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Rivals Underclassmen Challenge: Best of the OL/DL

Eddy Pierre-Louis
Eddy Pierre-Louis

ATLANTA - The Rivals Underclassmen Challenge featured no shortage of talent on the offensive and defensive lines. Plenty of high-level players and prospects competed on Friday and showed out in the heat of Atlanta. Here is a look at who caught our attention during the loaded event.

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MORE RIVALS UNDERCLASSMEN CHALLENGE: Rankings impact | Biggest takeaways | Survey: Most personable head coach | Top moments | Best WRs/DBs | Best RBs/LBs | Best QBs | Three-Point Stance | Prospects shine in Atlanta | Recruiting Rumor Mill | Gorney's interviews on Media Night | Gorney podcast

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series

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It wouldn't be hard to make an argument that Pierre-Louis was the star of the entire camp on Friday. The bull of an offensive lineman made his presence felt on every snap and he made stop after stop during 1-on-1s. Pierre-Louis is as strong as they come and that was easy to see when once he got his hands on the defensive lineman. He had no problem controlling where the on-coming pass rusher ended up and it was even more impressive to see how quickly he was able to slide laterally.

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Utu was one of the very best 2025 prospects in attendance. During 1-on-1s he played tackle and guard and had plenty of success at both positions. Utu showed great instincts and patience as a pass blocker. He has a great sense of timing with his punches and did an excellent job with his hand placement. Even though Utu wasn't one of the older prospects on the field, he showed off impressive strength and the defensive linemen quickly came to see that once the ball was snapped.

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Lightfoot continued his impressive offseason with an outstanding performance on Friday and earned the defensive line MVP award. He measured in at 6-foot-4.5 with an 80-inch wingspan and he used that length to his advantage. Lightfoot did a good job staying low and using leverage and balance to get around the edge and into the backfield. He played much stronger than he looked and that caught a few offensive tackles by surprise. Expect Lightfoot to see his ranking rise when the 2024 rankings are updated.

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It's been a long camp season for Stone but he came to Atlanta to compete and nearly won the MVP award. He is a very experienced pass rusher and that showed during 1-on-1s. It was obvious when he really turned it on and gave everybody a glimpse into his immense potential. Stone has a great frame that he'll grow into as he gets older and it will be interesting to see if he stays at defensive end or moves inside at the next level.

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A lot of recruiting fans aren't familiar with Blount's name just yet but he'll be one of the more talked about prospects in the 2025 class. The pass rusher from the Sunshine State is powerful and explosive so offensive linemen had a hard time handling him during 1-on-1s. Blount is coming along nicely and did show some improvement since the Rivals Camp Series in Miami earlier this year. He has active hands and does a nice job using his quickness to take advantage of an opening the offensive lineman gave him.

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Last week was one Daniels will remember for a long time with his performance at the camp on Friday and earning an offer from Georgia. Daniels is a versatile and powerful 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman that was able to impose his will on many of the defensive linemen he faced. Using his 83-inch wingspan, Daniels was able to keep edge rushers out of the backfield by timing his punch and sliding to stay in front of the defensive lineman. He also showed solid playing strength, using his leverage to stop defensive linemen that tried to take an inside route to the backfield.

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Smith is definitely a name to know in the 2025 class. He is a lean 223-pounds and stands tall at 6-foot-5 with an impressive 81-inch wingspan. Smith doesn't have a large arsenal of hand techniques or pass rushing moves but was able to push some offensive linemen around using his long arms and lower body strength. He certainly has a lot of potential and it showed when he was able to use a combination of his speed and power.

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It's been a big offseason for Wilson, who has seen his offer sheet explode. The 2025 prospect projects as a defensive tackle but he played on the edge for most of the 1-on-1 session on Friday. Wilson had a lot of success on Friday, combining his strength and solid hand techniques. He also showed off impressive balance when bending around the edge. As a defensive tackle, Wilson was able to slip by offensive linemen that weren't able to get a strong punch on him and couldn't slide to stay in front of him.

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Laws was one of the big surprises of the day and he certainly earned the acclaim he's gotten during and since the camp on Friday. He's a hair over 6-feet tall, weighed in at 280-pounds, and was one of the strongest prospects in attendance. Laws was extremely quick for an interior defensive lineman so offensive linemen had a hard time getting their hands on him and slowing him down. Because Laws is so strong and was able to take advantage of his natural leverage, even offensive linemen that could stop his initial rush struggled to keep him out of the backfield.

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Bordelon comes from great bloodlines and it shows because he has plenty of physical talent. He took 1-on-1 reps at tackle and guard and showed that he has the skill set to have success at either position. Bordelon has the lateral quickness and pass blocking instincts to keep defensive ends from getting around him but showed the technical skills and overall strength and toughness to battle defensive tackles on the inside.

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