Ten prospects on the radar after Houston's Rivals 3 Stripe Camp
HOUSTON - The Rivals 3 Stripe Camps presented by adidas are more than just an opportunity for highly-ranked players and known commodities to come out and show their abilities. Plenty of players that have yet to see their recruitment begin showed capable of playing on just as high of a level.
Here is a rundown of 10 players that made names for themselves at Sunday’s camp at C.E. King High School.
RELATED: Awards | Teams that created buzz on Sunday | Takeaways from camp | Players who earned their stripes | Updates | Full Rivals Camps Series schedule
Heard is a versatile defensive back who played with speed Sunday. An invite from the previous day’s Rivals adizero Combine, he is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound defensive back who was solid in coverage and played with aggression against some talented wideouts. Heard has a thicker build physically, and plays with the hard-nosed style of an in-the-box safety one would expect to see him find success as.
Robinson may play at one of the more well-known programs in Texas, at Manvel High School, but hasn’t found as much notoriety as some of the other more familiar names that have been in the program for the past few seasons. During the camp, he was as tough an interior lineman as there was in attendance, and pushed defensive linemen around in mini fits of rage during every rep.
Williams is a bit of a tweener as an edge-rushing defensive end or linebacker at 6-foot-1, 226-pounds, but there was no arguing his effectiveness during one-on-one reps against offensive linemen. He feasted on his matchups against underclassmen offensive tackles, but it was clear that his quickness and explosion off the snap would have been enough to make things difficult on anyone lining up across from him.
Prior to Sunday’s camp Gonzalez tweeted out some clips of his performance from another camp earlier this spring, mocking the notion that he’s been labeled as a ‘blocking tight end’ and he gave himself more material last weekend. Logan Compton may have been viewed going in as the best tight end prospect at the camp, but Gonzalez was every bit as successful during one-on-ones against linebackers.
This might be the deadline for considering Banks as an under-the-radar type of talent. The 2021 prospect already holds offers from Baylor and Tulsa, but is part of a young core of players at a North Shore program that is always heavily recruited. Banks made things look easy in one-on-ones, getting behind defenders early in his routes and catching pass after pass deep downfield.
Henry has been a workhorse this spring attending camps and making the rounds on unofficial visits looking to build his reputation. He put in another solid performance at Sunday’s camp. Even on the one-on-one reps that he didn’t win he was able to match step-for-step with the loaded cast of wide receivers that were in attendance. Considering that some programs are considering him as a future linebacker, he showed plenty of instincts and athleticism in coverage.
Another holdover from Saturday’s combine was Bailey, and he made good on his opportunity to continue on a run of strong camp performances so far this spring as well. Bailey has the build of a player that can fit in a number of positions on the offensive line, but worked most at tackle. He plays with a lot of natural strength, and as he continues to improve his footwork and positioning, should see more programs’ interest rise in him as well.
A versatile prospect who could play end or tackle at the next level, Njoku turned heads during Sunday’s event, mainly for his motor and quickness off the ball. He had one of the day’s most emphatic rep wins, firing off the ball so quickly that he knocked an opposing offensive lineman off his feet with little effort. Njoku has early offers from Texas State and UTSA but should see that list continue to grow this spring.
A rising junior, Dunn caught the attention of the event’s coaching staff and our analysts with his impressive accuracy and arm strength. Still rather slight of build, Dunn has put on at least 10 pounds since last year’s Rivals Camp Series event and the bigger and stronger he gets the more it appears to be helping his game as a passer. On film he shows nice touch on deep balls and he did the same at the camp, linking up with some of the camp’s speedier receivers for some deep touchdowns. Dunn is still waiting on his first offer.
Already ranked as a three-star prospect and with a Power Five offer courtesy of Rutgers, Saxton is more on the radar than some other players on this list. However, he was sharp again at Sunday’s event, showing a smooth delivery as well as accuracy on both short and intermediate passes, and deep balls. At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Saxton has ideal size and it’s likely the Scarlett Knights are joined by other programs on his list the more he throws for schools this spring.
