ESPN College Football Recruiting

Originally Published: April 20, 2009

Breaking down the USC NFTC MVPs

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By Greg Biggins
ESPNRISE.com
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Over 300 kids endured the 90 degree weather at the SoCal Nike Camp in what was one of the most talent-laden events we've done in the West region. Here are the best of the best by position as voted on by the coaches at the NFTC.

Position MVPs

Running back: Brennan Clay (San Diego, Calif./ Scripps Ranch)
In an incredibly strong group of running backs, Clay clearly had the best day and was the unanimous choice by every running back coach for MVP honors. He didn't come in as heralded as a few other backs in the camp, but he showed that he should definitely be mentioned as one of the elite players in the region. He showed his physical side in the one-on-one drills putting several linebackers on their back and showed the quickest feet in the camp throughout the day.

Wide receiver: Kenny Stills (San Diego, Calif./ La Costa Canyon)
Stills is a smooth looking receiver and may have answered the question about who's the No. 2 receiver in the region, assuming Robert Woods (Gardena, Calif./ Serra) is the No. 1 guy. He was able to run past every defensive back he went up against and showed excellent hands all camp long. He was explosive in and out of his breaks, showed great body control and the ability to out-leap opposing corners.

Offensive line: Manu Mulitalo (West Valley, Utah./ Granger)
Mulitalo was solid throughout the day and then really stepped up his game during the one-on-one drills. He's a physical road grader type at guard and plays with an edge. He finishes his blocks very well, moves his feet well and has a great punch. There were a handful of prospects, who entered the camp still waiting for their first offer to roll in. Mulitalo was one of those players, but his performance showed he's definitely a solid Division I prospect.

Defensive line: Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, Calif./ Rancho Verde)
Powell was called a freak by a few of the defensive line coaches for his combination of size, speed and overall talent. Powell is the total package as a college lineman and has all the physical tools you're looking for and the intangibles to boot. He's a competitive kid who took a ton of reps in the one-on-one drills, while a few other "high profile" players sat back not wanting to take a chance on hurting their stock. It will be very interesting to watch Powell as he physically matures and depending on how big he gets, will likely determine if he plays on the inside or outside at the college level.

Linebacker: Cecil Whiteside (Newport Beach Calif./ Newport Harbor)
The linebacker group ended up being very solid and Whiteside was the guy the coaches came away raving about. The Cal-commit is an excellent athlete with a great frame and motor. He was in the top two or three linebackers in every drill, including the one-on-one pass rush drill and the one-on-one coverage. In fact, it was his ability to cover the backs out of the backfield that sealed the deal for Whiteside to take home MVP honors.

Defensive back: Shaquille Richardson (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
The race for DB MVP was the tightest out of any of the positions. It came down to Lakewood (Calif.) safety Dion Bailey, Corona (Calif.) corner Demetrious Wright and Shaq Richardson with the Griffin corner pulling it out by a hair. Richardson is a good-sized corner who can play physical at the line, but has the speed to run with the faster receivers. He has been coached very well and comes from a program known for producing quality corners, including San Diego Charger Antoine Cason and Dallas Cowboy Orlando Scandrick.