With the spring evaluation period wrapping up, recruiting officially has shifted to the start of several elite on-campus summer camps, but the Nike Football Training Camp and Elite 11 camp in Columbus, Ohio, also didn't disappoint this weekend.
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RecruitingNation writers were out on the trail this weekend and learned the reasons why our scouts ranked Da'Shawn Hand the No. 4 overall player in the ESPN 150. He put on a dominating performance at the NFTC. Meanwhile, Alabama's quest to find its quarterback of the future was in full swing, and Oklahoma made it clear to Rockwall (Texas) High rising junior running back Chris Warren that he is going to be a top target.
They're not in the ESPN 150 by happenstance, as cornerback Damon Webb of Detroit Cass Tech, running back Jalen Hurd of Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech and defensive end Hand of Woodbridge (Va.) High were arguably the top three competitors at Sunday's NFTC. Webb, an Ohio State commit, made it near impossible for quarterbacks to complete a pass during one-on-one drills. Hurd, a Tennessee commit, might have been the clear-cut winner, however, as the 6-foot-3, 223-pound junior was outstanding. Just ask one linebacker who challenged him and wound up on his can during one of the drills. Hand made offensive line commits look like turnstiles as well during individual workouts. -- Brad Bournival More from Columbus NFTC. Texas coaches notice effort Repetitions at camps like the minicamp Texas had Sunday are hard to find. There are so many players and only so much time to impress the coaches. Players such as 2014 defensive back Ronnie Larue (Dallas/Bishop Dunne), who has only one offer, took more reps than anyone and the Longhorns' coaches paid close attention. Also give credit to ESPN 150 safety Edwin Freeman (Arlington, Texas/Bowie), who came to work. Others, including one ESPN 150 player who will remain nameless, didn't compete as hard, and Texas' coaches seemed to take notice. -- William Wilkerson For more from Austin visit HornsNation. Alabama's hunt for a QB takes center stage Alabama's camp started Sunday, and the staff didn't waste any time evaluating the quarterback position. The 150's top pocket passer, David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./Norman North), threw for the coaches on the first day, and 2015 signal-caller Ricky Town (Ventura, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) earned an offer with his performance. -- Greg Ostendorf For more from Tuscaloosa visit TideNation. No. 5 QB shows off arm at Elite 11 Brandon Harris (Bossier City, La./Parkway) is the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback nationally, but at first glance it would be easy to mistake him for a defensive back or a slot receiver. He is listed at 186 pounds, but that might have been following a heavy lunch. After one throw from Harris at Saturday's Elite 11 camp in Columbus, it is clear he can sling it -- and with some serious zip on the ball. Harris has no issues getting the ball from Point A to Point B in a timely manner. The arm strength is clearly there, and Harris already has some of the best intangibles at the position in the 2014 class. -- Jared Shanker More from the Columbus Elite 11. 2015 prospect catches attention of Bob Stoops Oklahoma hosted several high-profile 2015 recruits during second day of its summer camp Sunday, including Warren. The 6-2, 216-pound running back impressed the Sooners coaches enough to walk away with a scholarship offer. The Sooners join the likes of Texas, Ole Miss and Ohio State on his offers list, but OU made it clear that he is a wanted man. Head coach Bob Stoops watched Warren work during the camp, something that is only reserved for the Sooners' top targets. For more from Norman visit SoonerNation. LSU's first camp features young talent LSU's second camp, which is scheduled this year for July 14-17, is normally when top senior talent shows up, but several 2015 and 2016 targets showed out during Day 1 of the Tigers' first camp. The 2016 prospect Devin White of Springhill (La.) North Webster, a 6-2, 220-pound linebacker/running back, stood out like a man among boys working with the linebacker group. LSU, Alabama, Florida State and Nebraska are showing heavy interest and offers could be soon on the way if he continues to perform as he did Sunday. Rashid Bonnette, a rising junior at Loreauville (La.) High, showed flashes of the athleticism that could make him part of a second straight strong receiving class out of Louisiana in the Class of 2015. For more from Baton Rouge visit GeauxTigerNation. 