Rivals Camp Series Los Angeles: How Sunday Will Impact The Rankings

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – The Rivals Camp Series kicked off in Southern California over the weekend and there were plenty of top prospects in attendance. With the event in the books, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at the impact some performances could have on rankings.

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There were more than 40 quarterbacks at Sunday’s camp including many of the top 2025 prospects at that position in the West including Husan Longstreet, Akili Smith Jr., Bear Bachmeier, Madden Iamaleava, Jackson Kollock, TJ Lateef and others.

There needs to be a balance struck between total resume and performance in one camp but based on Sunday, Kollock and Lateef should be bumped up in the rankings.

Kollock, a former Washington commit, is a big-bodied pocket passer as the ball comes out cleanly and smoothly, and he has great accuracy. Lateef threw arguably the nicest ball of the 2025 quarterbacks at the event as he put it in a line with great pace numerous times and also knew when to put just the right amount of air under it to let his receivers run under it.

Longstreet, Smith, Iamaleava and Bachmeier all had impressive performances as well so major changes aren’t coming from a regional perspective but Kollock and Lateef certainly helped themselves.

This is going to be a very interesting debate and one that probably isn’t settled for a long time – whether Newbury Park, Calif., standout Brady Smigiel or Folsom, Calif., prospect Ryder Lyons is the best West quarterback in 2026 and arguably the top quarterback in the entire class.

From a statistical perspective, both had outrageously good sophomore seasons. Smigiel completed 282 of 479 passes (59 percent) for 4,222 yards with 52 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Lyons was 259 of 381 passing (68 percent) for 3,578 yards with 38 touchdowns and eight picks, but the Northern California QB also rushed 226 times for 929 yards and 23 scores.

They’re different. Smigiel is more of a traditional pocket passer with a really live arm, a coach’s son and super smart running the show. Lyons is more of a gunslinger, confident in his abilities, ready to make things happen with his arm or his feet, a better Jaxson Dart at the same stage.

Both were outstanding Sunday even with Smigiel a little under the weather. Both will have five-star consideration moving forward and now the question will be which one should be higher.

They come in all shapes and sizes, big, small, great route runners, guys who rely more on their athleticism and big-play ability but one way or another it’s clear: The 2026 receiver class in the West region is stocked. And it only got even better now that top-rated WR Chris Henry Jr. has transferred to Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei.

Some of the bigger names were either at other tournaments or injured so they didn’t participate in Sunday’s camp – Henry, USC commit Ja’Myron Baker and Daniel Odom were sidelined – but Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco’s Madden Williams and Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic’s Jonah Smith put on a show.

Other than diminutive speedster Jadyn Robinson, a four-star prospect in the 2025 class, Williams and Smith were unstoppable. Smith made numerous catches with cornerbacks draped all over him and Williams went over the top to high-point the ball and bring it in. Both showed great hands, made big plays and should be considered among the best at the position in 2026.

Maybe Harlem Berry is a more dynamic, highlight-reel running back. Maybe Alvin Henderson put up 3,523 rushing yards and 61 touchdowns in Elba, Ala., this past season. Maybe Clemson commit Gideon Davidson looks chiseled out of stone. There’s a running back named Bo Jackson in this recruiting class, after all.

I still think Jordon Davison is the best running back in the class. Here’s why: The five-star plays at arguably the best program in the country at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. For the last two seasons he was the main ball carrier but split reps with Georgia signee Nate Frazier, the top-ranked all-purpose back in 2024. He plays in the best high school football league in the country and has looked great in his sophomore and junior seasons.

And then at Sunday’s camp he was a few steps ahead of the other running backs. Not just going through drills or during one-on-ones where he toasted some good linebackers, either. But also in the pass protection drill where a running back and linebacker get pretty physical. Davison is more powerful than he gets credit for and isn’t afraid to mix it up.

Does he end up No. 1 at the spot? Only time will tell – and there are other great running backs out there – but Davison continues to back up his ranking.

Here are five more prospects who helped their ranking after an impressive showing at the Rivals Camp in Southern California.

The new three-star lineman at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman was phenomenal during one-on-ones and didn’t lose a rep. He’s not the biggest offensive lineman out there but he battles and doesn’t give ground.

No one is more fired up or plays with more passion than the Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon three-star offensive lineman. He’s massive at 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, has an infectious personality on the field and takes a backseat to no one.

Long and rangy, Walls plays off the edge like he was shot out of a cannon. The Pittsburg, Calif., defensive end attacks offensive linemen, uses his speed to his advantage and usually gets into the backfield.

This was our first time seeing Sharma in person – and he’s very impressive, much better than his low three-star ranking indicates. That will change in the next rankings cycle as he’s huge, powerful and could be one of the best defensive linemen in the West.

It’s hard to believe only San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV and Washington State have offered Brown so far. Super-talented Colorado State signee Jordan Ross caught a lot of the balls at Downey (Calif.) Warren last season and that will change for Brown heading into next year but the athletic tight end has tons of playmaking ability.