Rivals Camp Series New Orleans: Prospects shine in the Big Easy

METAIRIE, La. — Top prospects from the Boot and nearby Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida showed up in New Orleans for the Rivals Camp Series event on Sunday. At day’s end, a long list of players earned recognition for outstanding performances. Here’s a look at the MVPs, trio of Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge invitees and other standouts from the event.

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CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

Honig, who lives in Germany, flew to New Orleans in order to compete in Sunday's camp. He has great size, throws a great ball and the TCU commit had a very strong showing overall. His football season starts later this month in Germany, and he looked ready for a big year. Honig was the story of the day, and the Horned Frogs should be excited about this one.

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McCray is a versatile athlete and he left with running back honors. He is a thick back, but sneaky quick and he fights for the football. McCray has offers from Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee, but many other schools have their eye on him. He has strong hands, he adjusted to the ball well and he was a very consistent performer Sunday.

Pazon was tough for defensive backs to get their hands on at the line of scrimmage. He has had some amazing times in the 40 yard dash, but his quickness and initial burst was on display Sunday. Pazon was quick out of his breaks, created consistent separation and showed why he has an impressive offer list. Florida State looks to be the program to beat at this time.

Campbell is only a sophomore, but the offensive tackle showed great maturity and ability in this setting. He looked like the nice guy walking into the camp, but when a defensive lineman lined in front of him, he flipped the switch and was impressive. Campbell didn't win 100 percent of his matchups in the 1-on-1 session, but he won much more than he lost. Campbell already has offers from Alabama, LSU, Nebraska and Tennessee among others.

Smith was dominant from start to finish. He is one of the most impressive defensive linemen in the 2021 class. A list of top programs, like Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU are in hot pursuit of Smith, and he showed why once again Sunday. He is big and strong, but nimble on his feet, too.

The linebacker group was crowded with talent and Jones won this in the end with his clean down the field coverage. He is a lengthy linebacker who showed the ability to turn and run with running backs and tight ends. Jones is an athlete with room to fill out his frame and, with his skill-set, he should add offers during the evaluation period. Memphis and ULM have already offered.

The battle at defensive back went down to wire, and ultimately, Alexander pulled out the MVP award. He took a lot of reps, battled against some talented wide receivers and had a lot of success. Alexander has good length and he was showing good technique in press coverage. His recruitment should pick up this spring when more coaches get their eye on him.

Williams punched his ticket to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge where his versatility will certainly be put to the test. The Rivals100 talent is a safety by trade and moves well for his vast size, but his potential is through the roof because of his ability to play close to the box and cover tight ends and running backs as well. Williams likes LSU, Alabama and Florida State and will have defensive coordinators chomping at the bit to add him to their defenses.

It was a colossal weekend for Allen as he burst onto the scene in a major way. First, Allen was on the receiving end of a game-winning touchdown during a nearby 7-on-7 tournament Friday night. Then, he showed out at the Rivals Camp Series on Sunday — as a receiver capable of making plays on underneath routes, running crisp routes, getting great separation and finishing with reliable hands. Hawaii recently offered, but several more programs should be in play soon.

Harris is a 2023 defensive back out of Destrehan that is showing he has a nose for the football. The freshman was disciplined in coverage and able to tightly shadow receivers during 1-on-1s. Harris also has a tendency to jump routes and beat receivers for balls in mid-air. He’ll be a big name in Louisiana for his class.

Sorrell wears many hats for Holy Cross’ defensive front, but as an edge-rusher with great size Sorrell was able to consistently win in the OL-DL 1-on-1s and did his best work in the showcase. Sorrell was the lone defensive lineman to edge out OL MVP Will Campbell and was effective even when he didn’t win. Vanderbilt, Kansas and Tulane are early offers for Sorrell, who took home the Gatorade Award on Sunday.

The 2022 defensive lineman out of state champion Edna Karr was in the conversation as one of the premier pass-rushers in attendance. Hill, who holds offers from the likes of LSU, Alabama and Miami, was explosive off the line and flashed excellent athleticism for an interior tackle. Hill devastated the competition with his spin move, which was effective time and time again.

Cain has taken tremendous strides in his game this offseason and it’ll be exciting to see how much better he can get ahead of his senior season. Cain has length (6-foot-3) and runs the field very well. He showed off crisp route-running and was a major vertical threat all afternoon. Hawaii and Virginia have both offered lately.

You can’t alley without the oop — and that’s precisely what Paige brings to the table. The 2022 wide receiver is raw, but he displayed impressive signs in his game throughout the afternoon. He has strong hands and makes catches away from his body to go along with a solid radius. Paige has a distinct height advantage and good vertical ability, making for a dangerous mismatch in red-zone situations. Virginia and Florida State have both offered; LSU and Alabama may not be far behind.