re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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JECKYLL AND HYDE: OL JOHN CAMPBELL

This award goes to the prospect that looked great one moment and simply overmatched at other times and offensive lineman John Campbell is my pick. Campbell can look like a million bucks on a rep and then let his technique get sloppy and get beaten easily. His ceiling is very high but you can see that much refinement is needed.

Honorable Mention: Xavier Williams can be maddening because he can get open so easily but he drops passes too often. Defensive tackle Michael Thompson can look great for a string of reps and then look average. Alontae Taylor can make a nice grab and then disappear for a long time, and the same can be said for Micah Jones. Penei Sewell has great upside but his technique is erratic from rep to rep.

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MOST DISAPPOINTING: QB MATT CORRAL

This is a tough award to hand out but I would say it would have to be Matt Corral for me. I entered this event expecting a battle between the big three five-star quarterbacks but Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields distanced themselves quickly. Corral arrived late and played on little if any sleep and you could tell. His usual decisiveness was not there at all and he took a few “sacks” in 7-on-7 (time ran out) that he’d never take otherwise.

Honorable Mention: Linebacker Amari Gainer didn’t have as great a camp as I expected after seeing how he can cover in space last year at our Underclassmen Challenge and this spring in Orlando. Shaun Shivers wasn’t quite as sudden and fast as I expected and I was surprised he didn’t run away with the Fastest On The Field award. Nana Asiedu and K.J. Henry didn’t live up to expectations either based on previous performances.

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4* OG Trey Hill

Recruiting wrap: Hill has over 30 offers, but his most recent came in April from Alabama and Ohio State.

Performance: Hill just continued to do what made him so strong at his appearance at the Rivals Camp in Atlanta this spring -- he used his sturdy construction to anchor down in front of defensive tackles and refuse to be moved backward. Hill is a clear power-blocker and is very nimble for a player with his sort of size.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- After a weekend of great competition, the 2017 edition of the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas is officially in the books. But with so much on-field action and so much recruiting news coming out of the interviews, there's still plenty of digesting to be done with it comes to all the information.

Today we look at Southeast region and the biggest takeaways that will stay with us after the event.

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JUSTIN FIELDS HAS EVERYONE GUESSING

There were plenty of Rivals.com publishers and reporters, along with 104 players in attendance over the weekend and, depending on who you ask about five-star quarterback Justin Fields, you were likely to hear a different prediction. The most common answers were Auburn, Florida and Georgia. Florida State was in there too, but Penn State was not mentioned.

A decision is likely to come in August. He plans to visit Florida State this week on his way to a 7-on-7 tournament in Florida.

There were plenty of prospects in his ear about their school and others just trying to get info from him and nobody got much. He is likely to keep outsiders guessing until he announces his final decision.

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JADON HASELWOOD IS FOR REAL

Amon-Ra St. Brown won the Wide Receiver MVP, and rightfully so, but right behind him was 2019 five-star Jadon Haselwood. After the morning session, numerous reporters and coaches at the camp were talking about Haselwood's talent and ability at wide receiver. He has everything you look for in a No. 1 wideout.

Haselwood is committed to Georgia and he continues to say all the right things when asked about the Bulldogs, but he will continue to take visits. Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and, of course, Georgia are schools he said he could visit this summer. There is no doubt he is a five-star talent.

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FIFTH STAR COMING?

Had he been healthy, Clay Webb very well could have earned Offensive Line MVP honors. During the morning session, Webb's shoulder popped out, and the tough guy that he is, he popped it right back in. He went on to bench press 225 pounds 20 times after the shoulder injury to finish third in the Strong Man competition. He was very confident that he would have won if not for the shoulder injury.

Webb was held out of the afternoon session, but he showed enough in the first few hours to really put himself into the five-star discussion when the 2019 rankings are updated. He is so strong, he plays with good leverage and once he locks his hands in, it is over for the defensive linemen. Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia are the early favorites.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Quarterbacks are routinely the first players to commit to a school's recruiting class - there are limited spots for the position each year, and coaches like to lock that position up first so they can build classes around those stars.

But with the recruiting calendar constantly moving up and a routine stream of changes of head coaches or crucial assistants, making an earlier and earlier decision is oftentimes trying for quarterbacks.

It can be overly stressful and that means decisions could be rushed.

