South Central Spotlight: WRs that would've benefited from camps
The spring evaluation and summer camp circuits were cut short in March thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising sophomore and junior prospects across the country take advantage of those off-season activities to boost their stock, establish themselves as legitimate prospects and show different aspects of their game that are sometimes not as evident on film.
Here is a look at five receivers from the South Central that would have benefited from a spring and summer camp circuit.
RELATED: Southeast WRs that would have benefited from camps | Midwest WRs | West WRs
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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Neville boasts a very impressive offer sheet and pledged to Virginia Tech at the start of the spring. The four-star Houston-area wide receiver opened 2020 as a member of the Rivals250, but is coming off a junior campaign at Fort Bend Hightower in which he amassed only 30 receptions for 276 yards and two scores. Neville is a bid-bodied playmaker (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) who would’ve benefited from more camp exposure to flaunt the other aspects of his game that were less obvious with limited targets during the season. All eyes will be on the future Hokie this fall to see if he shoulders a much larger workload as a senior.
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Johnson is the guy on campus for New Orleans Booker T. Washington. He’s a dual-sport standout on the football field and the basketball court. As a junior in 2019, he accounted for 836 yards receiving and 17 total touchdowns, numbers that were a little down because Johnson had to fill in at quarterback due to injuries.
Johnson opened the spring with an ankle injury from basketball and was unable to participate in the Rivals Camp Series and regional 7-on-7 tournaments - when there were camps and 7-on-7 tourneys. He was a prospect that could’ve greatly benefited from camps and the opportunity to battle against elite defensive backs and show that his skill set and production at the Class 3A level would’ve translated against top-notch Power Five competition.
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The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Coleman burst onto the recruiting scene following a breakout junior season for Opelousas Catholic. Coleman is a three-sport standout in football, basketball and track, and he is among the best in-state prospects at all three sports. Last fall, Coleman reeled in 35 catches for 1,143 yards and 22 touchdowns, which drew offers from Florida State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Kansas, Michigan State and South Carolina, among others. Coleman averages better than 20 points per game on the hardwood and boasts strong track marks in high jump (6 feet, 2 inches) and long jump (19’ 11”).
Coleman was on the bubble for a four-star ranking entering the spring with some question marks about his speed and ability to win 1-on-1 matchups. Camp season would’ve been crucial for this Acadiana playmaker.
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Allen emerged as a prospect of interest very early on this spring after turning some heads last fall for Landry-Walker High School and then making some flash plays on the 7-on-7 circuit, which also showed in the Rivals Camp Series stop in New Orleans. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Allen has been able to land film-based offers from Hawaii, Arkansas State, Oregon State and Louisiana Tech, among others, thanks to scoring nine touchdowns and racking up 458 yards on 25 catches in a four-game sample size in 2019. He’s got sure hands, the ability to take the top off defenses and make plays in space. If Allen had more opportunities to battle against proven defensive backs and show off more aspects of his game, his offer sheet might be even longer.
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Hawkins jumped on to the radar last summer when he won some big-time reps at Prime 21. At the time, Kansas and Texas Tech were in pursuit of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver from Godley (Texas) High, and we expected his stock to take off after his junior year.
Hawkins is a colossal target in the passing game that makes plays downfield and after the catch. He can make contested catches and is a mismatch when going up for 50-50 balls in the red zone. There are some natural concerns over speed and route-running that could’ve been put to rest if Hawkins had the ability to compete in camps this spring and summer.