CHICAGO – The Chicagoland area has had a couple lean years of talent production recently and that may have decreased the number of college coaches visiting the city. But when the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas came to the Windy City on May 20, several lightly-recruited prospects proved they were deserving of more attention.
RELATED: Five teams with buzz after Chicago's camp | Helmholdt's Takeaways | Players who earned their stripes | Full Rivals Camp Series schedule
AMIR ABDULLAHÂ
We identified Abdullah at Saturday’s Rivals adizero Combine after he posted a 4.5 40-yard dash and 38-inch vertical, among other impressive testing numbers, while measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds. The invitation back to Sunday’s camp gave us a chance to see how those numbers translated to football, and the result was impressive. A safety prospect as he projects to college, Abdullah was nonetheless able to check receivers in man-to-man coverage and showed range in space. The FBS interest has not begun, but sooner than later schools are going to find Abdullah and his recruitment is going to take off.
MALIK BERRYÂ
Berry was another prospect we identified out of Saturday’s Rivals adizero Combine. He made the trip all the way from Lawrence, Kan., and was rewarded with an invite back to Sunday’s camp. What is interesting about Berry is that he expects to start at quarterback this season, but at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds he has a natural linebacker frame, and showed the skill set to match. Schools such as Kansas, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State have already started showing interest, and Berry will be really interesting to watch in the 2020 class because of his size/skill set combination.
PAUL FAYÂ
Fay worked at center in the camp, but is built to play anywhere on the interior of the offensive line. In the first run of one-on-ones between offensive and defensive linemen, he won all but one rep and did so with authority. He carries some bad weight, but didn’t lose his balance and has a knack for leveraging his weight against defenders. He is also powerful through his lower half and extends his long arms well, so when he’s anchored, it’s the defensive lineman that is moving backward rather than him.
TY GAVINÂ
Gavin has yet to receive his first offer but he flashed quite a bit during Sunday's camp, first by repeatedly shaking defenders in the open-field tackling drill and then showing great hands during passing one-on-ones. Listed as a running back in the Rivals.com database, Gavin looks like he could also play slot receiver at the next level. An accomplished baseball player, Gavin's performance is even more impressive considering he's spent much of the spring focused on that sport and not football.
SHEROD GREENÂ
Green has been dominating the camp circuit this spring and on Sunday he impressed once again, using a violent punch to stun defenders in one-on-ones. Green checked in at 6-foot-3 and 332 pounds, and his wide body combined with his strength and tough base made him a difficult matchup. Just a rising junior, Green doesn't have any offers as of yet, but if he continues to develop he should be a Power Five-level prospect.
DINO KALIAKMANIS
Kaliakmanis just wrapped up his freshman year in high school, but he's already 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and he had no problem getting open against older, more experienced prospects. With soft hands and good route-running ability, Kaliakmanis plays confidently and had several impressive reps despite the challenging weather conditions that made footing tough at times for receivers on the move. His brother, Athan, is already a well-regarded quarterback prospect, but after his showing and picking up a recent offer from Kansas, it's clear Dino is a name to know as well.
DOMINIC MOOREÂ
The city of Chicago has a large number of charter schools, but few produce Division I football prospects. There are no previous prospects from Perspectives Charter in Chicago who were FBS prospects, but that will change when schools get a look at the 6-foot-7, 287-pound Moore. There is more than just size to Moore’s game. He worked at defensive tackle and showed an explosive first step, played with good pad level and won a large share of his reps. Long term, he may end up as an offensive tackle, but the zero offers currently listed in his profile will not last.
KOBE RIOSÂ
Offensive line was arguably the deepest position group at Sunday’s combine, with LSU commit Anthony Bradford and Minnesota commit J.J. Guedet among the group's headliners. At day’s end, though, Rios’ performance would put him right up there with the more well-known prospects in that group. Measuring 6-foot-6 and 287 pounds, Rios could project to either tackle or guard in college. What was impressive during his one-on-one reps was how defensive linemen could not get away once he locked on. Rios holds a couple FCS offers, but awaits his first FBS offer.
WILLIS SINGLETONÂ
Gurnee Township produced a four-star prospect in the 2018 class in Notre Dame signee Micah Jones. Singleton has already started to generate Power Five interest as a sophomore, but he’s waiting on his first offer. Several schools want to see him camp this summer, and if Singleton performs as he did at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp that interest will get more serious. The knock is that he is 6-foot-1, but he’s quick, heavy-handed and works angles to create upfield momentum.
LESHON WILLIAMSÂ
Williams came into the event with recruiting interest but no offers as of yet, but after an impressive showing it wouldn't be surprising to see some schools jump into the mix soon. He was in the discussion for running back MVP all the way until the end of the day, and he showed quite a bit of wiggle for a back who checked in at 201 pounds. With a bruising style plus some good quickness and change of direction, Williams could be a good fit in any offense.