2015 Houston WR makes big impression after busy weekend The most impressive player of the weekend at the Mary Hardin-Baylor/Oklahoma State satellite camp in Houston was 2015 receiver Kemah Siverand of Houston Cypress Ridge. The 6-foot, 178-pound receiver looked like a natural at his position. He's big, he's fast and he showed as much Saturday. With little rest, Siverand turned around Sunday and went to College Station to perform in front of Texas A&M coaches. He said he felt great about his performance. Texas already has offered him, and Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M probably aren't far behind after getting the chance to see him in person. -- Sam Khan Jr. For more from College Station visit GigEmNation. Recruiting fans, that was just a small sampling of what's to come. Team camps shift into high gear this week with recruiting powers Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and USC all scheduled to have big events. Here is what RecruitingNation writers expect to happen at many of these camps and events. Dana Hills Air Strike Passing Tournament: Coaches don't put much stock in passing tournament showings, but there will be bragging rights on the line for some of Southern California's blue-blood programs this weekend at Dana Hills. More important, it'll offer one final chance to see some of the region's top quarterbacks in one place at one time. Ricky Town, a 2015 standout, won't be there, as he'll be at a Texas camp -- and he likely won't be the only big name missing from the tournament -- but teams scheduled to be in attendance feature junior quarterbacks Brad Kaaya (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade), Chase Forrest (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei), Brandon Dawkins (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian), Eban Jackson (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne) and Tai Tiedemann (Long Beach, Calif./Poly), as well as sophomores Brady White (Newhall, Calif./Hart) and Tyler Hilinski (Upland, Calif./Upland). -- Erik McKinney Florida: Two of Florida's eight verbal commitments, Will Grier (Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day) and Duke Dawson (Cross City, Fla./Dixie County), earned offers at Florida's camp last year. This year should be much the same. Look for the Gators to not only find missing pieces to their 2014 class but also get an early jump on some of their top 2015 prospects, such as linebackers Jeffrey Holland (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian) and Sherrod Pittman (Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast), defensive end CeCe Jefferson (Glen St. Mary, Fla./Baker County), wide receiver George Campbell (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), running back Jacques Patrick (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) and defensive back Tyrek Cole (Miramar, Fla./Miramar). -- Derek Tyson Georgia: With Deshaun Watson (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville) likely to stick to his commitment to Clemson, the Bulldogs are looking at backup options. One quarterback worth tracking at Georgia's camp is four-star Jacob Park (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford), who caught the eye of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo during the spring evaluation period. Park's combination of size and arm strength has led to a dozen BCS offers so far, and he will get a chance next Saturday to earn a Georgia offer while throwing in front of Bobo and staff. -- Kipp Adams Texas A&M: Texas A&M's June 9 camp is shaping up to be a good one with an impressive list of expected attendees. Which young prospects in the class of 2015 and 2016 will score offers? There are a few worth keeping an eye on, such as 2015 tight end Jordan Davis of Houston Clear Lake, and 2016 safety Deontay Anderson of Manvel (Texas) High. Will the Aggies get the commitment train going again? It's been March since A&M closed on a prospect. -- Sam Khan Jr. USC: All five of USC's verbal commits in the 2014 recruiting class are linemen, but that doesn't diminish the importance of the school's upcoming DL/OL camp. Thus far, the class is made up of three four-star prospects -- offensive tackle Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif./Country Day School), guard Toa Lobendahn (La Habra, Calif./La Habra) and defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood (Fresno, Calif./Central) -- plus two intriguing recruits in juco nose tackle Michael Wyche (Chesapeake, Va./East Los Angeles College) and defensive end Austin Maloata (Corona, Calif./Centennial). The Trojans have a big need at D-line after signing only one prospect there in the 2013 recruiting cycle. This event will also allow new offensive line coach Mike Summers to evaluate participants closely. -- Blair AnguloComing soon: Key camps on tap this week
