Rivals Roundtable: Looking ahead to the Rivals Camp Series

Rivals.com analysts look ahead toward the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour in this week's Rivals Roundtable.

ROB CASSIDY, Southeast recruiting analyst: Atlanta is always a monster, but this year it might be Orlando. The rise of Bradenton Florida's IMG Academy as a spot for top prospects from all over the country will certainly contribute, as will the fact that some top Miami talent, including five-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes will make the trip north for the camp should also play a role.

MIKE FARRELL, national recruiting director: I'll go with Atlanta because that has historically been one of our best events each year and I know we will see prospects, especially some younger guys, that will be on the radar for a long while. It's the camp where guys like Trenton Thompson and Demetris Robertson emerged and many more so I am looking forward to seeing the talent there.

ADAM FRIEDMAN, Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst: With so much talent in Florida, the Miami and Orlando camps are always great. Now with IMG Academy getting top prospects from coast to coast to come to Florida those camps will be even better. The camp in Atlanta is always loaded as well. It will be a toss up to see which of those three have the most top prospects.

ADAM GORNEY, national recruiting analyst: Nine of the top 10 players in the state of California, including all of the five-stars, are expected at the Los Angeles event in March. Additionally, almost every prospect attending the camp has offers or is exceptionally close to landing them. Not to tip my own hat here but the Los Angeles stop of the Rivals Camp Series is going to be absolutely loaded at every single position. It's really going to be an incredibly valuable event to see who stands above the competition because almost every top recruit in the West will be working out there.

JOSH HELMHOLDT, Midwest recruiting analyst: Year after year the deepest camps are always in the South, but this year Columbus stop of the Rivals Camp Series is going to give the South a run for its money in terms of depth of talent. A strong year in the state of Ohio will be coupled with prospects coming from western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. As I regularly remind people, top prospects in the Midwest are just as talented as similarly rated prospects in the Southeast; the Southeast just has more of them. Well, at this year's Columbus RCS there will be a high concentration of that Midwest and Northeast talent.

ROB CASSIDY, Southeast recruiting analyst: As a Southeast analyst, I don't get a chance to see players from the west coast often. I'll be in attendance at the Los Angeles camps this year, and am intrigued by five-star lineman Wyatt Davis, whom I have yet to see live.

MIKE FARRELL, national recruiting director: I want to see a ton of guys but I'll go with linebacker Drew Singleton in New Jersey because I think he could be a five-star prospect after seeing him last year in a game. He was overshadowed a bit by Rashan Gary for many obvious reasons this past year but this is his year to shine I believe.

ADAM FRIEDMAN, Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst: As a whole, the 2017 class is much better than the 2016 class was. It will be interesting to see how much Isaiah Wilson's technique has improved. There is a chance linebacker Drew Singleton could earn his fifth star when he goes to the Rivals Camp Series in New Jersey. Three of the top running backs in the country -- Anthony McFarland, D'Andre Swift and Khalan Laborn -- are all from the Mid-Atlantic so the Rivals Camp Series will help determine how they should be ranked.

ADAM GORNEY, national recruiting analyst: I've seen him numerous times already but I'm interested to see if anyone -- even the top defensive backs and linebackers in the West -- can even slow down five-star Najee Harris, the top-rated player in the state. He was really good at the Las Vegas camp last spring and was exceptional at the Under Armour Future 50 in Orlando a couple months ago. Harris is dominant at running back and cannot be slowed down. He could work some at receiver as well and it will be interesting to see if he dominates just as much there.

JOSH HELMHOLDT, Midwest recruiting analyst: Berrien Springs, Mich., offensive guard Phillip Paea has blown up with offers during the last two weeks and after watching film it is easy to see why. The 6-foot-4, 277-pounder is athletic and strong and plays with an intensity college coaches love to see in their linemen. Paea's offer list is a diverse one, with traditional Midwest powers like Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame joining the likes of BYU and Oregon. We should get a good look at him in-person for the first time at the Columbus RCS and I am definitely interested to see how he fares in what should be a very talented offensive line group.

ROB CASSIDY, Southeast recruiting analyst: If I'm being totally honest it's probably something that has little to do with football. There are little stories here and there that nobody would much care about. Of the stuff that took place on the field, it's probably the first ever Rivals Camp, which took place in the spring of 2013. Players from as far as Kansas made the trip to be part of the inaugural event that included players that have gone on to make significant names for themselves in college.

MIKE FARRELL, national recruiting director: This is always tough because there have been so many but I'll go with the performance Joe Mixon had at our first Los Angeles camp. I know Mixon has run into trouble and I've stated my opinion about whether he should still be at OU, but there was no doubting his talent. This was a big, athletic running back who took a ton of reps outside as a receiver and schooled everyone. It was one of the best RCS performances I can remember and there have been a ton.

ADAM FRIEDMAN, Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst: The most memorable moments of any camp are the one-on-one sessions and the match-ups between future FBS stars. At the Rivals Camp Series in Washington D.C. two years ago we got to see current Florida State defensive end Josh Sweat go against Isaiah Prince, Ohio State's likely starter at left tackle this this coming season. That was the same camp where current Clemson linebacker Chad Smith and 2016 Rivals100 Ohio State quarterback commit Dwayne Haskins burst onto the scene.

ADAM GORNEY, national recruiting analyst: The morning of a camp is always nerve-wracking because you're worried about kids showing up and the camp going well. Two years ago in Los Angeles there was a torrential downpour of Biblical proportions an hour before the camp was supposed to start. Mind you, it never rains in Los Angeles, and my phone rings. It's Josh Rosen. I worked on getting him to camp for some time and I was convinced he was calling to say, 'Nope, not coming.' Instead, he was just checking to make sure the camp was still on before he drove out to Fullerton, I assured him we were good rain or shine, he showed up, looked fantastic in the sideways rainstorm and we invited him to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge that afternoon.

JOSH HELMHOLDT, Midwest recruiting analyst: The Rivals Camps Series is often the first chance for top prospects to meet up and compete with their regional peers. The 2014 camp in Chicago provided one of the most memorable first meetings of prospects. The 2016 Midwest offensive line class had generated a lot of buzz coming out of their sophomore season and four of the biggest names -- Ben Bredeson, Matt Farniok, Sean Foster and Erik Swenson -- were in Chicago. That day it was Farniok, the eventual Nebraska signee, who not only outperformed the others but also came away with MVP of the entire offensive line group.