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Published Mar 6, 2018
The L.A. Awards: Who stood out at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

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GLENDORA, Calif. - The fourth stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by adidas took place in Southern California this weekend as athletes from the West competed. Below, Rivals.com hands out a list of wide-ranging awards that go beyond the usual MVPs.

MORE RCS: Gorney's takeaways | Five hot teams | Players who earned their stripes | Updates | Full schedule

THE PUNISHER

Usually, this award goes to a lineman because of the physical nature of one-on-one drills, but 2020 linebacker Justin Flowe was so physical and dominant during the camp that he earns the honor here. The Upland, Calif., standout drove a very good tight end out of bounds and then slammed him to the turf. Flowe is jacked up and amped up. On every play, he wants to lay the wood and knock teeth out. During the cat-and-mouse drill, it was evident he wanted to lower the shoulder and hit somebody but resisted. USC, Alabama and most all other power programs are involved.

MR. CONSISTENT

This was a big stage and this was also the best we’ve seen Ryan Hilinski throw the football. The three-star quarterback from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran proved he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the region and threw dime after dime, especially late in the camp when arms were getting tired. Awarding the quarterback MVP was such a close call, but Hilinski was so consistently good that almost every single pass was right on the money and he had to fit balls into some tight windows. Georgia has Hilinski’s interest but he remains wide open.

MR. CONFIDENCE

During cat-and-mouse drills, five-star cornerback Chris Steele was talking it up pretty heavily, but it’s all in good fun so it’s certainly not over the top. After stopping one receiver during that drill, Steele posed and then laughed it off with his opponent. There’s no question as the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco recruit has gotten more physically developed, he’s also playing with an edge and confidence that top cornerbacks need. Oregon, USC, Oklahoma and a whole bunch of schools are after him.

THE QUIET ASSASSIN 

Sean Dollars was the top running back at the event but someone who should absolutely not be overlooked is 2020 standout Nathaniel Jones, who was awesome during the cat-and-mouse drills and kept burning linebackers left and right. The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco recruit did not say much, but he was definitely noticed because he showed off excellent speed to evade the linebackers and also great footwork to sidestep their pursuit. He could be the next big thing coming out of that power program. UCLA has his attention early on, but he should be a national recruit as well.

THE HEATER

D.J. Uiagalelei is 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds and he can fire the ball all over the field. The impressive thing about the 2020 standout from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco is that he can put touch on passes when needed, he spins it really well but when the time comes and he needs to load up, Uiagalelei has no problem delivering the ball. He had a strong day on Sunday and he’s proven to be one of the top 2020 QBs nationally. Recently, Uiagalelei and his family visited USC and he could visit either Florida State or LSU in the coming weeks.

MR. UNKNOWN

Weston Eget is definitely a FBS quarterback. Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson loved the Santa Clarita (Calif.) West Ranch standout during Sunday’s camp and he was absolutely in the running for quarterback MVP honors. He was that good. A former wide receiver, Eget is emerging as a top talent in the area and San Jose State could be close to offering. He has a phenomenal arm, throws it on a line and has gained 27 pounds since the end of the season, so there’s more power behind his passes.

PHYSICAL SPECIMEN

One of the more intriguing prospects at Sunday’s camp was three-star tight end Mike Martinez from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. He measured in at just over 6-foot-6 and 247 pounds. Even more impressive is that he had 11.02-inch hand size and a 34.25-inch wingspan. Martinez is a fluid route runner and a huge target, although he did drop a pass or two, so that needs to be worked on as he continues to develop. Oregon State recently offered and Oregon is also on the early list.

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