Shrine Bowl: What we learned
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Rivals100 running back Tavien Feaster was one of the biggest movers in
the recent rankings update, but he didn't exactly validate his move with his
play during the week in Spartanburg. His move up in the rankings had a lot to do
with his on field production and his elite speed, but not stepping up and
shining against elite talent is a little concerning. Obviously Feaster is still
one of the country's top prospects, but as the highest-ranked player in the
game, he didn't live up to the hype. Feaster is headed to the Army game next
month, where he'll have another chance to validate his lofty ranking..
Kendall is a cool customer
There's a reason quarterbacks are analyzed more than any other player on the
field. A team could have better players than the other team at nearly every
position but if the quarterback can't complete passes with consistency or turns
the ball over his team will likely lose. The exceptions to this rule can be
counted on one hand. On Saturday Rivals250 Oklahoma quarterback commit
Austin Kendall possibly had his most impressive performance of his high
school career. He threw 17 passes and only three of them weren't completed to
his receivers. That's hard to do in practice, let alone in a game.
In the week of practices leading up to the Shrine Bowl Kendall had some good
performances and some not so good ones. We saw flashes of how good he could be
in this setting. Looking back at his film from this season, Kendall is most
effective when he can see the defense and understand where the ball needs to be
thrown. He knew what the defense was going to do before the snap and that
transferred to Saturday's Shrine Bowl. While Kendall may not be the best
practice quarterback, he has the feel of a gamer, someone that performs best
when the cameras are rolling.
Movement in the rankings
The Shrine Bowl gave everyone a close look at the three big-time senior wide
receivers from the state of North Carolina. As the current rankings stand right
now, Clemson commit Cornell Powell is No. 98 in the Rivals100 and Diondre Overton is No. 124 in the Rivals250. In the national wide receiver
rankings, Powell is No. 19, Overton is No. 26 and Virginia Tech commit
Divine Deablo is No 70.
A lot has transpired since the last rankings update in late November. There were
state championship games and now the Shrine Bowl is over.
It seems pretty clear Powell should be ranked higher, Overton may be a little
too high and Deablo really helped himself at the Shrine Bowl. Powell is a
superior athlete that can dominate as a receiver and in the return game.
Overton's skillset is a bit more specialized. He is most effective as a
downfield threat but has the potential to quickly take his game to the next
level. Deablo has progressed a lot over the past few years. His hands have
become more consistent and, as a bigger receiver, Deablo does a good job of
using his body to shield defenders from the ball on short and deep routes.
Shrine Bowl sleepers
While many of North and South Carolina's top players decide not to play in the
Shrine Bowl, the game is ripe with sleepers that could be late additions to
Power Five recruiting classes.
There may not have been a player on either team that helped himself more than
Rico Dowdle. He showed that he can be effective as a running back and a
receiver. Dowdle showed up with offers from N.C. State, Wake Forest,
Boston College and a few others but South Carolina heard about how well
he was doing and that pushed the Gamecocks to offer him. Virginia Tech wide
receiver commit Samuel Denmark also played very well. The Gamecocks also tried
to get him to flip but were unsuccessful.
On the South Carolina team, linebacker Datavious Wilson is a Wofford
commit but his play turned some heads. His physicality and instincts really
showed in the game on Saturday where he was credited with making six tackles on
his future home field. The Terriers should be a little worried bigger program
might come calling. Appalachian State defensive back commit
K.J. Chamberlain played an excellent game, making four tackles and returning an
interception 50-yards for a touchdown. His length and playmaking abilities could
attract some Power Five schools.
Woody Wommack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
Adam Friedman
Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst
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