Rivals Camp Series Columbus: Five schools that should be pleased

HILLIARD, Ohio – With Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas taking place in close proximity to Ohio State University, it is no surprise that the Buckeyes were one of the programs best represented at the event. Other Big Ten and non-Big Ten programs who received a lot of buzz, though, are more surprising.

MORE RCS COLUMBUS: Helmholdt's takeaways | Prospects earning their stripes | LIVE from Columbus

MORE RCS: Five programs that should be pleased after Rivals Camp Series in Charlotte | Full Rivals Camp Series schedule

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Spartans fans should pay close attention to the coverage coming out of Sunday's camp. Rivals250 quarterback commit Dwan Mathis was one of the best players in attendance and made it very clear he is solid with Michigan State despite earning a recent offer from Ohio State. Linebacker commit Marcel Lewis turned in a good performance and looked very good in space. Defensive lineman Michael Fletcher just took an important visit to East Lansing with his grandmother, but the Spartans are battling Michigan and Wisconsin. Michigan State is doing a very good job of keeping in touch with Rivals250 defensive lineman Jowon Briggs and a lot of players predicted Rivals250 defensive lineman Jaren Mangham would end up with the Spartans.

It would have been pretty hard for the Buckeyes to avoid landing on this list, as Sunday’s camp was located just miles from the school’s campus. A number of players visited the school before the event and more planned to tour it in the days after. Four-star quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Dwan Mathis - in addition to Rivals100 guard Justin Rogers - will be among said group of unofficial visitors. In addition to having dozens of major prospects near its campus, Ohio State also scored a win at the event itself, where Buckeye commit Doug Nester shined along the offensive line and four-star defensive back Marlin Devonshire listed Urban Meyer’s program as his leader.

Kentucky commit Moses Douglass was one of the more physically impressive prospects at the camp. And while he didn’t have his best day, he flashed some incredible upside at times. The bigger news for the Wildcats, however, is that they are a finalist to land Rivals250 safety Marvin Grant. He noted his close relationship with the Wildcats’ staff as the reason for UK’s inclusion on his final list of options. The Wildcats may very well be the frontrunner to land Grant.

Second-year head coach Jeff Brohm has changed the recruiting culture in West Lafayette, and Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp was evidence of that. The number of prospects mentioning Purdue was up significantly over previous years, and several of those interested are highly rated guys. Four-star safety Marvin Grant listed Purdue as one of three schools he knows for sure he will officially visit, while high three-star defensive end Dontay Hunter had the Boilermakers as one of two official visits he will take. Wide receiver MVP Wandale Robinson, meanwhile, has Purdue among the top schools on his list, and the Boilermakers were the first school out of Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) tight end Justin Stephens' mouth when asked which programs he has the best relationship with right now.

Boston College has had a consistent presence in the Midwest - particularly the state of Ohio - for more than a decade. Luke Keuchly is the most notable get for the Eagles out of Ohio, but there has been a consistent migration of others in the past. In the 2019 class, Boston College already has a pair of defensive end commits from the state of Ohio to go along with a commitment from Detroit linebacker Marvin Ham, who participated in Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp. Ham is more of a middle linebacker prospect projecting to the next level, but he looked very comfortable in space on Sunday. The Eagles also are in the ballgame for three-star Walled Lake (Mich.) Western quarterback Sam Johnson III, who was among the best in the quarterback group. Johnson will announce his decision today and there was some buzz on Sunday that Boston College could be the choice.