“It’s definitely hard, especially after you make a decision, all these schools come after you,” said five-star quarterback Justin Fields at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas.

“It’s hard because the coaches want you to commit and recruit other guys. For quarterbacks, committing early is always on your mind.”

Only two of the top 10 pro-style quarterbacks are uncommitted: Corona (Calif.) Centennial’s Tanner McKee and Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton’s Tyler Shough, whose recruitment really didn’t get busy until this spring. Both are expected to make a decision by the start of senior year.

Out of the top 10 dual-threat quarterbacks only Fields is undecided, and that’s because he recently backed off a commitment to Penn State.

The logic behind Fields stepping off his pledge to the Nittany Lions might sound a little reversed, but a lot of things are topsy-turvy these days when recruiting quarterbacks.

“The reason I decommitted is because I wanted to make sure Penn State was the fit for me,” Fields said. “I knew that when I committed, but this is my second go-around to make sure they are the best fit for me.”

In essence, one of the reasons the five-star from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison committed to Penn State was so the recruiting process could slow down and he’d have an opportunity to really make sure it was the right place for him.

Now, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, North Carolina and Ole Miss along with Penn State have captured his attention. It’s a hectic time.

For the nation’s top player - and thus the top-rated quarterback – Trevor Lawrence, the process was a little less stressful because he did it simply on his terms. The five-star from Cartersville, Ga., committed to Clemson over Florida and Georgia in December, not rushed by anybody.

But it also takes someone with incredible mental fortitude to not be pressured or swayed, one reason Lawrence is such a special recruit.

“Every school does that because they want you to start the class and go off you,” Lawrence said. “That’s their side of it. I did what I wanted to.

“I felt a rush because I just wanted to get it over with and get it lined up before the end of my junior year.”

Top 2020 quarterback Harrison Bailey said he doesn’t necessarily feel pressure to commit yet, but he understands an early pledge is likely since his recruiting process was so quickly ramped up. Many national programs are already involved.

The Marietta, Ga., recruit knows that with an early commitment comes potential coaching changes prior to enrollment.

“I’m being recruited by the coaches at the school now, so in like two or three years they could be at another school,” Bailey said. “You have to really pay attention and focus. I want to build great relationships with coaches and then it’s a plus if the campus is nice and the facilities. I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek’s Devin Leary committed early to N.C. State, but since Fields backed off his Penn State pledge, the Nittany Lions could seriously pursue the New Jersey signal caller.

Leary has some hard-and-fast rules about recruiting and a decision timetable, but Penn State getting involved in his recruitment has to be intriguing.

“Since my freshman year, something my coach and my dad stressed on me was to go through the process,” Leary said. “When it’s the right time to commit, you’ll know it was the right time.

“I thought it was the perfect time for me to commit to N.C. State. For other quarterbacks, I would agree because I’ve seen in the past some guys commit just to hold their spot. I’m not really a big fan of that but I’ve seen it.”

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1. EVALUATING THE RIVALS100 PROSPECTS

Here’s my quick takeaway on the 2018 Rivals100 prospects that were on hand at the Five Star Challenge this past weekend.

No. 1 QB Trevor Lawrence – Impressive as always and flashed that competitor’s fire after his team lost its first two games.

No. 4 WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – As dominant as advertised, he is clearly the best wide receiver this year.

No. 7 QB Matt Corral – He struggled a lot, but in his defense he had two flight delays and a couple hours of sleep.

No. 8 QB Justin Fields – Very impressive as he went toe to toe with Lawrence for best quarterback honors.

No. 9 CB Anthony Cook – A little grabby at times, he’s still very fluid and his closing speed is great.

No. 15 DE K.J. Henry – He’s adding weight, which is good, and looked great in some reps and average in others.

No. 16 RB James Cook – Cook was dominant when he wanted to be. Sometimes he can get bored, and that’s what happened in the evening session.

No. 20 WR Terrace Marshall Jr. – Big and fluid and a good route runner, but didn’t dominate either session.

No. 22 WR Devonta Jason – Not the fastest receiver out there, but he does everything well. But like Marshall, he didn’t dominate.

No. 27 CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart – He has a freaky upside, the sky is the limit on his potential.

No. 29 OT Penei Sewell – Technique is off at times and he could be a guard, but his ceiling is very high.

