Stars shine at the Rivals Camp Series in New Jersey
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Top prospects from the East region showed up for the Rivals Camp Series on Sunday at Piscataway High School. At day’s end, a long list of players earned recognition for outstanding performances. Here’s a look at the MVPs and other standouts from the event.
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QUARTERBACK MVP
After a shaky start, Saunders really found his groove and showed exactly why he is one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the 2025 class. Saunders has seen a plethora of physical growth over the past year and with that has come a level of arm strength we have not seen from the four-star in the past. He especially shined during the 1-on-1 periods where his arm talent and accuracy were evident as well as his ability to fit the ball in tight windows and drop the deep ball with precision.
Miami and Iowa are the latest programs to enter the mix for the Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt standout who also has offers from Nebraska, Texas A&M, Kentucky and others.
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RUNNING BACK MVP
We knew Craig had the makings of a big-time defensive back but the 2026 prospect worked out as a running back and performed at a very high level. He has reliable hands and had success running a variety of routes. Linebackers could not stick with him in the open field, especially after his initial break. It's still early in his recruiting process for Young but he does have an impressive list of suitors. Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia are just a few teams pursuing Young.
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RECEIVER/TIGHT END MVP
There were a lot of really good receivers on the field but Duff stood out among the rest thanks to his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame and surprisingly smooth route running abilities. Duff isn't exceptionally fast in the open field but he glides around out there and covers a ton of ground so defenders hardly have a chance to close on the ball. On top of that, Duff's 81-inch wingspan gave the quarterbacks a huge area to throw to. North Carolina (June 9) and Rutgers (June 2) have official visits set right now but look for Duff to work on scheduling trips to Texas, Miami, Texas A&M, Syracuse and UCF.
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OFFENSIVE LINE MVP
Howerton continued his impressive offseason with a MVP performance on Sunday. Defensive linemen had a very difficult time getting by him thanks to his 6-foot-4, 318-pound frame and 83-inch wingspan. Howerton is surprisingly quick on his feet, showing the ability to cut off any outside rush attempts by the defensive ends. He was also quick enough to redirect and slow down any inside countermove by the defensive lineman. He has official visits scheduled to West Virginia (June 9) and Pittsburgh (June 23) but is looking to take five of them this summer.
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DEFENSIVE LINE MVP
What Laws lacks in height and length, he more than makes up for with skill and explosiveness. The Virginia Tech commit was downright dominant during 1-on-1s and it could be argued that his performance during that portion of the camp was the best we have seen during this year's camp series. With a ton of twitch and incredible hands, Laws is extremely polished at this early stage of his career and today's showing could lead to a rankings bump in the not so distant future.
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LINEBACKER MVP
Jones beat a deep group of talented linebackers for the MVP award but it was a very close call. The Virginia native was excellent in the blitz drills but that was expected given his size. The combination of size and speed Jones brings to the table is pretty exceptional for an inside linebacker. In coverage, Jones was able to stick with running backs who tried to run deep routes and he did a good job keeping completions against him close to the line of scrimmage. He got his hands on the ball a few times on Sunday, something he's ben known to do in the past. Florida (June 2) and Georgia (June 16) are the leaders for Jones right now and each have an official visit set with him for next month.
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DEFENSIVE BACK MVP
At a camp loaded with defensive back talent, it was Brown who took home the highly contested MVP honors. The Fredericksburg (Va.) St. Michael standout showed every trait you look for in an elite defensive back recruit and was absolutely lockdown rep after rep on the day. Brown plays with a chip on his shoulder, is extremely physical and thrived playing press man coverage. He was phenomenal at mirroring receivers step for step, and in the rare instance that a pass catcher was able to get any form of separation, Brown was there to make a play on the ball and prevent the catch.
Brown committed to NC State in March, but we would not be surprised to see a number of schools make a run at the Rivals250 player after film from today's camp makes its way across college coaches' desks.
