Rivals Camp Series Los Angeles: The Gorney Awards

DOWNEY, Calif. – The first stop of the Rivals Camp Series was Sunday here in Southern California and plenty of top prospects were in attendance. Here's a recap of some of the top performers at the event – the prospects who earned the Gorney Awards.

L.A. RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Camp MVPs | Combine participants punch tickets to Sunday's camp

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Julian Sayin arrived late because of a prior engagement but it did not really matter because the five-star quarterback jumped into line and starting throwing perfect darts to receivers all over the field.

Up to 195 pounds, the Alabama commitment from Carlsbad, Calif., looks more filled out and he’s still so precise and technically sound in everything he does from the quarterback position.

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Douglas Utu simply does not allow defensive linemen to get around him. The Las Vegas Bishop Gorman standout, who’s highly ranked in 2025, definitely backed that up by completely stonewalling opponent after opponent whether at offensive guard or tackle.

From brute strength to outstanding technique to powerful legs and hands, Utu is the complete package.

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Madden Iamaleava is no longer just Nico’s little brother. The 2025 quarterback from host Downey (Calif.) Warren is bigger than he was at the Rivals camp a year ago. He was zinging the ball all over the field and Iamaleava could be one of the next big quarterbacks in Southern California as he makes a name for himself.

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Dijon Lee Jr. measured in at 6-foot-3 and he looked even taller than that because of his length and ranginess as the 2025 cornerback shut down receivers, ran with them and poked balls away during one-on-ones.

So far, the Mission Viejo, Calif., has landed Power Five offers from Boston College, Colorado and USC but it’s hard to believe more aren’t going to come soon.

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There’s a drill at Rivals Camp where the linebacker blitzes and the running back has the unenviable job of trying to block them. For those having the task of slowing down four-star linebacker Jordan Lockhart, good luck.

The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout gets bigger each time we see him – thanks to some pretty intense personal workouts – and in one rep, Lockhart basically picked up the running back and drove him back into the bag. It was impressive to see.

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Husan Longstreet was first on the regional scene two years ago when he still had a baby face and needed to fill out physically. Fast forward to Sunday and the new Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout was arguably the most physically impressive quarterback at the event. He's muscled up and was still throwing dimes all over the field as he was one of the best QBs there.

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Jordan Anderson was incredible on Sunday and even onlookers at the camp were texting me about how unstoppable he was as an outside receiver. The Oregon commit, who’s now playing at Newport Beach (Calif.) Newport Harbor, was not running easy one-on-one routes putting corners in impossible positions, but he was running by them deep, catching really tough passes, making plays that others couldn’t make and on the short routes he was getting wide open.

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Phillip Bell deserves an award for even showing up at the Rivals Camp. The 2025 four-star athlete spent the early part of the weekend at Michigan and then flew back to California overnight, landing around 2 a.m. to only get up a few hours later and come to compete.

Bell could end up as one of the top receivers in the 2025 class and even on only a few hours sleep, still made an impression during the event.

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By every measure, Daniel Mielke II is on the path to greatness at the quarterback position. The 2027 quarterback, who’s expected to play at La Verne (Calif.) Bonita, has a great arm, he’s accurate, the ball pops off his hand, he’s mature beyond his years and looked every bit the part as arguably the best underclassman quarterback at the event.

Southern California always produces elite quarterbacks and Mielke could be getting to that level.

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Akili Smith starred at San Diego Lincoln, starred at Oregon and was then the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Now his son – Akili Smith Jr. – is making a name for himself. The 6-foot-6 quarterback from Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta has all the tools to be special and the 2025 standout definitely held his own and more during Sunday’s camp.

The Ducks have already offered but so have a handful of other schools as his recruitment is just getting underway.

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King Large. There have been some incredible names over the years in recruiting but the 2024 offensive lineman from powerhouse Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco not only has a phenomenal name but he was outstanding during linemen one-on-ones and more than held his own.

UNLV, Oregon and Northern Arizona are some of his offers but as Large gets more exposure his recruitment should pick up even more.

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Chinedu Onyeagoro was one of the most intriguing prospects at any position at Sunday’s camp – and one of the best-looking as well. The Los Angeles (Calif.) King Drew defensive end is still relying on raw athleticism and needs to keep developing his moves off the edge but once he gets that down, the 2025 prospect is going to be really special.

He has all the physical strength and athleticism in the world, and he will only get more impressive as his game gets refined.

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