Rivals Camp Series: Predictions for Cincinnati this weekend
The first Midwest stop of the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented adidas will be in Cincinnati this weekend. The region known for producing some of the game’s best linemen will actually feature a strong collection of skill position talent this weekend, particularly at quarterback.
RELATED: Rivals Camp Series schedule and FAQs
ARMS RACE
The roster of quarterbacks who will be participating in Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp will be among the deepest of the entire series. You will have four-stars from the 2020 class joined by candidates for top overall passers in the 2021 and 2022 classes. With that position being the catalyst of the entire camp, it promises to be an outstanding skill session.
The position will be paced by the 2020 class, which features four-star Beau Allen out of Kentucky, as well as local Cincinnati standout Evan Prater, who has been a hot commodity on the recruiting trail this off-season. The state of Michigan already represents well at Midwest camps, and two of its best in Anthony Romphf and Dustin Fletcher are expected to contend, while another three-star in Mike Wright is coming all the way up from Georgia to compete against the Midwest signal callers.
The story of the group, however, may end up being the underclassmen. Sophomore J.J. McCarthy will be making the trip over from Chicago to compete in Cincinnati. He already has accumulated more than 30 offers and is among the top quarterbacks in the 2021 class. Going even younger, a pair of 2022 prospects in Chase Harrison and Brady Allen have already shown elite-level talent early in their prep careers.
FRESH EVALUATIONS
Evaluating high school prospects is a process, one that takes place over the entirety of their high school careers. Not only are we grading young men who are in the midst of physical development, but many are still very new to the game of football in relation to scouts who, say, evaluate college prospects for the NFL Draft.
As I noted in Rivals’ spring series Recruiting 101, all evaluations are useful, and seeing prospects live in a camp against other Division I prospects will certainly give us answers to outstanding questions we have in specific prospect evaluations.
There are several players I want to highlight who we will be watching closely in Cincinnati, and the first is Port Huron (Mich.) Northern’s Braiden McGregor, who started out his prep career as a linebacker. McGregor has always had a frame that should grow into a defensive end, but our early evaluations of him in that role brought up questions regarding his lateral quickness and ability to handle the point of attack. I have heard McGregor has put on significant good weight and looked outstanding at other events this off-season, so we are definitely excited to see his development live and in-person.
There is no doubt Cincinnati Wyoming quarterback Evan Prater is an outstanding athlete, and he has displayed excellent intangibles in winning a state championship last fall. If he shows progression on the more technical aspects of the position, he could be in line for a ratings bump. So, too, could Akron linebacker Bangally Kamara. The big question we have with Kamara is his frame and how he will develop physically, because his athleticism is outstanding for the position.
BREAKOUT STARS
Who are the little-known prospects today that will have folks buzzing coming out of Sunday’s camp? I have a few contenders I think could stage a coming-out party in Cincinnati this weekend.
A few weeks back I wrote an article on Midwest prospects who could break out with bigger offers this spring. West Bloomfield, Mich., defensive end Sterling Miles and Cincinnati Princeton cornerback Elijah Eberhardt were both on that list and are registered for this weekend’s camp. Having seen both prospects live, they have the tools to make a statement on Sunday.
Among the underclassmen who could steal the show are Detroit running back/safety Jaylen Reed and Westerville (Ohio) South receiver Kaden Saunders. Reed comes from the Detroit King powerhouse that continually kicks out top talent and is an outstanding two-way talent in the 2021 class. Saunders, meanwhile, is only a freshman, but could be the fastest prospect at the camp and has the ball skills to go with that speed.
Finally, a prospect few talk about or know, but would not surprise me if he comes away with an MVP award is Columbus (Ohio) Bishop Hartlet athlete Miles Fleming. The Miami (Ohio) commit plays quarterback for his high school, but if he works out at wide receiver on Sunday Fleming will give defensive backs fits trying to corral his speed and explosiveness.
COMMITMENT HINTS
Several prospects expected to compete in Cincinnati have already scheduled commitment announcements. The first, and most imminent, is that of Rivals100 wide receiver Rashawn Williams, who plans to make his decision one day after competing in the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp. Williams has released a top five, and has recruiting observers guessing as to his final destination.
Four Cincinnati-area prospects – DeMeer Blankumsee, Jutahn McClain, Miquan Grace and Miyan Williams – recently announced that they would each be committing on the same day: July 4. Does that mean the quartet are all headed to the same school, or are they just taking an opportunity to shine a brighter light on the Queen City? It’s an interesting development, and it would seem to bode well for local schools such as Cincinnati and Kentucky if they all plan to make the same pick.