The Kansas City Rivals Camp in now officially in the books and it was a good one. We're just getting back to the hotel from the event and wanted to put up some observations before we hit the road back to Lincoln.
Nate's observations
***I was impressed with the the talented group of in-state players in attendance today. I thought they all represented the state very well today.
***Of the in-state kids, 2018 tight end commit Cameron Jurgens probably had the best day today. He dominated today in one-on-ones making some terrific catches. There are times that he can fight the ball a little bit, but for the most part he could no be stopped. He's a special athlete that could easily project to several different positions.
***Sticking with the tight end theme, I thought Logan Strom had a strong day as well. The big tight end from Norfolk showed off some really nice hands today. Now he just needs to work on getting consistent separation. He's a massive target on the field regardless.
***I wish we would have been able to see Aurora, Neb. tight end Austin Allen work out today. He did not make the camp.
***I was happy to see Ashland-Greenwood defensive lineman Brett Kitrell get out there on the football field healthy again today. He hadn't been out there since suffering a knee injury in the second game of last season. He had his moments today and I think this was a great primer for him heading into what will be a very important camp season.
***I thought the two best offensive linemen from the state today were Gretna's Patrick Arnold and Bellevue West's Tyler Ciurej. Arnold worked at center and guard and won nearly all of his reps today. He completely stone-walled his opponent several times. Ciurej was the next most consistent in-state lineman.
***2018 Sioux Falls Washington lineman Willl Farniok was one of the lighter linemen at the event, but that didn't matter much. He won the majority of his reps despite routinely giving up 30 to 50-pounds or more to his opponent. He's got an edge to him as well.
***Nebraska wide receiver commit Jaevon McQuitty had a solid day, but I think he'd tell you it wasn't as good as it could have been. I think competing in yesterday's Nike Camp in Chicago then driving to Kansas City zapped some of his speed and spring.
***2018 St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College wide receiver Kamryn Babb had a very nice day and showed why he's one of the top players in the nation and most certainly one of the top players in the region for next year.
***We will have much, much more coming from this weekend. Including more in-depth breakdowns and analysis on all of the performances.
Robin's observations
***It was pretty obvious that 2017 Nebraska receiver commit Jaevon McQuitty was dealing with some tired legs on Sunday. After hearing about his weekend schedule, though, it’s easy to understand why he may have been a bit fatigued.
McQuitty and his mother drove from their home in Columbia, Mo., to Chicago early Friday night so he could participate in the Nike Chicago camp On Saturday morning. They drove back to Columbia on Saturday night, and then McQuitty and his father drove out to Kansas City on Sunday morning so he could attend the Rivals camp.
Even though he didn’t have the same explosiveness that helped him earn a four-star ranking, McQuitty still held his own and put together a solid outing.
***Nebraska’s other verbal commit at the Rivals camp was 2018 Beatrice (Neb.) tight end Cameron Jurgens. In my opinion he was far and away the best tight end at the camp, but what I found surprising was that many of the Rivals national analysts can’t figure out why Jurgens didn’t work out as a linebacker.
Talking with guys like Mike Farrell and Josh Hemholdt, they both agreed that while Jurgens is a very good tight end, his potential might be even higher as a linebacker. I’ll have a full update on Jurgens up later on, but he told me was open to potentially moving to defense if it gave him a better chance to play.
***I made sure to watch 2017 Ashland-Greenwood defensive lineman Brett Kitrell, who participated in his first live football work since early last fall after recovering from a torn ACL.
Kitrell was a bit rusty, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering physical effects from his injury, and he told me his knee feels as good as ever. Having just picked up an offer from Minnesota, Kitrell should only continue to progress the more he gets on the football field.
***I also talked a bit with Norfolk (Neb.) tight end Logan Strom, who had a solid camp. He said he gets asked about whether he’s going to play football or basketball in college “about 20 times a day back in Norfolk”, and he’s still unsure of what he’ll decide.
Holding a handful of offers for both sports, Strom said it will likely come down to which sport will provide him the best opportunity on the field/court as well as in the classroom.
Seeing how Nebraska basketball is my beat, I had to ask if getting a hoops offer from the Huskers would sway his decision at all. He said playing for NU would be a dream situation, but he’ll wait to think about that once it actually happens. From what I know, Nebraska has been in contact for basketball, but nothing serious at this point.
