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Published May 21, 2016
Rivals Roundtable: Looking ahead to the Five-Star Challenge
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Staff
Rivals.com

With the Rivals Camp Series now gearing up for the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour, which prospect are you most excited to see compete against the event's elite competition?

The No. 1 player in the country, defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, will be in Atlanta and it's always exciting to see the top-ranked player try to prove he's the best. There will be some outstanding offensive linemen at the event and Wilson will be tested like never before especially because everybody will be gunning to stop him during the one-on-one portion of camp. I suspect Wilson will do just fine, like he has everywhere we've seen him, but I can't wait to see him go up against guys who want to make a bigger name for themselves, too. – Adam Gorney, National recruiting analyst

From my region, it’s the Alabama players, particularly linebacker K.J. Britt. Britt doesn’t play at a traditional powerhouse and blew up rather quickly on the recruiting scene in the last six months. He was impressive at the Rivals Camp Series stop in New Orleans and seems to stack up well with the other top players in the country. It will be a new setting for Britt, who hasn’t any national camps in the past. – Rob Cassidy, Southeast recruiting analyst

Rivals250 wide receiver Mark Webb was outstanding at the New Jersey Rivals Camp but the defensive backs at the Five-Star Challenge will present a big challenge. His route running has really improved but this will test his progress like it hasn't been tested before. – Adam Friedman, Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst

Was Marquis Hayes' dominant performance at the Rivals Camp Series last weekend in Kansas City a fluke, or is the Missouri native one of the 2017 class' legitimate under-the-radar prospects? Matching up against the top defensive linemen in the country who will be in Atlanta will give us the answer, and my expectation is that Hayes validates his earlier performance. His initial punch is legitimately rare and he is agile enough to stick and mirror. – Josh Helmholdt, Midwest recruiting analyst

The easy answer is the 2018 players. From my region in Texas, B.J. Foster and Anthony Cook will be joining Al Blades and Asante Samuel Jr. in Atlanta as defensive backs in the 2018 class. Seeing those guys go up against some of the top wide receivers in the country -- nearly all of them being a year older -- will be a major test for them. Otherwise, plenty of attention is always paid to players that come in ranked as the top player in the country, so Marvin Wilson will be looking to retain the title as eight of the top 10 players in the Rivals100 are slated to attend. – Nick Krueger, Mid-South recruiting analyst

The battle for the top quarterback spot is still a heated debate among the analysts so I'm really curious to see how Hunter Johnson and Davis Mills match up when they go head to head. Both have been impressive at regional events, but things obviously go up a level at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge. – Woody Wommack, Southeast recruiting analyst

Which prospect at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge are you most excited to see compete in Atlanta?

It is still so early but I'm really intrigued to watch 2019 linebacker Owen Pappoe work out. The Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout has loaded up on tons of major offers and I've obviously followed along the way. Now I want to see if he could back it up against some of the best underclassmen in the country. My guess is he will. I don't expect Pappoe to be the most polished linebacker at the event but he already has great size and there's so much talk around the kid I want to see him in person finally. – Gorney

Running back James Cook comes in with quite a reputation. His brother, Dalvin Cook, is thriving at Florida State. He has an offer list a mile lone, and he is committed to the Seminoles. Cook has the build, genetics and film to back up the hype, so the prospect of seeing him go against top-flight competition is exciting. – Cassidy

There are a ton of big names to choose from here. Quarterback Artur Sitkowski has already cemented his place among the top quarterbacks in the 2018 class and his performance in Atlanta could push him farther up the rankings. Offensive tackle Nana Asiedu has really blown up during this evaluation period and has a chance to make a big impression at the camp in Atlanta. – Friedman

What I am anticipating most is the reaction from those who have yet to see Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) 2018 running back Raveion Hargrove. At just 5-foot-8 and 162 pounds I expect the initial reaction to Hargrove will be, why did this kid get an invite? Then the lights will turn on and no one on the field will be able to cover him. He is an electric playmaker in a small package. – Helmholdt

Jalen Green and Keondre Coburn are guys that in retrospect I should have pushed to be in our initial Rivals100 watch list as early four-star players. Green recently won the defensive back MVP award at the Rivals Camp Series event in Kansas City. Coburn did well at the New Orleans event, but I think he is going to be difficult to stop at the Underclassmen Challenge following spring football workouts. – Krueger

Emory Jones has spent the spring making a strong case for five-star status, he has a chance to seal the move up the charts with a good showing in Atlanta. – Wommack

Of the Rivals Camp Series regional events you covered, which one impressed you most for overall talent?

The Los Angeles camp was phenomenal at every position and it really allowed serious competition to come forth. Najee Harris and Stephen Carr tested each other at running back. There were five-star receivers there. The tight ends really battled. The defensive linemen stood out inside and outside. The defensive back group which is deep in California this year never backed down. With only one camp in the West this spring, everybody showed up and wanted to perform well. It was a great camp to cover. – Gorney

Miami or Atlanta. It was certainly Miami in the skill positions but Atlanta was probably more well-rounded. It’s not exactly a shocking notion that the southeast leads the way in high school talent, but the region has a reputation for a reason. –Cassidy

The New Jersey stop was very deep at every position. The headliners were five-stars Hunter Johnson and Isaiah Wilson. Rivals100 prospects D'Andre Swift, Drew Singleton and Deon Jones put on a show. Four-star linebacker Avery Roberts and Rivals250 wide receiver Mark Webb really opened eyes as well. – Friedman

It is a close call between Dallas and Columbus, but I will have to go with Dallas. The weather at the Columbus Rivals Camp diminished the field some, but there were still several five-stars and Rivals100 prospects in attendance. Dallas, though, featured three top 10 prospects nationally including Marvin Wilson as well as linebacker Baron Browning, who made a strong case to be considered in that range as well. – Helmholdt

I personally attended far fewer camps this year than I have in past years, but of the ones that I attended, the one that stands out to me most was the New Orleans camp at the very beginning of this year's series. That was the first time that I put eyes on Cook and Foster, but also 2018 four-stars Mustapha Muhammad and Al'Vonte Woodard. Five-star Dylan Moses was in attendance as was high four-star running back Cam Akers, who I am tentatively scheduled to race in a 40-yard dash at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge. – Krueger

There's no debate that Atlanta had the most talent-rich camp. – Wommack

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