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Rivals Recap: RCS Los Angeles

FULLERTON, Calif. – Stop No. 4 of the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour took place in the Los Angeles on Saturday and talent from all over the West Coast turned out to compete for MVP trophies, Five-Star Challenge invitations and bragging rights. Below are some major takeaways from the event.

More: Recruiting notes | Live from Los Angeles | Video interviews

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Jaelan Phillips
Jaelan Phillips

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I WAS IMPRESSED BY...

Arriving at a major camp with a No. 2 overall ranking creates a certain level of expectations, but running back Najee Harris met them with relative ease. The impressive-looking running back showed incredible explosiveness for a player of his broad size on his way to capturing the day’s running back MVP award. Harris looked solid in drills and dominated one-on-one work. His acceleration and strength are his calling cards, but Harris changes directions as well as many player of a smaller stature. He was as well rounded a prospect as there was at the camp.

Tyjon Lindsey is a Rivals100 prospect mainly because of his devastating speed. It’s his most important attribute and it was on full display on Saturday. Not only did Lindsay win most of the reps he took, many of them were deep routes that showed him stretch the field. Covering Lindsay, who won the day’s receiver MVP award, is nearly impossible without help over the top, which is exactly why he shines so brightly during one-on-one work.

Four-star Jaelan Phillips came to camp with a four-star ranking and a long list of offers. He backed up the hype with an MVP performance that saw him abuse a handful of FBS-level offensive lineman. At 6-foot-5, Phillips certainly has the look, and his lean frame allows him to retain solid quickness. Phillips can play linebacker or defensive end. He worked at end on Saturday and relied heavily on his quick first step to win nearly every rep he took.

USC quarterback commit Matt Corral drew rave reviews from the camp’s coaches. In fact, one coach called Corral, a class-of-2018 prospect, the best quarterback he’d seen throughout the camp series’ first four stops. Corral has decent size but a strong arm for a quarterback that doesn’t come with overwhelming height. He faded a bit as his arm tired near the end of the camp, but the impressive performance he put on for most of the day was enough to earn him MVP honors.

I WAS SURPRISED BY...

Brett Neilon is certainly a guard because he lacks height. He won’t wow anyone with his body type or anything like that. Thing is, he has a long list of offers for a reason. Neilon was as dominant as any player at any position on Saturday and won every rep he took, most of which he finished by tossing his larger opponent to the ground. The camp’s offensive line MVP, Neilon has an incredibly solid base and moves his feet incredibly well. He’s a prospect that has obviously been well coached, as there don’t seem to be many areas in which he lacks technique.

A four-star Washington commit, Keith Taylor wasn’t exactly an unknown coming into the event. That said, the level at which her preformed was a pleasant surprise. Taylor took home defensive MVP honors, as he lost roughly one rep during one-on-one drills and looked like one of the smoother cornerbacks in drills. He moves his long, 6-foot-1 frame around the field as well as players three inches smaller than him and breaks on the ball incredibly well. Taylor’s solid in coverage, and his long arms allow him to recover quickly on the occasion that he surrenders a step or two.

Linebacker Colin Schooler holds just one offer (from UNLV), but played like a player with a long list of options. He made serious waves during one-on-one work, where he stayed with smaller running backs and showed impressive closing speed. At 6-foot-1, Schooler’s lack of length is probably what’s holding him back, but he’s a prospect that could certainly help a number of FBS programs. Schooler, who captured the day’s linebacker MVP award, moves well laterally and has a thick enough frame to plug holes up front.

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