Road revelations: Southeast
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Jake Allen
Allen, who committed to Florida on Wednesday, staked claim to the championship of the inaugural Rivals Quarterback Challenge Presented by Under Armour. He was also wildly impressive at Florida State's camp this June. Allen has a solid quarterback build and an amazingly accurate arm. He may not be the most mechanically sound passer in the country, but he's as effective as anyone. The ball jumps out of Allen's hand pretty well, and his arm strength is adequate.
The starting quarterback of one of the country's very best high school football teams, Allen was solid in his team's spring game, which was in keeping with the positive theme of his offseason so far. His greatest strength is his accuracy and his ability to make plays on the run. Allen is a prospect on the rise. There's no disputing that.
Stock dropping
WR Darnell Salomon, Miami (Fla.) Central
Darnell Salomon
It's been quite the roller coaster for Salomon this calendar year. He impressed so much during the spring evaluation window that he went from a four-star outside of the Rivals250 all the way up to five-star status. As a result, heading into the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour in Baltimore, he was expected to dominate.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Salomon struggled with consistency catching the ball and wasn't quite on par with some of the elite pass-catchers in attendance. While it's doubtful he will fall back out of the R250, it's clear his proper ranking should be somewhere between his initial ranking and where he sits now.
Analyst's take
There are plenty of fans who criticize the emphasis put on non-padded camps when it comes to the evaluation process of sites like Rivals.com, but if the last month or so has shown anything, it's that schools rely heavily on the camp setting to decide which players to offer scholarships or even accept commitments from.
The month of July is no different as schools like Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and others will battle to get the top prospects to campus where they can see them battle head-to-head in a competitive environment.
Plenty of the offers that went out during the spring were essentially invitations to come compete in person, almost always without pads. Film is still a very important evaluation process, but more often than not, if a prospect doesn't impress in camp a major program will pass on taking his commitment.
Rob Cassidy
Midlands/Southwest Recruiting Analyst
Woody Wommack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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