No. 32 DE Brenton Cox – Bigger each time we see him and can dominate when he wants, but at times can lose focus.

No. 33 LB Amari Gainer – He struggled in space more than I expected but was better in the evening than in the morning.

No. 35 CB Al Blades – Had a great start and a solid finish but I’m still waiting for that breakout performance.

No. 36 WR Brennan Eagles – A big kid who can run, he could be special with a few tweaks to his game.

No. 37 DT Michael Thompson – He was erratic at times, but when he’s on his game and gets off the snap well he can crush the pocket.

No. 38 WR Al’Vontre Woodard – Up and down all day, he’s a solid route runner with good hands but was inconsistent a bit like Marshall Jr. and Jason.

No. 45 LB Teradja Mitchell – These camps aren’t his thing as a huge inside linebacker, but I thought he did well and held his own.

No. 47 DB Derrik Allen – He struggled a bit, especially with faster, sudden receivers and change of direction.

No. 48 DT Rick Sandidge – He killed it in the morning but faded a bit in the afternoon. His ceiling is outstanding, however.

No. 49 RB Jaelen Gill – I loved him. He’s fast, he can catch with ease and around the corner he’s electric.

No. 51 S Jaiden Woodbey – A big athlete, he played both sides of the ball and was very effective at each position.

No. 53 OG Trey Hill – He’s built to dominate in a phone booth and he showed a lot of that in both sessions.

No. 58 LB Solomon Tuliaupupu – Like Mitchell, this isn’t an event made for his skill set, but he had a solid day.

No. 59 QB Justin Rogers – His fastball is awesome, he just needs some more touch on his short and intermediate passes.

No. 67 RB Ricky Slade – He didn’t have a dominant afternoon as he wasn’t targeted that much, but he showed that change of direction in the morning.

No. 77 LB Zakoby McClain – McClain struggled a bit in coverage which was surprising, because that’s one of his strengths at linebacker.

No. 80 WR Alontae Taylor – Taylor wasn’t as big a factor as expected in the morning or during the 7-on-7 session.

No. 85 OT Nana Asiedu – Asiedu struggled most of the day, just a half step slow out of his stance too often.

No. 88 WR Elijah Moore – Moore flashed his trademark speed, especially in the morning, and had a solid afternoon as well.

No. 90 ATH Cameron Jurgens – Jurgens isn’t the fastest tight end but he’s a huge target and boxed defenders out fairly well.

No. 93 OT Rasheed Walker – Walker continue to impress each time I see him and I felt he had a consistent day.

No. 99 WR Xavier Williams – Williams gains separation as easily as anyone, but he’s still having trouble catching the ball consistently.

No. 100 LB Alston Orji – Orji struggled a bit like most of the linebackers early, but I thought he was solid in the 7-on-7.

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3. BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE

A few things behind the scenes from the weekend.

- I really like Chris Smith, and Georgia fans should be excited about him. This is a hard worker and a kid who has a ton of energy and always wants to challenge himself.

- Clemson is getting a special player in Trevor Lawrence, we all know that. But they are also getting a high character kid who has a great persona off the field but is a nasty competitor on it. Leadership is a huge part of his game - Lawrence has every opportunity to be an egomaniac, and he’s the opposite.

- Texas A&M fans are going to love the energy that Leon O’Neal brings to the table. The kid is constantly going and has an amazing positive attitude. Kids gravitate toward him.

- Justin Dedich is a kid I wasn’t sold on before the event, but I now think he’s going to be a steady, three-year starter at center for whoever gets him. This is a kid who came into the event admittedly intimidated and never backed down and actually rocked everyone he faced at least once.

- James Cook could really go to Georgia or someplace other than Florida State. It’s not about the depth chart, it’s about following Dalvin at FSU, which is understandably something that would give anyone pause.

- Alabama fans may be worried about a lack of commitments, but that’s a bit laughable to commitments Pierce Quick and early ‘Bama lean Clay Webb. Listening to the perspective of 2019 kids about Nick Saban’s recruiting compared to some of the doomsday folks on message boards and social media is actually quite interesting.

- Tyreke Smith is new to football, so imagine how good he can be in a few years. He reminded me, at least with his balance and agility, of Da’Shawn Hand. He doesn’t have the same resume at the same stage, but it’s hard to find kids with that kind of natural ability off of contact.

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