Hackensack, New Jersey – Sunday’s Under Armor training camp in New Jersey attracted some of the Northeast’s best prospects, and despite the cold, windy and rainy weather, there were plenty of impressive performances. Rivals.com National Recruitment Analyst Adam Friedman Four key points of this event were shared.
Bryce Underwood and Matt Zollers release statement
Five-star LSU quarterback Bryce Underwood is one of many players in the running for the No. 1 spot on Rivals250. He just recently started participating in the offseason training camp circuit in a big way, and as expected, he impressed in every game. In an OT7 game two weeks ago in Orlando and last weekend at Under Armor training camp in New Jersey, Underwood showed off the unique physical abilities that help him shine on the court. As a passer, he can pass the ball to any position on the court through touch and timing. Although his footwork and movement skills may be slightly lacking, it is no exaggeration to say that his ceiling is the highest among quarterbacks in his class. We’ll have more opportunities to see Underwood in elite competition this offseason, and tracking his development throughout the remainder of the process should tell us a lot about him and the current Rivals250 No. 1 and USC four-point How the game between guard Julian Lewis will go.
Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers has been trending upward all offseason, and it’s fair to say that he will find himself in the Rivals 250 when the rankings are updated at the end of the spring camp season. The four-star prospect out of Penn State gets better and better with every tournament he competes in, and this weekend’s effort was his best yet. His versatile skillset and excellent arm strength, combined with his ability to consistently deliver accurate and catchable passes on short and direct routes, make him a high prospect.Missouri fans should be very excited about where Zollers is in his development and how well his skillset fits with the team Elia Drinkwitzplan of attack.
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TYLER MERRILL lives up to his name
Sunday’s training camp was Tyler Merrill’s first major offseason camp, and things couldn’t have gone any better. The top linebacker in the 2026 class has great size as an offensive lineman and has enough speed and strength to take on the best defensive linemen in the country. The 6-foot-5 Pennsylvania native played almost exclusively at left tackle in Sunday’s one-on-one matchup and dominated. Merrill has a quick offense, a patient passing game, a hard punch and strong hands, which he uses to change the direction of defensive linemen. He was beaten by an outside rusher just once, but the rest of the time, Merrill was as consistent as he could have hoped.
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Promising underclassman quarterback emerges
Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for the quarterbacks on Sunday, there were still some underclassmen to shake off at the position. Semaj Beals and Qur’an McNeill are two quarterbacks in the class of 2026 who already have some impressive offers at this stage of their careers. Beals and McNeil are both rated as three-star prospects, each possessing traits and skills that are clearly attractive to college coaches. We could see more big offers emerge as they show more consistent accuracy in tight coverage from defensive backs.
Christopher Vargas in the 2028 class and Peter Bourque and Kahden Davis in the 2027 class are very attractive prospects. As an incoming freshman, Vargas is a tall quarterback with a quick release and solid throwing skills at this point in his career. As 2027 quarterbacks, Bourque and Davis are even better. On Sunday, Bourque’s passes really cut through the wind and waves. Davis arrived early, playing one-on-one with the linebackers and throwing passes to the running backs in addition to competing with receivers and defensive backs on late plays. Wind and rain and the varying speeds of his intended targets make it difficult for him to throw with consistent timing, but the raw tools he possesses will make him one of the more interesting quarterback prospects in the East.
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Weather takes a toll on receivers, defensive backs
The weather conditions on Sunday were truly unfortunate for players regardless of their position, but receivers, defensive backs and quarterbacks did feel the brunt of the cold, wind and rain. At no time during the day was the rain heavier than during a one-on-one matchup between receivers and defensive backs. It’s difficult for receivers to consistently catch the ball, but players like Lex Cyrus, Notre Dame’s Elijah Burress, Messiah Hampton and Penn State’s Lyric Samuel Rookies can stand out. Syracuse’s Terrell Wilfong, Keanu Johnson, Carter Bonner, Syracuse’s Darrion Williams, Jordin Houston and Ohio State’s Dezi Jones also worked on position drills and one-on-one drills Excellent performance at different times.
While some receivers struggled to catch the ball in the rain, there were also plenty of defensive backs who lost their footing due to the slippery turf. Despite less-than-ideal conditions, Rutgers’ Renick Dorilas, Larry Moon and Demary Clemons earned plenty of reps. Four-star Jordan Thomas, Ohio State’s Deshaun Stewart, Teron Johnson and Charles Bell also had good wins and showed off impressive technical skills in position drills before one-on-one .
