Under Armour Next Football Camp Series: Los Angeles live updates

The Under Armour Next Football Camp Series will continue this weekend in California. This series kicked off in Miami a couple of weeks ago, and made a stop in Atlanta last weekend.

Nearly 200 high school football prospects from California and neighboring states from the 2023, 2024, 2025 and even 2026 cycles will make their way to Mission Viejo (Calif.) High on Sunday.

Players will take part in athletic testing, position-specific drills and one-on-ones over the course of the camp.

The roster for this event features multiple talented junior signal callers, as well as some coveted skill position players. On3’s Chad Simmons and Joseph Hastings will be on hand to cover Sunday’s camp.

** Note: All rankings used in this story are per the On3 Consensus — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. **

Updates from Under Armour Next Camp Series: Los Angeles

2:41 p.m.: Malachi Nelson is showing why he’s a five-star prospect and one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Nelson is light on his feet, he puts a nice zip on the ball, and he doesn’t lose accuracy or velocity on his quick releases. He is also effective with different arm angles and squares his shoulders perfectly while throwing on the run. — Joseph Hastings

1:41 p.m.: Top-20 running back Roderick Robinson is arguably the biggest running back out here. Our On3 profile has him listed at 6-foot-1, 223, which appears to be accurate. Robinson looks like he could easily switch over to linebacker. Miami, Oregon, Texas A&M, USC, and others are in the mix for him at this time.

1:37 p.m.: Rising sophomore running back Jordan Davison has really been solid today. The Mater Dei product is showing off reliable hands as a receiver and has not dropped any passes from what we’ve seen. He’s not blowing past people, but is making contested catches and has great field awareness.

1:10 p.m.: Four-star linebacker Leviticus Su’a passes the eye test. He’s the most physically developed player at his position out here, and moves effortlessly. Was nearly flawless when shuffling his feet in between bags and maintained great balance on his back pedals. — Joseph Hastings

12:39 p.m.: Some fun back-and-forth in one-on-ones. Eugene Brooks won his first rep against Tiumalu Afalava by getting a good grasp on him and then throwing him to the ground. Afalava bounced back, however, on the next rep by pushing Brooks back and getting him off balance. — Joseph Hastings

12:34 p.m.: Rising junior LeVar Talley is a strong candidate to make today’s top performers list. His get-off is exceptional, he has active feet, and has been aggressive all day long. Turned the corner very well to win his first one-on-one rep. — Joseph Hastings

12:28 p.m.: 2023 EDGE Jaeden Moore is an intriguing prospect. Has a long frame and even though he’s not biggest defensive lineman out here, his speed more than makes up for it. Was also just praised by a coach for his violent hands in a one-on-one rep against Elishah Jackett. — Joseph Hastings

12:23 p.m.: My’Keil Gardner won his first one-on-one rep with ease. Burst off the snap, chopped the opposing o-lineman’s arm, and got inside for the easy win. Ended up splitting the next rep. — Joseph Hastings

11:35 a.m.: Kelze Howard, a top-50 player on On3’s Class of 2023 rankings, is making a strong early impression. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder flew down the field in the 40-yard dash. He just recently showcased active hands and a nice burst of speed in one of the individual drills. — Joseph Hastings

11:01 a.m.: Early on into the camp, but 2023 EDGE Collins Acheampong certainly is standing out in the early warmups portion. Acheampong looks to be all of the 6-foot-8, 230 pounds we have him listed at, and moves fairly well at that size. Drew some praise for how quickly he got from his stance to a sprint in one of the warmups.
Acheampong is a basketball player, and hasn’t played football in two years because his school dropped football. Don’t know if football is his long-term sport, but definitely has one of the more interesting frames we’ve seen. — Joseph Hastings

10:27 a.m.: 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive tackle Elishah Jackett tells On3 that three programs are standing out to him right now: Washington, UCLA, and USC. He showed up to today’s event wearing a USC tank top following Saturday’s visit to the school. He’ll visit Washington next weekend, and plans on checking out Cal and San Diego State soon. — Joseph Hastings

9:45 a.m.: Four-star defensive lineman My’keil Gardner says he has a top five of Arizona, Cal, Oregon, Texas, and USC. He’s slated to take visits to Oregon State on March 11 and then Oregon on March 12. An official visit to Cal will take place starting on May 13. — Joseph Hastings

9:30 a.m. PST: Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Cameron Brandt just picked up an offer from USC yesterday. Brandt said getting the offer was “really good,” and that he likes the direction the Trojans are heading in under Lincoln Riley. Up next, he’s set to visit Arizona on March 19 and Oregon sometime in April. — Joseph Hastings

No. 2 overall junior Malachi Nelson headlines QB group

Headlining this weekend’s event is Malachi Nelson. Listed at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Nelson checks in as the No. 2 overall junior prospect in the Class of 2023 on the On3 Consensus.

Nelson is also just one of three Five-Star Plus prospects in this cycle, along with Arch Manning and Cormani McClain. A Five-Star Plus prospect is someone who is a five-star on all four major recruiting media services.

