Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas: Rivals.com Awards

The 80th annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas took place at Wofford University in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday, with the North Carolina squad coming from behind to beat South Carolina 17-10. Here are some awards for the players who impressed this week as decided by national recruiting analysts Woody Wommack and Adam Friedman.

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The South Carolina commit spent the week of practice terrorizing his own team by blowing up plays, and on the first drive of the actual game he did the same to the North Carolina team. Bowen had a strip sack in the first quarter that set up his team for a field goal and was active all over the field during the game. He should have a good career with the Gamecocks and could even see the field early as a pass rushing specialist.

Howard came into the week as a two-star, but after a week in which he was a load for defenders to handle during practice he looks like his stock should be on the rise. His tough running style seems like a perfect fit in the Georgia Tech offense and his productivity in the game shows he’s capable of doing it against good competition.

Williams threw a pair of interceptions in the game, but both came on tipped passes. Despite the turnovers, there’s no doubting that the future Miami (Ohio) quarterback had the best week. He made plays with both his arm and his legs and finished with 109 yards passing while also leading his team in rushing yards with 41.

Smith didn’t take long to make his presence known in the game, hauling in a 43-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. It was just the start of a big day for Smith, who finished the game averaging 19.2 yards per catch on his five receptions. Nagging injuries during the week of practice bothered Smith, but the South Carolina commit saved the best for Saturday’s game.

Johnson was a disruptive force for the South Carolina team while moving around to play defensive end, defensive tackle and a little linebacker. Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Tennessee are all in the mix for the versatile playmaker, and it’s easy to see why given his production both in practice and during the game. Johnson finished the game with seven total tackles, including two for loss, both of which were game highs.

Rountree just recently committed to Missouri, but he really opened some eyes throughout the week of practice. He runs very hard and is tough for linebackers to bring down. Rountree acted as the workhorse for North Carolina despite not being the biggest running back out there. He finished the game with 87 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Virginia Tech fans should be excited about getting Farley. He played quarterback in high school but lined up at wide receiver all week. Farley had no problem getting open and made his fair share of catches. He will be a big play threat throughout his college career and even ran the ball during the game. He finished the game with 45 yard receiving.

Nairildeen, the highest-rated player at the Shrine Bowl, was an enforcer in the middle of the field. He set the tone early in the week, leveling a receiver running on an intermediate crossing route. Nasirildeen, a South Carolina commit, was very physical with receivers all over the field and was able to knock some passes out of their hands. One of the highest-ranked players in the game, he finished with a team-high five tackles.

Hennigan had a couple catches in the game, and he was one of the quarterbacks’ favorite targets during the week because he caught everything thrown his way. Committed to Appalachian State, Hennigan isn’t going to run past defensive backs, but he does gain separation running crisp routes. He really doesn’t need to get that much separation because he can bring the ball down in traffic. Hennigan finished the game with six catches for 66 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left in the game.

No player at the Shrine Bowl had a better physical build than North Carolina commit Marcus McKethan. He is every bit the 6-foot-5 he is listed, and 300 pounds might be a little light. The most impressive thing about his build is how broad his shoulders are. Offensive line coaches love players that have some width but don’t have much bad weight on their frame, and McKethan certainly fits that description