Five-Star Challenge: Reviewing the linebackers
The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge would have been held this week but, like countless events across the country, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There were a total of 33 prospects who were selected for the Five-Star Challenge before the Rivals Camp Series was halted in March.
This week, we will break down the Five-Star Challenge selections by position and look at other prospects who may have earned the coveted invitation. Today, we continue with the linebackers.
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RIVALS100 FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE SPOTLIGHT: QB | RB | WR/TE | OL | DL
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
MORE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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EARNED AN INVITE
RCS Orlando: “A class of 2022 prospect, Jordan covers as well as any linebacker of his size. At the Orlando camp stop, he picked off at least two passes and ran downfield with smaller running backs. The Florida-born linebacker has been well coached and is extremely polished technically for a player of his age. He doesn’t have elite length, but his athleticism helps make up for that.” — Rob Cassidy Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst
Farrell’s take: Jordan is excellent in coverage for a linebacker and really reads the play and situation well. He’s heady and college-ready when it comes to football smarts.
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RCS Miami: “A Tennessee commit, Lewis will play inside in college but he’s become more versatile over he last year, improving his coverage skills and becoming better when it comes to moving laterally. That said, his reputation is that of a hole-plugging big-hitter and he retains it for good reason. He needs to continue to add size, but his athleticism and versatility was on full display at the camp series stop in Miami.” — Cassidy
Farrell’s take: Lewis is a quick twitch linebacker who tracks the ball with efficiency and closes well. He rarely takes a bad angle, he’s explosive in coverage and he can blitz as well.
OTHERS THAT COULD HAVE EARNED INVITES
“Brown is a great example of a defensive end/edge prospect that could have helped his stock in a big way this spring. He's a great athlete and dominating at the regional event could have earned him an invite to the big stage where he could have proven why he deserves to be one of the top ranked players in the nation.” — Adam Friedman Rivals.com East Coast Recruiting Analyst
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“Living in the extreme southern part of Ohio, Carrico does not often get seen. It would have been very interesting to see how his athleticism held up against the nation’s best and I could have seen him being one of the surprise standouts coming out of the Five-Star Challenge.” — Josh Helmholdt, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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“Carter is an elite linebacker and the Clemson commit had the Atlanta camp circled on his calendar. He wanted to show his ability to run, cover and play in space in this setting. All those things are what we were interested in seeing.” — Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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“Colson is committed to Michigan and is a mainstay on the national camp circuit. He’s spent the last two years proving himself against top-flight competition, so it stands to reason that he would have impressed once again had he been afforded the opportunity. Colson attended the Five-Star Challenge a year ago, so it stands to reason to assume he would have been in the running for a second invitation in 2020.” — Cassidy
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“Davis considers himself more of a safety prospect and he is trending that way as a college prospect. He has elite coverage skills if you're considering him a linebacker. He's done many camps series events and was looking forward to competing with some of the top tight ends, running backs, and receivers at the Five-Star Challenge.” — Friedman
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“Mondon has never camped anywhere. He just isn't into that type of thing, so it would have been great to see him run through linebacker drills, showcase his athleticism and compare him to others in this setting.” — Simmons
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“Murphy is one of the most exciting players in the 2022 class. He flies around the field making huge hits and plays with the edge that college coaches are looking for. Murphy could have been one of the few underclassmen invited to the Five-Star Challenge.” — Friedman
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“Penn has been to many camps series events and this year he had high hopes for an invitation to the Five-Star Challenge. A big interior linebacker with good speed and coverage abilities, he's someone that thrives on the camp circuit. He's done a good job covering running backs and tight ends in the past. The Five-Star Challenge was a place that he was hoping to be able to show off his improved skills and help himself move up in the rankings.” — Friedman
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“Smith's junior season statistics look like they taken right out of a video game. He is one of the most versatile, productive and athletic linebackers in the country. We were anxious to see Smith show off his vast array of skills, including covering elite running backs and tight ends, but also his pass-rush ability coming off the edge.” — Sam Spiegelman, Rivals.com South Central Recruiting Analyst
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“Trotter is another prospect that isn't one to usually compete at camps but this year the Clemson commit could have proven that he should be considered one of the top prospects in the nation. A very instinctual linebacker that's been considered a tackling machine, this would have afforded him the chance to really put himself up against the nation's best when it comes to covering athletes in space.” — Friedman
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“Willis is an explosive interior linebacker that could have shown well at the camp series. He's not one to usually do camps but he was looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the Five-Star Challenge. A solid performance would have cemented his standing as one of the best linebacker prospects this year.” — Friedman