UA Next Camp Series: Los Angeles Top Performers

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. – Over 100 prospects in California and nearby states made their way to Mission Viejo High School to take part in the Los Angeles stop of the Under Armour Next Camp Series on Sunday. The event featured several blue-chip prospects from the 2023 and 2024 recruiting cycles.

On3 was on hand for the third camp of this year’s series. Here are On3’s top performers from the day, headlined by a Five-Star Plus prospect.

On3 MVP: Malachi Nelson

On Sunday, future USC Trojans quarterback Malachi Nelson showcased why he’s a consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2023. At times, Nelson made it look effortless with the way he spun the football. Nelson maintained the same fundamentals on every single pass: Light on his feet, always on balance, and a quick release that had velocity but also a tight spiral and was thrown in stride for his receiver almost every time. Nelson throws a very catchable football that just flies off his hand. He was also comfortable when he was not sitting back in the pocket as he threw on the run effectively (Nelson squared up his shoulders well on these throws) and showed off different arm angles on passes without sacrificing any accuracy or velocity. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder also had several deep throws that were dropped right in the bucket for his receivers.

Overall, the Los Alamitos (Calif.) High signal caller was the most comfortable and consistent participant, and was well-deserving of On3 MVP honors. As for his recruitment, Nelson says he is locked in with USC and is recruiting a number of high-profile prospects to join him at the next level.

2. Elijah Rushing (2024)

There were some solid defensive lineman performances, but Elijah Rushing stood out from the rest. Only a sophomore, Rushing stands at 6-foot-6, 226 pounds and brings to the table a desirable combination of athleticism, speed, and length. In one-on-ones, we saw Rushing win a couple of reps. The first one, Rushing burst off from his stance, fought through initial good positioning by the offensive lineman, and bent around the corner to force what would’ve been a hold had it been in a real game.

Rushing then used the previous rep to his advantage as he sold the outside rush, threw his left arm at the o-lineman, and had an open path to the cone. He also punched the bags with force in individual drills, as well as self-reporting a 4.47-second shuttle time. With an intriguing mix of long arms and legs, as well as athleticism, Rushing showed why he’s the No. 2 EDGE in the Class of 2024. He’s also listed as the No. 26 overall sophomore on the On3 Consensus.

3. LeVar Talley (2024)

Every time we looked up, LeVar Talley was either winning a rep or excelling in individual drill work. Listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Talley was active and quick when shuffling his feet in between bags. He did an excellent job of turning the corner, never lost his balance, and used his hands well. In one-on-ones, Talley put forward an impressive get-off and won a rep with a great turn around the offensive lineman. Part of the reason why Talley was so dominant was his motor; Talley was aggressive and kept his energy at a high level the entire camp. Talley has offers from the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, USC, and others at this time.

4. Roderick Robinson

From a physical standpoint, Roderick Robinson was the biggest running back at Sunday’s camp. He was listed on the UA roster at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, and could have easily fooled us into thinking he is a linebacker if he made the switch to that position. On top of looking the part physically, Robinson moved well for his size. There were not any plays where he burned linebackers in the passing portion of the camp, but his cuts to the outside and even some routes down the sidelines were effective. Robinson did not drop any passes from what we saw and created enough separation for his quarterback to deliver him the ball without having to fit it into tight windows. Per the On3 RPM, Arizona, Oregon, and USC all have an equal shot — in terms of odds — of landing Robinson.

5. My’Keil Gardner

There was a lot to like from My’Keil Gardner’s performance on Sunday. In group drills with other defensive ends, Gardner moved with urgency from the jump and displayed violent hands when punching the bags. We thought Gardner’s footwork was one of the best among all the defensive linemen, and his ability to bend and turn the corner at his size certainly stood out. As for his one-on-one performance, Gardner won his first rep by chopping the opposing offensive lineman’s arm down and exploding inside for the would-be sack. He split the next rep but even then, his strength and relentless pursuit were on display. A product of Peoria (Az.), Gardner is a top-50 defensive lineman in the Class of 2023.

6. Eugene Brooks (2024)

Eugene Brooks had a couple of what we would like to call “mean plays” during today’s camp. In his first one-on-one rep, Brooks got a hold of his opponent, stood upright, and threw him to the ground with force. Brooks later brought another defensive lineman to the ground a couple of reps later with a shove while standing up; he was physically overwhelming in this portion of the camp. The roster had him listed at 6-foot-5, 368 pounds and, at times, he was simply an immovable wall that was hard to get around. We think he could be susceptible to being beat by fast d-linemen, but Brooks projects as a guard and will not be bullied by opposing nose tackles and 1-tech players because of his size. Georgia, Oregon, and Texas have already offered the Nevada-based rising junior.

