RCS New Orleans: Stars show out at New Speed Combine

HARVEY, La. – The first Rivals New Speed Combine presented by adidas took place Saturday at West Jefferson High School and more than 1,000 athletes turned out to show their skills. Three standout participants earned invites to Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas and several others notched impressive times. We take a look at some of the notable names who turned out for the event and the biggest news surrounding their recruitment.

RELATED: Ten to watch at the New Orleans 3 Stripe Camp | Schedule

The nation’s No. 186 overall player Ja’Marr Chase is hoping to punch his ticket to the Five-Star Challenge with a strong performance at Sunday’s 3 Stripe Camp but first he wanted to compete at Saturday’s combine. He posted some impressive numbers, including a 39.5-inch vertical. As far as his recruitment, the one-time Kansas commit said he’s still considering the Jayhawks, but programs such as Texas Tech, LSU and Oklahoma State have continued to make a strong push for his commitment. He recently visited the Red Raiders and said he liked the idea of playing the school’s pass-heavy offense.

Josh Smith did not have to travel far to compete at the Rivals New Speed Combine being from New Orleans (La.) Landry Walker, but he showed up with his offers and competed. He passed the eye-test and moved well for someone his size. He is a one-time Missouri commit and the Tigers are still in the race. He named a top three of Houston, LSU and Missouri. LSU has yet to offer, but he has visited Baton Rouge (La.) numerous times and he said an offer from those Tigers would be "huge". He backed off his pledge to Missouri because he felt he committed too early, so he is now planning to take his time before making his final decision.

C.J. Bolar, one of the top prospects in Mississippi, made the trek over to Louisiana and reported recent offers from Louisville and Mississippi State. The wide receiver out of Purvis, Miss. now has around a dozen scholarship offers. The Cardinals and Bulldogs are high on Bolar's list right now and could be considered his top two. He would like to make a decision early in the summer.

Less than 24 hours after adding an offer from the LSU Tigers, Harold Joiner was competing at the New Speed Combine. He will be back Sunday competing at the 3 Stripe Camp as well, so his weekend is full. Joiner is a star out of Mountain Brook (Ala.) and he holds close to 20 offers. Auburn offered early and the in-state school has his attention as does LSU and many others. It is too early for the 6-foot-3, 214 pound athlete to have a leader.

The three players who earned invites to Sunday’s camp were 2020 defensive end Patrick Jenkins, 2019 offensive tackle Caleb Etienne and 2018 running back Jeremy Banks. Jenkins, a John Ehret High School product has an early offer from Louisiana-Monroe and tested well while checking in a 6-foot-2, 253 pounds. Etienne, from nearby Warren Easton High School, was one of the largest participants in the event. He measured in at 6-foot-6, 306 pounds and put up some impressive times for a players his size. Banks, a native of Cordorva, Tenn., was among the top performers in nearly every testing event. He has an early offer from Memphis.