Published Feb 25, 2019
Rivals Camp Series Houston: The Spiegelman Awards
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Sam Spiegelman  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Analyst
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CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

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HOUSTON -- The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas in South Texas is in the books. After evaluating the talent on hand in Houston on Sunday, here are the Spiegelman Awards.

MORE: Teams that should be pleased | Players who earned their stripes

THE ADONIS: Jaylon Jones

This wasn’t an easy call because of the array of talent in Houston, especially among defensive backs, but Jones didn’t miss a rep all day. During registration, it was eye-opening to see him the newly minted Rivals100 cornerback up close. He’s built in the Richard Sherman mold -- which is the new norm for outside corners in 2019.

Jones used his long arms and elite agility to shadow receivers up and down the field all afternoon. He didn’t press -- although he could -- but still managed to trail receivers in stride without missing a beat. He has elite body control and outstanding vertical ability. Jones also thrived in breaking on the ball at the right time. More impressive, he made it look easy. The Texas A&M verbal commitment was the alpha among defensive backs and of the entire camp, and I’m extremely anxious to see how he fares against more elite competition in Atlanta this summer.

ALL-HANDS TEAM: Troy Omeire

Omeire is a huge target for any quarterback, and on top of that, he has a tremendous catch radius. The Rivals100 wide receiver caught everything and anything thrown in his vicinity on Sunday, and did so with relative ease. Perhaps his most impressive rep came against Jones when he was able to reel in a slant in traffic despite perfect coverage from the defender.

Omeire gave defensive backs fits all day long. He also flashed his footwork and ability to make defenders miss off his breaks and make double moves to create separation. Omeire versus Jones was the primetime showdown in Houston, but it’ll be exhilarating to see how he fares against more elite cornerbacks at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas.

BULL MARKET: Vernon Broughton

Broughton is every inch of 6-foot-6 and a slim 280-or-so pounds, and could easily tack on another 15 or 20 pounds if he wanted to. He has great burst off the line of scrimmage and can push offensive tackles around. That’s the strength of his game.

The four-star struggled at defensive end to start one-on-ones, especially against elite competition. However, he shifted inside as a rush-tackle and began to kick it up a notch. He was too quick for interior lineman and certainly a mismatch. Broughton is a candidate to play multiple spots along a defensive front -- from 3-technique to a 5 -- and was a force to be reckoned with once he found a rhythm.

Honorable mention: Four-star defensive end Princely Umanmielen found himself in a similar situation to Broughton early on in the camp. As a weakside end, he was consistently held by opposing tackles. He eventually made the move inside and had a lot of success. He’s athletic enough where he’s a mismatch against guards, but certainly equipped to continue rushing the passer off the edge.

PHYSICAL PROWESS: Bryson Washington

Washington is built in the same mold as college football’s best safeties. Like LSU’s Grant Delpit, Washington is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. He’s long, and he showed on Sunday that he can also cover.

A safety by trade, Washington was able to win multiple reps in one-on-ones. That’s a rare feat for a big safety. He’s destined to be the commander-in-chief of his college secondary as a center fielder, able to sit in the middle and jump routes, as well as walk up to the line of scrimmage and be another run defender in the box.

Washington was able to be effectively physical at the point of attack without holding receivers. Although he’s a safety, he’s going to be an asset for defensive coordinators that want to utilize him against tight ends or at nickel.

MR. PANCAKE: Hayden Conner

Yes, he’s a class of 2021 lineman, but Conner was dynamite as one of a handful of left tackles. He’s built like a tank and plays like one. Conner was able to withstand the push from strongside defensive ends and even toss a few into the dirt. He’s a physically imposing left tackle with the ability to pass protect and be physical in the run game.

Honorable mention: The MVP of the offensive linemen was Bryce Foster, who was arguably the most consistent lineman. Foster, another class of 2021 standout from the Houston-area, was impressive against some of the best Class of 2020 defensive linemen in attendance such as Broughton and Tunmise Adeleye.

LUNCH PAIL: Donovan Jackson

Sticking with the food theme, let’s talk about our Lunch Pail Award winner. Jackson was the third leg of this class of 2021 Houston-area tackles who shined at the Houston camp. This award is usually dished out to the player who does the dirty work. Jackson, who holds offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU and Stanford, among others, shifted inside to play guard despite being one of the top prospects in attendance.

That blue-collar mentality was fun to watch. Despite a nagging injury, Jackson used his absurdly long arms to handle interior rushers. He was able to keep both ends and tackles at bay with relative ease and withstood a number of different pass-rush moves inside and out. He is light on his feet and technically sound, and in line to be one of the best offensive line prospects in next year’s recruiting class.

NEXT ONE UP: Tunmise Adeleye

Broughton punched his ticket to the Five-Star Challenge this summer, but Adeleye was the MVP of the defensive linemen on Sunday. The class of 2021 defensive end flashed a ton of raw power that is only going to continue to improve during spring workouts and training leading into his junior year. As a weakside rusher, he was a force for opposing tackles, who had to gauge whether he was going to bully them or try to beat them to the edge. Adeleye’s stock is going to continue to rise as he refines his game and adds even more strength and moves to his arsenal.

STICK'EM: Devin Price

There were a number of talented pass-catchers on hand at the Houston camp, but Price showed why his stock has steadily risen over the past few weeks. Texas A&M, North Carolina and Vanderbilt are just a few of the notable new offers for the newly minted four-star wide receiver, who has tremendous mitts and was a reliable target for much of the afternoon. Price, who measures up at 6-foot-3 and almost 190 pounds, is a red-zone nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators, who are going to struggle to keep him out of the end zone in one-on-one coverage or 50-50 balls.

THE BALLHAWK: Denver Harris

Get ready to remember this name: Denver Harris. He’s a rising sophomore from local powerhouse North Shore that made his presence felt. He’s a cornerback that not only dominated in one-on-one coverage, but notched a pair of interceptions in the process. Harris, who has yet to play a down of varsity for his high school team, is bracing for a breakout 2019 season. He boasts tremendous closing speed, which makes for a dangerous target for opposing quarterbacks looking to capitalize on a young cornerback.

ROCKET ARM: Bronson McClelland

McClelland’s fastball was undeniable. The class of 2021 gunslinger was able to rifle in a handful of passes and place the ball where only his guys could get it. Also impressive was McClelland's ability to avoid costly mistakes or off-throws where defenders could pounce on it. The Katy signal-caller also flashed the ability to throw a pretty deep ball with great accuracy. He already holds an offer from Houston and more in-state programs are beginning to take notice.

THE APPETIZER: Malik Hornsby

One of the top prospects in the area -- and the country -- arrived late to the Houston camp, but we got a small taste of the Rivals250 dual-threat as the quarterbacks and receivers finished up one-on-ones. Hornsby quickly warmed up and flashed why he’s one of the best passers in the country, leading his receivers, throwing with anticipation and doing so with a very smooth throwing motion.

Obviously, it’s hard to gauge everything Hornsby is capable of doing when he’s limited to throwing in the pocket. He could probably play receiver at the Power Five level with his dynamic speed, but he was extremely impressive throwing the rock, too, albeit in a small sample size. We’re expecting Hornsby to compete at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Dallas and continue to show off his arm.