7. Rodrick Pleasant

Tabbed as an athlete on his On3 profile, Rodrick Pleasant took all of his reps at defensive back on Sunday. Pleasant was smooth in his back pedals, flipped his hips quick and in a hurry, and his acceleration was one of the best we saw from the DB corps at the event. Pleasant was also solid in each of the one-on-one reps we saw. He had a rep where he had to catch up to his man after initially trailing the receiver, but made up for it with his comeback speed and got in front of the ball for a pass deflection. Pleasant (5-foot-10, 167 pounds) also did not have any issues keeping up with bigger pass catchers and was not overwhelmed in those matchups. USC has a 98.4 percent chance of landing the four-star prospect, per the On3 RPM.

8. Maliki Crawford

Oxnard (Calif.) cornerback Maliki Crawford had a good showing at this weekend’s event. He showcased physical and tight coverage skills in one-on-ones. We saw him break up multiple passes and stick to the opposing wide receivers stride for stride. Crawford, who is 6-foot-3, 171 pounds, has impressive length that allows him to be extremely versatile as either a cornerback or a safety. Per On3’s Chad Simmons, Crawford will be at California on Saturday, and he plans to be back at UCLA this spring.

9. Jordon Davison (2025)

It was going to be hard to leave one of Jordon Davison or Roderick Robinson off this list. Both of them were effective all day long in what was an overall strong performance by the running backs group. He’s only a freshman, but Davison looks like he could be an upperclassman in high school. Davison has big, strong legs and, with pads on, would be tough to tackle for defenders trying to bring him down by aiming for his lower body.

Davison is not a burner but, like Robinson, he created enough room to make his quarterbacks’ job as easy as it could be. We paid close attention to each of his one-on-one reps versus the linebackers, and did not see Davison drop one pass. The Mater Dei High School prospect has serviceable speed, reliable hands, and good route running for a player of his position, thus earning him a spot on our list. Arizona, Oregon, and Utah are some of Davison’s early offers.

10. Leviticius Su’a

Four-star linebacker Leviticus Su’a immediately passed the eye test. He was the most physically developed player at his position at the event, and moves effortlessly at that size. Su’a was nearly flawless when shuffling his feet in between bags and maintained great balance on his back pedals. We also came away impressed with a couple of his one-on-one reps. Defenders are naturally at a disadvantage in these situations; Su’a, however, did not bite on fakes and kept up with opposing running backs he was covering. The only knock on Su’a was an unnecessary push when he was in perfect coverage; it would have been called pass interference had it been done in a live game. Oregon and Stanford both have the RPM lead (42.3 percent each) in Su’a’s recruitment.

Additional notes

*** Collins Acheampong is a very interesting prospect. He’s listed at 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, but does not play football as his high school doesn’t have a football program. Acheampong is definitely a raw prospect as he hasn’t played in a while, though there’s a lot of potential here: Size, length, speed, a quick get-off, and a lot of tools that a college team can work with. Oregon, USC, and others have recently offered. Another intriguing player that caught our attention was Jamari Johnson. Previously a quarterback, Johnson is now a pass catcher who moves well with his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame. He may need to shed a few pounds, but Johnson has good footwork and was a mismatch for smaller defensive backs.

** 2023 EDGE Jaeden Moore caught our eye early on, and wound up receiving one of the MVP honors. He has a long frame and even though he was not biggest defensive lineman at the event, his speed more than made up for it. Moore was also praised by a coach for his violent hands in a one-on-one rep against 6-foot-7 OT Elishah Jackett. Staying along the defensive line, Kelze Howard also had some good moments on Sunday. He ran a fast 40-yard dash for a defensive lineman, won a one-on-one rep using an explosive get-off, and showed off a lot of power. Sophomore defensive back Marcelles Williams also caught our attention. He’s still got a couple of years to develop before heading to college, but played with physicality and an understanding of what his opponent wanted to do on each rep.

** We mentioned before that the running backs performance was strong today. Contributing to that performance was Nygel Osborne. Osborne, who is hearing a lot from Oregon recently, was dynamic in short routes and out routes near the sidelines. He is a shifty player who put on one juke move that sent his defender flying the other way. We also took notice of Kobe Boykin. He’s no taller than 5-foot-8, but Boykin’s downfield speed and change of pace on his cuts proved too much for defenders to handle.

** Carlsbad (Calif.) quarterback Julian Sayin had a good day throwing the ball, especially early on. He looked composed on his throws, tossed a soft and catchable football, and also showed off some good arm strength when needed. We were tempted to put Sayin in the top 10, but he was not as consistent as some other participants. There is a lot of potential here, explaining the interest from Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, and others.