A USC commit since Nov. 30, 2021, Nelson remains locked in with the Trojans and is assisting in Lincoln Riley’s staff’s pursuit of numerous elite players.

Nelson will not be the only committed signal caller prospect at Sunday’s camp. Pierce Clarkson, a Louisville Cardinals pledge, will be tossing the pigskin at Mission Viejo High School as well.

Per the On3 Consensus, Clarkson is the No. 10 quarterback and a top-200 overall player in the 2023 class. He hails from powerhouse St. John Bosco, which is home to five-star Matayo Uiagalelei and a flurry of other sought-after prospective student-athletes.

Like Nelson, Clarkson is not wavering on his pledge and has been an effective recruiter for Louisville.

DeAndre Moore, Makai Lemon lead group of pass catchers

Several talented wide receivers are set to be on hand this weekend. Leading the position group is the pair of DeAndre Moore and Makai Lemon, both of whom attend Los Alamitos (Calif.) High.

Starting with Moore, the 5-foot-11, 189-pounder is tabbed as the No. 12 wideout in his class and the sixth-ranked player in the state. Uncommitted at this time, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine — which combines data and expert analysis — assigns USC a 61.6 percent chance of landing him. Oklahoma is second with a 37.2 percent chance of adding the four-star pass catcher to their class.

Lemon, as well as fellow USC pledge Malachi Nelson, will likely be in Moore’s ear about the possibility of teaming up together with the Trojans. Listed as the No. 6 wide receiver and fourth-ranked junior in California, Lemon has been committed to USC since Dec. 3, 2021.

Making the one-hour drive from Playa Del Rey south to Mission Viejo is Malachi Riley. A four-star prospect and the No. 51 wideout in his class, Riley holds offers from the likes of Arizona, Baylor, Ole Miss and, most recently, Washington State.

Jahlil McClain is listed as an athlete on his On3 profile, but is expected to take reps at wide receiver on Sunday. The top-20 ATH in his class is in possession of offers from Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, USC, and others.

Switching over to the tight end group, Notre Dame pledge Cooper Flanagan is set to participate in Sunday’s camp as well. Flanagan, who committed to the Fighting Irish last September, is the No. 12 tight end and No. 13 overall player in California in the 2023 cycle.

Defensive back attendees feature multiple St. John Bosco players

This section features a few defensive backs who should present intriguing one-on-one battles with the aforementioned pass catchers. A handful of four-star cornerbacks are set to lace up their cleats and compete this weekend.

On top of having Pierce Clarkson at the event, St. John Bosco will also be well-represented on defense on Sunday. Jshawn Frausto-Ramos and R.J. Jones are both members of the Braves program listed on the UA Next Camp Series roster.

Jones’ recruitment is wrapped up as he committed to California last month, but Frausto-Ramos is still evaluating his options. The 6-foot, 175-pounder is listed as the No. 31 cornerback in the country and holds over a dozen offers.

Louisville and USC (both 44.0 percent) lead the way on the On3 RPM on Frausto-Ramos’ profile.

A few other defensive backs expected to be in attendance are Daylen Austin, Maliki Crawford, and Rodrick Pleasant. Pleasant and Austin, both of whom are four-stars and top-225 players in their class, are viewed as USC leans at this time.

Per the On3 RPM, the Trojans have a 50.6 percent chance of adding Austin to their class and a 98.4 percent chance of landing Pleasant. USC also has the same odds — 28.6 percent — of landing Crawford as California and UCLA have.

Pair of priority Oregon targets will camp on Sunday

USC has been mentioned a number of times in this piece, but Oregon is also in the mix for multiple attendees of Sunday’s camp. Two noteworthy names for Ducks fans to follow are Leviticus Su’a and Roderick Robinson II.

Both prospects visited Oregon during the season. Su’a attended their matchup with Colorado, while Robinson was in the stands for their 24-17 win over California.

Looking at their rankings, Su’a is labeled as the No. 31 linebacker in the nation and the No. 21 junior in California. Oregon, per the On3 RPM, has a 73.3 percent chance of landing the 6-foot-1, 217-pounder.

Robinson, a running back, is the No. 18 junior prospect at his position and a top-300 player overall. Oregon, as well as Arizona and USC, have a 26.5 percent chance of adding Robinson to their class.

Several noteworthy 2024 prospects to be on hand

Some of the top 2024 prospects in the state of California are expected to attend Sunday’s camp. Several of these rising juniors are already ranked as four-star prospects and are members of On3’s 2024 Watchlist, as listed below.

QB Julian Sayin (90)
Carlsbad (Calif.) High

QB Elijah Brown (90)
Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

WR Ryan Pellum (90)
Long Beach (Calif.) Millikan

CB Aaron Butler (90)
Calabasas (Calif.) High

S Peyton Woodyard (90)
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

CB Marcelles Williams (90)
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

S Turran Williams (90)
Pasadena (Calif.) John Muir