Here some of the top underclassmen that did not make our Fab 15 offense or defense lists.
MORE: Video interviews from New Jersey | Live coverage from New Jersey | Rivals Recap | Recruiting notes: Offense | Recruiting notes: Defense | Fab 15: Offense | Fab 15: Defense
Recruiting wrap: Rutgers just added its name to Lee’s growing offer sheet that already includes Maryland, Michigan and Syracuse.
Performance: Lee was outstanding on Saturday and was seriously considered for a spot on Fab 15: Defense. He’s already built like a high school senior despite just finishing up his freshman year. Lee runs very well, is physical with backs and tight ends in the open field and came up with a couple pass break-ups.
Recruiting wrap: Alabama and Ole Miss lead a long list of schools that have offered Walters.
Performance: It was a very deep quarterback group and Walters was one of the best. He has a smooth throwing motion and is very accurate. Walters’ arm strength is improving and his deep passes were on target. As long as he keeps growing and getting stronger, Walters will continue to be one of the more coveted signal-callers in the 2018 class.
Recruiting wrap: Felton is waiting for his first offer.
Performance: Felton showed up in a big way. He has great size and is very physical, sometimes too physical. Felton’s length and speed made it tough for wide receivers to create separation and quarterbacks did not have an easy time getting the ball around him.
Recruiting wrap: Virginia is the latest school to offer Simmons. Syracuse, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia have already offered.
Performance: Simmons will be one of the most heavily recruited wide receivers in the 2018 class. He has excellent length and is an imposing figure at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. Simmons was the victim of some errant throws but consistently got open and ran good routes.
Recruiting wrap: Syracuse is the only school to offer Tallandier, but Maryland, Penn State and a few others are close to puling the trigger.
Performance: Tallandier is the size of a safety but has the feet and hips of a cornerback. He blanketed almost every receiver that came his way and used his length to deny his receiver the ball. Tallandier’s future position could be determined by how big he ends up becoming.
Recruiting wrap: Ruckert holds offers from Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College and Wake Forest.
Performance: Quarterbacks loved throwing to Ruckert. He has great size and runs very well. Ruckert’s routes helped him separate from linebackers and he knows how to use his body to shield defenders from the ball. He also has very reliable hands.
Recruiting wrap: Tennessee and Virginia Tech are the latest offers for Clement.
Performance: Clement is very fast in the open field. He took a lot of reps as a wide receiver but was almost unstoppable running routes as a running back. Linebackers could not keep up with Clement, especially on crossing routes. He made some nice catches on deep routes and corner routes.
Recruiting wrap: Alfano has an offer from Rutgers and many more offers are on the way.
Performance: One of the younger players in attendance, Alfano wasn’t shy about making his presence known. He took his fair share of reps in the one-on-one session and showed off some impressive strength. Alfano is a wrestler in the offseason and clearly knows how to play with leverage and keep a low pad level.
Recruiting wrap: Maryland is very interested in Stott.
Performance: There is a lot to like about Stott’s game. He is physical with receivers as they come off the line of scrimmage and has a good sense of timing. Stott’s instincts are very advanced and he understands how to play over top of receivers and when to stay on their hip. He also breaks on the ball very well.
Recruiting wrap: Mayo is still waiting on his first offer.
Performance: Mayo is already the size of many high school seniors. He has a great frame and is a high-energy player with great athleticism. Mayo has a good understanding of pass blocking technique but just needs to get stronger. That should come with time and he has plenty of room left in his big frame.
Recruiting wrap: Virginia Tech is the latest addition to Hardy’s long offer sheet.
Performance: Hardy is one of the more promising prospects in the Mid-Atlantic’s 2018 class. He has a great frame with long arms and is very agile. As Hardy gets stronger his pass rushing moves will be more effective, but he does have a pretty advanced bank of moves at his disposal.
Recruiting wrap: Maryland offered Leary on Tuesday.
Performance: Leary has gotten much taller and stronger over the past year. The ball comes out of his hand quickly and he has a short throwing motion. Leary was pretty accurate on throws to almost every part of the field. More offers should be coming his way in the near future.
Recruiting wrap: Lenhart is waiting on his first offer.
Performance: Lenhart has yet to take over the starting job at DeMatha but still has a bright future. He has a nice throwing motion and is very accurate. Lenhart did a good job of adjusting his timing to the receivers at the camp. He has a big frame and as he fills out his arm will get stronger.
Recruiting wrap: Boston College is Brennan's only offer.
Performance: Brennan is regarded as one of the best football players in the state of New Jersey. Despite his size, Brennan’s game is built on physicality. There are a lot of times when that can work against defensive backs in the camp setting, but Brennan had a good day, recording a couple of pass breakups and an interception.
Recruiting wrap: Rutgers and Temple have offered.
Performance: Applewhite is a big, mobile, strong-armed quarterback with a very high ceiling. He was effective throwing to all parts of the field and showed that he can be consistently accurate. Applewhite’s mechanics can use some refinement, but he has all the tools to be successful.