RCS Richmond: What to watch
The Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour rolls
into Richmond, Va. this weekend for what is usually one of the most talent-rich
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stops on the entire circuit. This year's event will feature no shortage of
talent, with players from Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. all expected to
attend. With so many big names, there will be plenty of storylines to watch.
Here's a breakdown of what we're looking forward to seeing when things get
started on Saturday.
Tickets for Baltimore up for grabs
Five-star cornerback Levonta Taylor committed to
Florida State last Friday.
This camp is loaded with top-flight talent and many of those players could be
selected to attend the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in
Baltimore. Levonta Taylor, the nation's top rated defensive back and a
new Florida State commit, is the headliner but he is not the only
five-star scheduled to compete in Richmond. Devon Hunter, one of eight
2017 five-stars, will be on hand to showcase his talents. Rivals250 defensive
backs Patrice Rene, Wayne Davis and 2017 four-star
Jonathan Sutherland will also be vying for a chance to play at M&T Bank
Stadium.
Also on defense, Rivals100 Penn State defensive end commit Shane Simmons, four-star defensive tackle Kyree Campbell, Rivals250
linebacker Jaquan Yulee and four-star linebacker Keith Simms
have a chance to be selected.
The offensive side of the ball features a number of prospects that could make it
to Baltimore. Rivals250 offensive linemen Terrance Davis, Jauan Williams and four-star Richard Merritt are all used to facing
elite defensive linemen and won't be out of their element on Saturday. Rivals250
wide receivers Tino Ellis and Trevon Diggs will certainly draw
a lot of attention as well.
Big matchups on deck
There are plenty of players that will draw a lot of attention from their
competition. Look for big-time matchups featuring five-star defensive backs
Levonta Taylor and Devon Hunter against Rivals250 wide receivers Ellis and
Diggs and four-star Steven Smothers. Simmons and Campbell will have their hands full
with Rivals250 offensive linemen Davis, Williams and four-star
Richard Merritt. Running backs such as Maryland commit Lorenzo Harrison and freshman phenom Ricky Slade will look to get the best
of Rivals250 linebacker Yulee, Simms and freshman
standout Teradja Mitchell.
Virginia vs. D.C./Maryland
Virginians will outnumber Maryland and D.C. residents nearly two to one on
Saturday but it is unlikely that those intra-region matchups will be as lopsided
as the numbers might suggest. The major matchups will happen between the players
listed above but there are many others that will need a good showing for
their state to come out on top.
Maryland receivers Marcus Simms, Devin Judd along with Ellis,
Diggs, Smothers and a few others will have to outpace Mark Birmingham, Trevion Armstrong, Tahj Capehart, Jalen Elliott and more. The defensive backs will have plenty to say before this
position battle is decided. Five-stars Taylor and Hunter will have help from
fellow Virginians Wayne Davis, Reggie Floyd, Tim Glass and Canadian transplants Patrice Rene and Jonathan Sutherland.
The battles between the big men are always fun to watch. Campbell will have help
Eric Crosby when going up against Davis, Williams, Merritt,
Branden Johnson and a few other young offensive linemen from Maryland
and D.C. Meanwhile, Simmons will lead Joshua Paschal, Izon Pulley and many others against Virginian offensive linemen Josh Ball, Jay Jay McCargo, Zach Adams, Thomas Jarrett Hopple, Michael Carney and more.
Hotbed for linebackers
Four-star linebacker Jaquan Yulee recently trimmed
his list down to seven schools.
Last year at the Rivals Camp Series in Washington
D.C., linebackers Chad Smith, Jahvoni Simmons and Tremaine Edmunds headlined a very strong group of linebackers and this year's crop could be even better. The top linebackers are Yulee and Simms but this could be the coming out party for Aaron Hansford and Laronde Liverpool. Underclassmen Dylan Rivers, Jordan Anthony and Teradja Mitchell will
definitely make their presence known. Rivers and Anthony already have long lists
of offers and they are just sophomores. Mitchell, only a freshman, has burst
onto the scene early and has collected some big offers.
Dynamic playmakers
Like most years, there will be players in Richmond that could play on either
side of the ball in college. The biggest name may be Darnell Ewell. His
offer sheet expanded so quickly that he doesn't even know for sure which offers
he actually has. He could play on the offensive or defensive line in college and
could dominate at both positions on Saturday.
The same is true for Eric Crosby. The sophomore from Virginia Beach
(Va.) Ocean Lakes is exceptionally athletic for a player his size. Last season,
at 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds, he played running back, tight end and on the defensive
line. As he gets bigger, Crosby will likely turn into a lineman but he could be
on either side of the ball.
Last year, Darryl Turner was one of the most explosive players on the
field and won nearly all of his reps at running back. He could play there or as
a defensive back at Maryland. The same is true for Reggie Floyd and Jalen Elliott. Floyd will likely play safety for
Virginia Tech but he is a star at running back at Manassas (Va.)
Stonewall Jackson. Elliott is on the verge of blowing up and could star at wide
receiver or at safety.
