Rivals 3 Stripe Camp New Jersey: Awards

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The last East Coast stop of the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas brought out top talent from states up and down the Atlantic seaboard. At day’s end, prospects from three different states and the District of Columbia took home MVP awards.

MORE: Recruiting notes | Live from New Jersey | Full Rivals 3 Stripe Camp schedule

It was a deep group of quarterbacks, and yet Leary established himself as the alpha dog pretty early in the competition. The N.C. State commit ripped some throws that fit into tight windows, but was also able to throttle back and put touch on fade routes or intermediate throws. If there is a knock on Leary it is that his delivery is on the long side, and that will come into play at the next level where those windows will get even tighter and close faster.

This is a dual-award winner, as Slade took home position MVP honors and earned his invitation to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge next month, making his long drive from Virginia well worth the trip. The Penn State commit ran from both the running back and wide receiver spots during one-on-ones, but no matter where he lined up defenders had trouble staying with him. He is a smooth athlete who changes direction with ease and gets to top speed in an instant.

The New Jersey stop of the Rivals Camp Series has seen some impressive wide receiver performances over the years, but on this day it was a freshman who bested the competition to take home MVP honors. Jarrett is not a new name to the recruiting scene – Syracuse has already offered a scholarship – but he certainly was not the pre-camp pick to bring home the award. Some acrobatic catches and a few tough grabs over the middle separated the class of 2020 prospect from the pack.

This is another dual winner, as Walker was honored with an invitation to next month’s Five-Star Challenge after being named his position MVP. The highest-ranked prospect does not always bring home MVP honors, but on this day Walker proved to be the top performer and also looked like the player at the position with the highest college potential. Already possessing a four-star ranking, Walker has ideal size and the athleticism to play offensive tackle at the college level.

Listed as a tight end prospect, Earlington showed two-way versatility by taking home defensive line MVP honors from the defensive end position Sunday. The three-star prospect jumped into one-on-one reps and was able to quickly establish himself as one of the position's top prospects. His MVP award was probably secured when he split a two-rep series with offensive line MVP Rasheed Walker, showing the strength at the point of attack to go along with speed off the edge.

At first look, Ayamel does not look particularly well-suited for a camp setting. His 6-foot, 215-pound frame appears more at home in the middle of a defense, filling gaps and stuffing running backs up the middle. But, Ayamel showed early in the day that he had the ability to play in space, dominating his reps during the cat-and-mouse drill with running backs. There were a couple linebackers who were better in pass coverage, but Ayamel accounted well for himself there also.

The Rivals analyst team had the greatest difficulty determining the defensive back MVP because several players stepped up with worthy performances. What impressed us about Cross was that he was able to stick with wide receivers in man coverage despite being an obvious safety prospect at the college level. He was one of the biggest prospects in the position group, but also had one of the best breaks on the football and excellent instincts for the position.