COPPELL, Tex. – High-profile standouts, such as five-star wide receiver Theo Wease, were on-hand for the seventh stop of the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas, but so were a number of prospects who were flying under the radar. Several of those lesser known prospects took advantage of their opportunity to raise their profile with the Spring Evaluation Period on the horizon.
RIVALS 3 STRIPE DALLAS: Teams with buzz | Takeaways | Predictions | Full coverage
The 6-foot-2, 292-pound Baah was a player we liked on film even though he did not have ideal measurables for the position. The lack of height, specifically, has also kept college coaches from offering to this point, but many more performances like the one Baah put together on Sunday is going to assuage those concerns. The biggest counter to his lack of height is that Baah has ridiculously long arms for his frame - we measured him at an 82.5-inch wingspan - and that alleviates the leverage issue. Additionally, he is strong as a bull and keeps his feet active throughout the play.
We did not know much about Barr before Sunday’s event, but came away from the camp encouraged by what we saw from the rising junior. First, the camp scene perfectly fit the 6-foot-2, 203-pound linebacker because he is outstanding in space and has the speed and athleticism to be a sideline-to-sideline ‘backer. He was excellent in both the contain drills and one-on-ones. The recruiting process may not be moving quickly for Barr now, but a year from now it would not be surprising if he were a national name.
REYNARD BURNETT
Burnett was a prospect we spotted at Saturday’s Rivals adizero Combine and invited back for the next day’s camp. What immediately caught our attention is that Burnett has massive arms, the kind you see on a lot of college and professional offensive linemen. A teammate of four-star defensive end Trace Ford, Burnett probably had some idea of the talent he would face on Sunday and he came appropriately prepared. His performance impressed both the coaches and Rivals.com personnel. Only Howard University has offered, but there will be plenty of coaches through his school in a few weeks and it’s likely several will notice him like we did.
Davis lacks elite size for a defensive lineman, but what he lacks there he makes up in quickness and explosiveness. One of the more effective prospects at Sunday’s event, the class of 2020 prospect shined in one-on-one drills, where he beat offensive lineman with different moves and showed an ability to slip inside or get around the edge. Davis will need to add significant weight before he reaches college, but has the skill and athleticism to see his stock rise exponentially in the year ahead. He already holds an offer from Memphis, but other schools should join the Tigers in the near future.
De Leon has yet to land an offer and while his work at the center position was overshadowed by that of top prospect Branson Bragg, De Leon was a wrecking crew just the same. The Little Elm (Texas) High School standout won most of the one-on-one reps he took and looked relatively solid doing so. De Leon is a 2019 prospect but he should be able to grab a noteworthy scholarship offer or two before Signing Day.
As a junior, Johnson rushed for nearly 2,000 yards for Little Rock Catholic, but even that kind of production had only yielded one offer, from Texas State, prior to his Rivals 3 Stripe Camp appearance. We first noticed Johnson during the cat-and-mouse drill, which gives running backs a chance to showcase their agility and creativity. On rep after rep, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound back showed he has plenty of shake to keep defenders grasping at air, and the explosiveness to exploit the windows that shake creates.
This feature was made with prospects like Laughlin in mind. Hailing from small town of Hamburg in southeast Arkansas, Laughlin only held an University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff offer when he came to the Rivals Camp. The 6-foot-5 and 323-pound offensive guard prospect served immediate notice he was a serious contender, though, when he stoned three-star defensive tackle Lloyd Murray, who holds two dozen offers, in impressive fashion on his first reps. Laughlin is country strong, but he also showed the ability to lock on and move with the defender.
Fresh off of clocking a 10.5 100 meters the previous week for his track team, Nance came out to Coppell High and torched defensive backs consistently. The 6-foot, 160-pound receiver is slight-framed, but plays with good length and that track speed definitely translates. Defenders who thought they had given him plenty of cushion watched him run right by, and while that speed is his calling card he also showed good route running and soft hands. Only Div. II East Central Oklahoma has offered, but Nance is a Power Five caliber prospect.
Taylor is ranked as a three-star prospect, but he came into the Rivals Camp without a scholarship offer to his name. The running back position is deep nationally in the 2019 class and that means good prospects at the position are not getting as many offers as usual, or in Taylor’s case none at all. Still, the spring evaluation period is nearing and a 5-foot-10, 195-pound back who carries no bad weight on a powerful frame who can run between the tackles but also cuts on a dime. There should still be a market for a kid like that.
The defensive back MVP came into Sunday’s camp with just one offer to his name, and that was from Toledo of the Mid-American Conference. There is some talk that schools are looking at him to possibly move into the front seven and play linebacker. Turner measured 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, so that seems reasonable. However, if they are considering it because they don’t think he can cover or play in space, they are seriously mistaken. Turner’s ability to flip his hips and run with top receivers like Theo Wease and Trejan Bridges was extremely impressive.
