RCS St. Louis: Top underclassmen
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Recruiting wrap: Griffith holds an early offer from Illinois.
Performance: Although just a freshman, Griffith is already starting to develop a well-known name in recruiting circles. His game is also beyond his years, and even in a defensive backs group as deep as we saw in St. Louis, Griffith is among the most natural. The 6-foot, 170-pound prospect has a smooth backpedal and changes direction effortlessly. He was a tough matchup for wide receivers in the one-on-one session of the camp because he is almost always in the right position, and he got his hands on several passes.
3
QB
Rocky Lombardi (2017)
West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley
Recruiting wrap: Lombardi still awaits his first offer.
Performance: Lombardi broke onto the scene with a big sophomore season in which he threw for more than 2,000 yards, and after watching him this past Sunday, we expect the rising junior to be a hit on the college camp scene this summer. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound passer already has good size for the position and along with that comes a big arm. In fact, he threw with more velocity than any of the quarterbacks in attendance. Mechanically, there are still issues he needs to work through in his arm motion, but nothing that causes great long-term concern.
4
WR
Trey Blount (2017)
Powder Spring (Ga.) Hillgrove
Recruiting wrap: Blount holds an early offer from Alabama and is also hearing from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and South Carolina.
Performance: The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Blount is probably not done growing yet and already plays like a big wide receiver. He is a long strider who got upfield quickly and was able to consistently gain separation against defensive backs during the one-on-one portion of the camp. Blount did show very good feet when he needed to settle into a break or get a release from the line of scrimmage, and was very clean throughout the drills portion of the camp.
5
QB
Walker Wood (2017)
Lexington (Ky.) Lafayette
Recruiting wrap: Wood recently added his first offer from Louisville.
Performance: At 6-feet and 170 pounds, Wood doesn't exactly look like the strongest-armed player, but he really surprised with his ability to get the ball out quickly and with a ton of velocity. Wood also achieved one of the top honors a quarterback can receive at a camp, being requested by multiple high-level wide receivers to throw to him during one-on-ones. Wood is a technically sound prospect who should continue to wow during auditions for coaches this spring.
6
QB
Drake Smith (2017)
Decaturville (Tenn.) Riverside
Recruiting wrap: Smith is waiting for his first offer, with Vanderbilt and Oklahoma showing early interest.
Performance: Smith drew positive reviews from the event's coaches for his athleticism and ability to throw on the move during drills. Once things moved to one-on-ones, he showed good arm strength and nice accuracy despite throwing into the wind for portions of the competition period. Smith is known for his ability to do a little bit of everything, but he's shown consistent improvement over several events this offseason.
7
ATH
KJ Wallace (2019)
Atlanta (Ga.) Lovett
Recruiting wrap: Wallace is waiting on his first offer.
Performance: At 5-foot-10 and 162 pounds, Wallace physically still looks like a young prospect who has plenty of growth and development ahead of him. His game, however, is much more advanced and suggests high future potential. The rising freshman showed good change of direction during position drills and was very sudden in all of his movements. He showed the speed to get on top of defensive backs quickly and is a very natural pass-catcher. Added weight and strength will definitely aid his game, but the tools he showed were very impressive.
8
DE
Tahj Rice (2018)
Louisville (Ky.) DuPont Manual
Recruiting wrap: Rice still awaits his first scholarship offer.
Performance: This is our second time seeing Rice in a showcase camp this offseason and it is still hard to believe he is only a freshman. At 6-foot-2 and 268 pounds, Rice looks like he has spent the last five years in the weight room and brings that strength to the field. He had no problem going punch-for-punch with 2016 four-star Drake Jackson. The youth comes through in his technique and fundamentals, where he still needs work, but all the tools are there and Rice will undoubtedly be heavily recruited.
9
OL
Vederian Lowe (2017)
Rockford (Ill.) Auburn
Recruiting wrap: Lowe picked up his first offer last fall from Illinois.
Performance: Lowe is starting to build a reputation for being a hard worker who is willing to compete anytime, anywhere. The rising junior has been very active this offseason, and had another good showing on Sunday. At 6-foot-5 and 352 pounds, Lowe is a massive lineman, but he has quick feet that may allow him to stay at tackle in college. He needs to learn to sink his base and play lower because he will get caught high by defensive linemen with a low center of gravity, but those are technique issues that can be fixed with work.
10
DB
Djimon Colbert (2017)
Kansas City (Mo.) Winnetonka
Recruiting wrap: Iowa and Nebraska have extended early offers to Colbert.
Performance: Listed at 6-foot-1 and 184 pounds, Colbert is a stocky safety prospect who looks to have the bulk to play strong safety and be an asset in run support. His natural athleticism was evident Sunday and is definitely a strength. Where Colbert needs work is in his technique, quieting his backpedal and keeping his weight centered. Safeties are asked to play man coverage in one-on-ones, but Colbert responded well and was competitive due to that athleticism.
11
DB
Chris Bell (2017)
Nashville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II
Recruiting wrap: Bell still awaits his first scholarship offer.
Performance: At 6-foot-3 and 188 pounds, Bell immediately jumps off the field because of his height, and he still has plenty of room on his frame to add weight. He did not show the stiffness taller defensive backs often fall victim to, though, and was one of the more fundamentally sound young defensive backs at the camp. During the one-on-one session, Bell's length allowed him to get in passing lanes and get his hands on several footballs for pass breakups.
12
OL
Tyler Ciurej (2017)
Bellevue (Neb.) West
Recruiting wrap: Ciurej still awaits his first scholarship offer.
Performance: The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Ciurej is one of the top rising juniors in the state of Nebraska, and certainly has the makings of a Power Five offensive guard. During one-on-one action, he more than held his own against several good interior defensive linemen, setting up with a powerful base and getting good extension after locking on. Ciurej plays light on his feet and has the athleticism to pull and locate in space when needed.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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