Nate's observations
***I was impressed with the the talented group of in-state players in attendance today. I thought they all represented the state very well today.
***Of the in-state kids, 2018 tight end commit Cameron Jurgens probably had the best day today. He dominated today in one-on-ones making some terrific catches. There are times that he can fight the ball a little bit, but for the most part he could no be stopped. He's a special athlete that could easily project to several different positions.
***Sticking with the tight end theme, I thought Logan Strom had a strong day as well. The big tight end from Norfolk showed off some really nice hands today. Now he just needs to work on getting consistent separation. He's a massive target on the field regardless.
***I wish we would have been able to see Aurora, Neb. tight end Austin Allen work out today. He did not make the camp.
***I was happy to see Ashland-Greenwood defensive lineman Brett Kitrell get out there on the football field healthy again today. He hadn't been out there since suffering a knee injury in the second game of last season. He had his moments today and I think this was a great primer for him heading into what will be a very important camp season.
***I thought the two best offensive linemen from the state today were Gretna's Patrick Arnold and Bellevue West's Tyler Ciurej. Arnold worked at center and guard and won nearly all of his reps today. He completely stone-walled his opponent several times. Ciurej was the next most consistent in-state lineman.
***2018 Sioux Falls Washington lineman Willl Farniok was one of the lighter linemen at the event, but that didn't matter much. He won the majority of his reps despite routinely giving up 30 to 50-pounds or more to his opponent. He's got an edge to him as well.
***Nebraska wide receiver commit Jaevon McQuitty had a solid day, but I think he'd tell you it wasn't as good as it could have been. I think competing in yesterday's Nike Camp in Chicago then driving to Kansas City zapped some of his speed and spring.
***2018 St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College wide receiver Kamryn Babb had a very nice day and showed why he's one of the top players in the nation and most certainly one of the top players in the region for next year.
***We will have much, much more coming from this weekend. Including more in-depth breakdowns and analysis on all of the performances.
Robin's observations
***It was pretty obvious that 2017 Nebraska receiver commit Jaevon McQuitty was dealing with some tired legs on Sunday. After hearing about his weekend schedule, though, it’s easy to understand why he may have been a bit fatigued.
McQuitty and his mother drove from their home in Columbia, Mo., to Chicago early Friday night so he could participate in the Nike Chicago camp On Saturday morning. They drove back to Columbia on Saturday night, and then McQuitty and his father drove out to Kansas City on Sunday morning so he could attend the Rivals camp.
Even though he didn’t have the same explosiveness that helped him earn a four-star ranking, McQuitty still held his own and put together a solid outing.
***Nebraska’s other verbal commit at the Rivals camp was 2018 Beatrice (Neb.) tight end Cameron Jurgens. In my opinion he was far and away the best tight end at the camp, but what I found surprising was that many of the Rivals national analysts can’t figure out why Jurgens didn’t work out as a linebacker.
Talking with guys like Mike Farrell and Josh Hemholdt, they both agreed that while Jurgens is a very good tight end, his potential might be even higher as a linebacker. I’ll have a full update on Jurgens up later on, but he told me was open to potentially moving to defense if it gave him a better chance to play.
***I made sure to watch 2017 Ashland-Greenwood defensive lineman Brett Kitrell, who participated in his first live football work since early last fall after recovering from a torn ACL.
Kitrell was a bit rusty, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering physical effects from his injury, and he told me his knee feels as good as ever. Having just picked up an offer from Minnesota, Kitrell should only continue to progress the more he gets on the football field.
***I also talked a bit with Norfolk (Neb.) tight end Logan Strom, who had a solid camp. He said he gets asked about whether he’s going to play football or basketball in college “about 20 times a day back in Norfolk”, and he’s still unsure of what he’ll decide.
Holding a handful of offers for both sports, Strom said it will likely come down to which sport will provide him the best opportunity on the field/court as well as in the classroom.
Seeing how Nebraska basketball is my beat, I had to ask if getting a hoops offer from the Huskers would sway his decision at all. He said playing for NU would be a dream situation, but he’ll wait to think about that once it actually happens. From what I know, Nebraska has been in contact for basketball, but nothing serious at this point.
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