RCS Orlando: Prospects that earned their stripes

CELEBRATION, Fla. - The 2018 Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas rolling into the Orlando area on Sunday, with 200 of Central Florida’s best college football prospects turning out to compete. With so much talent on hand, there were plenty impressive performances, but only a select few can win position MVPs or earn a much-coveted invite to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas. We run through the players who won awards and earned their stripes at Sunday’s event.

MORE RCS ORLANDO: Full schedule | Cassidy's takeaways | Updates

A recent transfer to IMG Academy, Akporoghene made the trip to Orlando on short notice after moving from Tennessee last month. It turned out to be a worthwhile voyage, as Akporoghene turned in an impressive performance to win offensive line MVP. A relative newcomer to football, Akporoghene flashed impressive strength, along with improved technique while also drawing praise from his position coaches for his efforts. With offers from Miami, Michigan and several others, Akporoghene’s recruitment is just starting to take off.

Dellinger came to Orlando to visit UCF and decided to compete in Saturday’s adizero combine while he was in town. After earning an invite to Sunday’s camp following his performance on Saturday, Dellinger backed it up by winning the MVP award on Sunday. The tall, athletic tight end prospect has a few offers from Group of Five schools like Eastern Michigan and Ball State, but once schools get a chance to get a better look at him expect his recruitment to take off.

Garnett turned heads early with his arm strength and continued his impressive showing as the day went along. He has good size and is also known for his ability to make plays with his legs, which makes his showing in the pass-heavy camp setting even more impressive. Southern Miss recently offered Garnett and several other programs are coming to see him throw this spring, so Sunday’s showing could just be the start of things to come.

Listed in the Rivals.com database as an athlete, Holmes worked out as a running back on Sunday and didn’t waste time making an impression. He had several impressive runs during the “cat and mouse” drill, juking linebackers in space while also showing nice speed. Holmes comes from a powerhouse high school programs and already has offers from Miami and Maryland, so he could be on the verge a recruiting explosion as well.

It was a tight race for the MVP award, with several impressive young defensive backs in the mix. But Davis’ combination of excellent drill work and performance in the one-on-one drills put him over the top. The Jacksonville native already boasts offers from Alabama, Florida, Nebraska and others and it’s easy to see why after another strong camp showing. Trinity Christian has a history of producing highly-ranked defensive backs and it appears as if Davis could be the next to come out of the program. In addition to winning MVP, Davis earned an invite the Five-Star Challenge.

One of the surprises of the camp, Cutts arrived with offers from schools such as Cincinnati, FAU and Kentucky. The Orlando (Fla.) Jones star outperformed his current ranking on his way to defensive lien MVP honors and seemed to get better as the day pressed forward. Cutts could stand to add some size, but he comes with tremendous versatility and should see his list of college options grow this year.

Davis was one of the more physically imposing linebackers at the camp and backed up his appearance with his play. He stood out during the cat-and-mouse drill and showcased impressively quick feet and awareness. Davis’ build and athleticism have already led to 16 offers, but it seems as though there are many more to come. The Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva High School used Sunday to prove that his three-star ranking might be a bit low for a player with the type of potential he possesses.

A Miami commit, Manuel played through an injured shoulder and showed well despite the pain. Manuel is clearly one of the top wide receivers in the class of 2020 and could serve as the cornerstone of Hurricanes’ class. Manuel has the talent to go up against any 2019 defensive back and will get the chance to prove it at this year’s Five-Star Challenge. Manuel will have plenty of coaches perusing him up until Signing Day 2020, so Miami will have to work to hold on to his pledge.

Gant is one of the more spirited players in the country and doesn’t mind mixing it physically or verbally. The four-star defensive back is committed Alabama and has the size and physicality to shine in the SEC. Gant, who secured his five-star challenge invitation on Sunday, is likely to take multiple visits between now and Signing Day. He may well sign with Alabama, but Nick Saban will have to hold off Florida State, Miami and Florida to land the highly touted defensive back.