Rivals Recap: UNC Freak Show

Many of the top prospects in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast flock to Chapel Hill every year for the Freak Show, the North Carolina Tar Heels’ elite summer camp. This year was no different.

Here are some of the key takeaways.

The top position group was easily the running backs. The unit was headlined by Tar Heel commit Adarius Lemons, 2018 Rivals100 running back Ricky Slade and standout 2019 running back Devyn Ford. All three have exceptional footwork, great size and dominated during the one-on-one session. The only two linebackers that even put up a fight were three-star Jeremiah Gemmel out of Sharpsburg (Ga.) East Coweta and 2018 Greensboro (N.C.) Page standout Alan Tisdale. Their quick reaction time, speed in the open field and length helped them make it very difficult for quarterbacks to get the ball to the running backs.

The defensive line was very talented from top to bottom but Rivals250 defensive end Jake Lawler was clearly a step above the rest. He has the speed, quickness,and pass rushing techniques to be an early impact type of player when he arrives in Chapel Hill for his freshman year. The player that grabbed everybody's attention was 2018 Rivals100 defensive tackle Rick Sandidge. He is so fast off the line of scrimmage and was too powerful for almost all of the offensive linemen to stop. Sandidge almost plays with reckless abandon, and he has very aggressive hands even if he doesn't know what kind of pass rushing moves he is using.

At events like the Freak Show you usually know what you're getting at the quarterback position, but this year it was a little different. The Tar Heels aren't likely to take a quarterback in the 2017 class, so the standouts were all underclassmen. There's been a lot of hype around 2020 quarterback Harrison Bailey, and he definitely lived up to it. He has great size, a powerful arm and does a good job putting touch on the ball when needed. Bailey had stiff competition from Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal School 2018 signal caller Seth Agwunobi, 2018 quarterback Bryce Moore from Jefferson, Ga. and Monroe (N.C.) Sun Valley 2019 quarterback Sam Howell.

The wide receiver group got the better of the defensive backs for the most part. The best of either position was 2018 wide out Jordyn Adams, the son of East Carolina coach Deke Adams. He is a very smooth runner, does a good job running crisp routes, has great leaping ability and made a lot of tough catches look routine. Two other wide outs that had good days were 2018 prospects Devin Carter and Demarcus Gregory. The only defensive backs that were consistently in position to make plays were new Tar Heels commit Caleb Rozar and Tre Shaw, though he would have been flagged for penalties on multiple occasions.

Payton Wilson was one of the most physically talented players in attendance. The 2018 linebacker has the look of a major prospect with great size and plenty of room to fill out his frame. Wilson has good straight-line speed but needs to work on his quickness and lateral movement. If that doesn't improve he could be a very effective defensive end.

The offensive linemen had an up and down day, but many of them were very talented and have huge upside. Billy Ross, Jerry Drake and Josh Fedd-Jackson provided some stiff competition and won a lot of reps. New Tar Heel commit Brian Anderson did a good job of holding his ground and staying between the defensive lineman and quarterback. The player with perhaps the most upside in the entire group was 2018 offensive tackle Nana Asiedu. He continues to get bigger and improve with every camp he attends. Tyran Hunt is a very intriguing prospect because he has great size and moves well but is very raw technically. If he doesn't make it as an offensive lineman he could be a defensive end or defensive tackle.