Standouts from across Southeast impress at Rivals Camp Series in Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The second stop of the Rivals Camp Series was here in South Florida this weekend at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and a bunch of top regional prospects showed out. Here is a breakdown of the positional MVPs and other top performers from the day.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series
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QUARTERBACK: Will Prichard
The quarterback group may have been the smallest position group at RCS Miami, but what it lacked in numbers, it certainly made up for with talent. From outstanding freshman to highly recruited 2023 prospects, there were a number of players that were considered for the top spot. In the end, it was Prichard's play from start to finish that made him the man of the day at quarterback. The three-star was fantastic on short, intermediate and deep balls as well as being extremely accurate throughout the day. His consistency along with perfect ball placement were two of his strongest traits and what separated him from the competition in the end. Prichard has multiple Power Five offers with Arizona and Buffalo considered as early favorites in his recruitment.
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RUNNING BACK: JaVin Simpkins
Throughout the offseason, Simpkins has taken on the anytime/anywhere mentality showing why he’s a 20-plus offer all-purpose back. The burst and quick cuts were on full display again in Miami on Sunday. Going 1-on-1 against the linebackers or taking on defensive backs running routes, Simpkins was elite.
On the recruiting trail, Simpkins reopened his recruitment in mid-December. The one-time Georgia Tech commit has a list of suitors ranging from Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas in the SEC, to Texas and West Virginia in the Big 12, and Indiana and Maryland in the Big Ten. A relationship to watch, Simpkins visited Louisville at the end of January.
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RECEIVER: James Madison
The Receiver MVP award was the hardest to figure out with players like 2025 standout Winston Watkins Jr. and other having great days but Madison edged them out for the MVP. After a dominant performance at this event last year, Madison showed up leaner and stronger than he was a year ago. He still pushed defensive backs around if they tried to jam him and he provided a huge target for quarterbacks. For now, Georgia and Oregon are the big options for Madison. He'll be visiting the Eugene campus in early April.
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OFFENSIVE LINE: Payton Kirkland
Kirkland showed he was ever bit the four-star prospect on Sunday at the RCS winning rep after rep. His frame is intimidating and gives him an edge in most matchups, but it was his footwork and technique that helped him earn top o-line offers. Adding to it, he did so against a very competitive field of both offensive and defensive linemen. Kirkland holds over 50 offers with some official visits on his list. Set stops to Michigan State and Oklahoma have been shared and a recent trip to Florida was “amazing.”
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DEFENSIVE LINE: Dylan Stephenson
Stephenson's recruiting stock is on the rise and that should continue after his performance today. The four-star came to the camp looking ready for the upcoming season working over tackles round after round. His get-off and speed was crisp, and the mix of hand fighting techniques stumped linemen to MVP honors. In the hotbed of recruiting activity in Miami, college coaches are just finding Stephenson. The Hurricanes are playing a heavy factor in his early recruiting, but Ole Miss, Tennessee and Nebraska are among the most recent programs trying to pull Stephenson out of South Florida.
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LINEBACKER: Gerral Blue, Jr.
The talented linebacker group had a decent amount of success the running backs and Blue came away with the MVP award. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound prospect out of the Fort Myers area showed great range and was able to stick with the running backs even on down field routes. It was eye-opening to see Blue's great feel for coverage and his patience to not bite on many double moves. Louisville and West Virginia are the two Power Five programs Blue says have offered him.
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DEFENSIVE BACK: Brayshon Williams
Williams and Fred Gaskin were neck and neck for the MVP award but Gaskin rolled his ankle and had to sit out most of 1-on-1s. Williams, a safety, is a very fluid runner with great range in the secondary. He does a decent job in press coverage but he is much better playing off the ball and breaking on passes. Williams didn't have any issues with playing physically either. Alabama, South Carolina, Miami and Florida State are just some of the programs pursuing the 2024 prospect.
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MORE STANDOUTS WORTH RECOGNITION
The positional MVP awards can only go to one person but there were still many others that stood out that got recognized as three-star quarterback Dylan Rizk, three-star running back Major Givens, wide receiver Makhail Woody, 2024 Rivals250 offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, four-star defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc, 2025 linebacker Gavin Nix and Rivals250 defensive back Fred Gaskin landed those awards.
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RIVALS UNDERCLASSMEN CHALLENGE INVITES
This summer the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge will be held in the Southeast and these prospects were invited from the Miami regional stop:
Devan Taylor
Jonathan Rousseau
