AUSTELL, Ga. — The Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas made a stop in the Atlanta area Sunday and some of the prospects looked like superheroes, one was just taking the ball away and another was reaching into the sky for the ball.
Here are the Simmons Awards by Southeast Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons.
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SUPERMAN
Arik Gilbert looks as if he can run through a brick wall, fly through the sky and do anything he wants on a football field. The 2020 five-star athlete worked out at tight end and it was tough for anyone to slow him down. It is easy to see why schools like Georgia, Miami, Tennessee and USC among many others are after this young man.
MORE: Class of 2020 top 100
UNKNOWN NO MORE
Jamal Camp is a name to know. He came out to the combine Saturday, then the camp Sunday and he is a name you are going to hear a lot more. He is an athletic defensive lineman who ranked among the best Sunday. He has good size, he is quick and he could see his recruitment take off in the coming weeks. Georgia will have him in Athens this week.
FUTURE PHENOM
Brock Vandagriff is not finished with his freshman year yet, but the quarterback out of Prince Avenue in Athens (Ga.) is on track to be a top quarterback in 2021. He is very poised for his age, and despite the conditions Sunday, he was throwing beautiful passes and putting the ball on the money more times than not. He is a quarterback, and they don’t always get the offers as early as those at other positions, but he will have his first much sooner than later.
THE BEAST
Jayson Jones crossed over into Georgia from his home in Calera, Ala., Sunday through the rain and he impressed. At 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, he looked like a mountain of a young man. He is strong – very strong – and he was tough to deal with in the trenches. There are many names he could have been called Sunday based on his appearance. We went with ‘The Beast’ over Incredible Hulk. He is likely to commit to Alabama or Georgia on July 4, but he is planning to visit other schools between now and then.
MR. ENERGY
Coaches had fun with four-star defensive end Derrick McLendon, who was praised for his energy. He was flying around out there, soaking up the coaching and quick to run from rep to rep and drill to drill. It was rainy, it was windy and there was a lot of talented guys taking reps, but nothing slowed McLendon down Sunday. That work ethic helped him earn an invite to the Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge.
THE ROBBER
Four-star linebacker Tyron Hopper was out there just stealing passes and taking the football from quarterbacks all day. Hopper had at least five interceptions. Toward the end of the day when quarterbacks saw Hopper lined up at linebacker when it was their turn, they probably wanted to skip a rep. He was moving well, he was strong in coverage and his ball skills were among the biggest takeaways from the camp. Florida is a school that has a lot of chatter in Hopper’s recruitment.
RUBBERBAND MAN
Garmon Randolph checked in at 6-foot-7 and his wingspan is 82 inches. It looked like when he went up for a pass that his arms got lost in the clouds. There was not a defensive back that could stay even close to him when it came to jump-ball situations. Not only is he tall and long, but he is athletic and he was very tough to deal with. Florida State and Penn State offered him last week and he holds around 20 offers.
QUIET ASSASSIN
Amari Kight was one of the more impressive offensive linemen that we have seen on the camp circuit this year. He just goes about his business. He is not a trash talker, he is not all about the celebrations when he wins (which is most of the time), he does not like to draw attention to himself and despite being a monster at 6-6, 300 pounds, you can barely hear him when he does interviews. He is a low-key young man with major talent and a very high ceiling. Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are three schools he’s considering.
THE DOMINATOR
If you have watched Clay Webb in this setting before, then you know what to expect and this title doesn’t surprise you. It is very similar to Kardell Thomas, an LSU commit who dominated in Mobile, but Webb is even better. When Webb lined up at center, his true position, he was almost unmovable. Jayson Jones got the better of him one time, but other than that, Webb hardly moved out of his spot. He is so strong, he plays with great leverage and he anchors as good as anyone. He will be tough to pull out of Alabama, but Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee are trying.
MR. SURPRISE
Rashun Bass is a 2020 defensive back out of Marietta (Ga.) and he was locking up some of the top receivers from Alabama and Georgia. He entered the camp listed as a safety, but he worked out at cornerback and he impressed. No offers yet for Bass, but he played like a young man who already had over a dozen. He is part of a very talented program at Marietta and many college coaches will be there for spring practice in a couple of weeks, so look for Bass to have a lot of eyes on him.