West Region: Five on the rise
Camps, 7-on-7 tournaments and other events happen nearly every weekend during the offseason in the West. Here are five prospects who have been fantastic over the past few months and could be in talks for a rankings bump next month.
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I saw Liebrock at the adidas West Coast Invitational and it quickly became clear that he was underrated and deserved to be considered among the top tight ends in the country. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end looks excellent on the hoof and he has tremendous athleticism, so he’s a matchup nightmare all over the field.
Liebrock is the new-age tight end who splits out, has excellent hands to make tough catches and can also go up and catch passes over smaller defensive backs in a crowd. During the adidas tournament, the new Texas commit was completely unstoppable and he dominated in every way. He’s going to be in the discussion as one of the top tight ends nationally because he’s been so outstanding this offseason.
Alabama was the first offer for Rutherford after he camped with the Crimson Tide and that coaching staff got a first glimpse of what we saw this spring from the Carmichael (Calif.) Jesuit standout. He has freaky, bouncy athleticism at cornerback, he can run with any receiver and then compete for 50/50 balls when it’s thrown his way.
Rutherford shined at the absolutely loaded adidas National Championships, which featured top 7-on-7 teams from around the country. He’s long and lanky, he’s physical when he needs to be and Rutherford is a playmaker on defense. He can step in front of passes, he has great vision and he’s confident so receivers are never going to have an easy time against him.
Alabama, Cal, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC and many others remain in the mix.
Adimora really appeared on the scene last summer when he impressed USC’s coaches at camp and the Trojans decided to offer. He did not attend many other events, but he was at the Under Armour camp in Los Angeles this spring and he was fantastic. Then he followed that up with an impressive performance at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas.
Adimora is jacked up, quick-twitch and he’s definitely emerged as one of the best defensive backs in the West. The Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair standout has recently seen his recruitment get really busy - Alabama is his latest offer - as college coaches have come out during spring practice. Texas, Boise State, Oregon, Alabama and others remain in serious contention.
Perhaps no quarterback in the country has had a better offseason than Hilinski, who won the quarterback MVP at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Los Angeles, has been fantastic at many other events and committed to South Carolina.
The Orange (Calif.) Lutheran quarterback put up impressive numbers in his junior season and has developed physically. He’s a natural-born leader and his accuracy has improved since this time last year. Looking at the quarterback rankings across the country, it’s hard to believe 10 pro-style quarterbacks are better, especially after how Hilinski performed this offseason.
Rodriguez is a massive human being who has tremendous power and that’s why he’s proven to be one of the best offensive linemen in the country. At the Under Armour camp this offseason, the four-star was pushing people around at will and his strength is something impressive to see in person.
There are big offensive tackles who sometimes don’t pack a punch and don’t really use their size to their advantage. Rodriguez is not one of those players. He has a devastating punch, uses his hands well and if the defensive lineman tries to overpower him then Rodriguez is going to take care of business. Long term, the four-star could move inside and be extra special but he also has the talent to stay at right tackle and have a huge impact. In recent weeks, Rodriguez committed to USC.
