ATLANTA – The fourth stop of the Rivals Camp Series came to Atlanta this past weekend as prospects from around the region – and many from outside of it – came to compete.
Here are the five college football programs that should be pleased, based on what recruits said and how top targets performed.
ALABAMA
At first glance, it was hard to miss the Alabama contingent showing up to put in work on Sunday. A pair of blue-chip linebacker commitments, Darrell Johnson and Luke Metz, each had great workouts sporting Alabama gloves and each made a case for positional MVP with splash plays in pass-rushing drills and in coverage alike. At certain points, there was a flash of crimson on both sides of the football as undeclared blue-chip tight end Xavier Tiller also sported the script A while impressing during the event.
Of course, the top-ranked prospect in attendance and No. 1 in the land, Julian Lewis, also talked up Kalen DeBoer’s program and its new offense-first approach. Lewis maintains a solid commitment to USC, but Alabama appears to be trending in the right direction to stay in the thick of the chase for the top quarterback. Plenty of other elites in town have the Tide high on their mind, too, from Rivals250 wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery to top in-state safety Anquon Fegans and Peach State prospect Edward Coleman. Other 2026 standouts high on Alabama included four-stars at tight end in Kaiden Prothro, safeties Kaiden Hall and Nassir McCoy as well as defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright to name a few.
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AUBURN
The event kicked off with a pair of Auburn commitments impressing in the trenches in four-stars Malik Autry and Kail Ellis. The rising-senior on defense, Autry was ultra impressive with his combination of power and quickness despite immense size and Ellis was one of the few blockers with any chance of slowing him down. The rising-junior earned Offensive Line MVP honors and worked three of the five offensive line spots in the process. Autry and Ellis are both solid to the Tigers despite many other programs trying to make a play.
Elsewhere in the trenches, the highest-ranked edge rusher in attendance also remains high on Auburn. Zion Grady all but said if he stays in the state of Alabama for college, the Tigers are his likely destination as Miami, Florida State, Tennessee and others give chase. In the afternoon session, all eyes were on No. 1 QB recruit Julian Lewis and he continues to consider Hugh Freeze’s program despite that longstanding USC commitment. In-state four-star and Defensive Back MVP Eric Winters could be down to Auburn and Georgia ahead of an offseason decision, and admitted the Tigers are courting him most consistently at this time. Another highly-coveted athlete still high on the program includes Kennan Britt, younger brother of former Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt, among others.
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GEORGIA
We could probably just pencil Georgia in as an answer to this question about every spring when the Rivals Camp Series stops in or around the state of Georgia. The Bulldogs of course were well-represented at the event from its top performers through those working out with high interest in Kirby Smart’s program. Beginning with the obvious, Georgia commitment Bo Walker stood out as much as any camper and won the Running Back MVP award for the second-straight Atlanta Rivals Camp.
Bulldog targets took home plenty of hardware, too, as Deuce Geralds won Defensive Line MVP, Samuel Turner won Wide Receiver MVP and Anthony Davis won Linebacker MVP. One couldn’t miss Eric Winters hauling in four interceptions while sporting Bulldog gloves en route to winning Defensive Back MVP. Even those in the running for top honors are high on Georgia, including cornerback Shamar Arnoux, safeties Anquon Fegans and Nassir McCoy and defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright. Offensive lineman Zykie Helton has the Bulldogs as his public leader at this time, too.
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OHIO STATE
Few programs outside of the region combine national recruiting with splashes in the South like Ohio State. Freshman defensive lineman Eddrick Houston stopped by to check in on some former teammates and there was plenty of Buckeye buzz thereafter. In the trenches, elite pass rusher Zion Grady and two elite 2026s on the defensive front in Bryce Perry-Wright (Houston’s former teammate) and Deuce Geralds remain high on the program.
The skill session in the afternoon had some Ohio State flair to it, too, in Wide Receiver/Tight End MVP Kaiden Prothro and Linebacker MVP Anthony Davis. The latter wore can’t-miss scarlet Ohio State gloves throughout his head-turning performance. The No. 2 safety in the country, Faheem Delane, made the trip to Atlanta and the Buckeyes are at or near the top for him. Ryan Day’s staff has three commitments from the region already on board in 2025 and it is not likely the end of their run down South.
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USC
USC commit Julian Lewis continues to consider other programs, but the five-star spoke on record about using his last trips to Los Angeles as primers ahead of his December move to campus for good. The five-star is business-like at most times but joked and threw in some ‘Fight On’ calls for onlookers keeping an eye on him Sunday.
It wasn’t just Lewis who was pro-USC among those in attendance. The Trojans have recruited the Southeast well in 2025 and 2026, with the region serving as the foundation for each highly-ranked class early on. The Trojans will continue to make plays for high level prospects from the Rivals Camp in Atlanta, too, like Auburn defensive line commitment Malik Autry and blue-chip 2026 trenchman Bryce Perry-Wright, to name a few.
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John Garcia Jr., National Recruiting Analyst
