Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Columbus: Three hot teams

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas was in the backyard of the Ohio State Buckeyes this past weekend, but it was the schools up north that had the most buzz coming out of Sunday’s camp.

RELATED: Top performers offense | Defense | Recruiting notes

The Spartans have five commits in the 2018 class, and two of them ended up ranked among the top 12 performers on offense from Sunday’s event. Three-star quarterback Theo Day narrowly missed out on position MVP honors to fellow state of Michigan signal caller Dwan Mathis, while four-star tight end Trenton Gillison came away from the day’s event with an invitation to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Indianapolis next month.

Several of Michigan State’s top uncommitted targets also had strong performances. Three-star Cleveland-area cornerback Michael Dowell is announcing his decision on May 29 and most pundits expect him to pick the Spartans, in part because his two older brothers are already on the roster. Then, Detroit Cass Tech teammates Kalon Gervin and Deandre Square each lists high interest in Michigan State and both ranked among the top 12 defensive performers.

The Wolverines join their in-state Big Ten brethren as the only schools with multiple commitments making top performer appearances. For the Wolverines it was four-star guard Emil Ekiyor ranking among the best performers on offense and three-star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson being listed among the best on his side of the football.

A few more of Michigan’s top uncommitted targets made the top defensive performers list, including four-star Cleveland Heights defensive end Tyreke Smith, who lists the Wolverines in a current top 12, and Rivals100 class of 2019 defensive end Stephen Herron, who visited Ann Arbor for last month’s spring game and said to expect Michigan to make his top 10 when he releases it this summer. Although he did not work out, three-star Columbus-area linebacker Brian Asamoah was watching Sunday’s action and spoke about how he is already in a group chat with Michigan’s 2018 commits, who are pushing him to join their ranks.

The Hokies are starting to become regulars on these Rivals 3 Stripe Camp three hot teams lists. They were one of the buzzier teams coming out of the Charlotte camp two weekends ago, and now are making a surprise appearance in the aftermath of a Midwest camp. Virginia Tech has always tried to make a presence in the Midwest, and have signed a prospect from the state of Michigan in each of head coach Justin Fuente’s first two recruiting classes.

Sunday’s event featured several prospects from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, though, where Virginia Tech always has a presence. Although none of their commitments from the 2018 class were at the camp, several prospects were talking up the Hokies in regards to their recruitments, including Rivals100 cornerback Kalon Gervin who just de-committed from Notre Dame. Gervin’s teammate at Detroit Cass Tech, three-star linebacker Deandre Square, also raved about a recent visit to Blacksburg. Defensive line MVP Dante Stills has Virginia Tech on his expected visit destinations for the summer, while offensive line MVP Darnell Wright lists the Hokies in an early top three.