Roundtable: Top moments at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge
ATLANTA - The Rivals Underclassmen Challenge has wrapped up, but there are still plenty of storylines to examine. Our analysts – Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney, Ryan Wright, Cole Patterson and Clint Cosgrove – sit down at the Rivals Roundtable and discuss their favorite moment from this week's event.
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Adam Gorney: "I love the Big Man Bench at Rivals events in the summer. Over the years, some of the best offensive and defensive linemen in college football and the NFL Draft sat down on the bench and pumped out reps whether it was Bryce Foster or Bryan Bresee or so many others. Eddy Pierre-Louis really made a statement Friday at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge pumping out 26 reps which would have been tied for a top-seven performance at the most recent NFL Combine. That's from someone who is still a sophomore in high school. It only got better later in the day when Pierre-Louis' mom was seen in the stands dancing while wearing his Big Man Bench championship belt."
Ryan Wright: "Kamari McClellan took home QB MVP honors in Atlanta at the Rivals Camp Series and remained on fire Friday morning winning the skill challenge and the long-ball toss. During the skills portion, McClellan was on point nailing targets throw after throw. He proved he was more than an accurate arm during the long-ball competition sailing it 61-yards. All was a warmup for the 1-on-1s fitting the ball into tight windows, anticipating routes, and tying the footwork with arm strength showcasing the Saturday arm."
Cole Patterson: "Noreel White’s contested deep ball grab in traffic during 1-on-1s was the catch of the day from my vantage point. White showcased his downfield ability on the rep by beating his man before making a difficult grab against very good coverage in the end zone. The Mississippi prospect had a solid all-around performance in Atlanta, and that was definitely the highlight of it."
Adam Friedman: "Kyan Berry-Johnson’s one-handed catch was the play of the day for me. The throw was a little high and coverage was tight but that didn’t matter for Johnson. He elevated over the cornerback and stuck one arm up as high as he could to pull in the pass. No doubt we’ll be seeing that clip for a long time."
Clint Cosgrove: "Anyone who witnessed Kyan Berry-Johnson’s phenomenal one-handed grab would be hard pressed not to name that as the most memorable moment of camp. Since that has already been discussed, I’m going to go with Eddy Pierre-Louis’ mom going wild when her son won the Offensive Line MVP award. Pierre-Louis had already won the bench press competition earlier in the day and was awarded the champion belt which he handed to his mom for safe keeping. When her son was announced as MVP, she was in the front row of the stands cheering with pride letting the whole crowd know that Pierre-Louis was her son. The best part of it all is that she was wearing the belt like a WWE champion while she screamed with joy. Witnessing the pride and genuine enthusiasm she had for her son’s success was something I will always remember."