Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove weighs in on Deion Sanders' high praise for two-way star Travis Hunter, whether coaches should be able to attend offseason camps and a few early enrollees who look like they are going to jump right into the fray and make an impact at their new college programs.

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Coach Deion Sanders gave high praise for the nation's former No. 1 recruit, Jackson State transfer Travis Hunter, during a press conference following Colorado's 12th spring practice. Sanders' words carry a lot of weight, considering he was a three-time All-American and arguably the best athlete to play the game of college football.

"Travis (Hunter) is better than I was at this age and stage," Sanders said. "He's maybe not as fast – but the intangibilities and who he is – he's better. He's a better version at this age and stage."

We all know that coach Prime is a PR machine capable of drawing as much attention for his budding Colorado football team as possible. So is this another publicity stunt, or does the Pro Football Hall of Famer truly believe that Hunter is better than he was at the same stage of his career?

Hunter is entering his second year of college ball after transferring from Jackson State to Colorado. Sanders was a third-team All-American in his second year at Florida State before going on to win the Jim Thorpe Award and being named a unanimous first-team All-American during his final two seasons of college.

Only time will tell if Hunter is truly better than his mentor, but to say that a sophomore in college is better than one of the best players to ever strap on the pads seems a little over the top. Yes, Hunter is a special athlete and a likely first-round draft pick, but to put him on the same pedestal as Sanders seems a little premature. At the same time, should Sanders turn out to be spot on in his evaluation of Hunter, there could be something special brewing in Boulder.

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I have long believed that the limitations put on college coaches when it comes to evaluating prospects in person is a detriment to both recruits and college football programs alike. This used to be a topic that I thought about often, but the thought had drifted to the back of my mind until Sunday's Rivals Camp Series event in Atlanta.

So, what was it about the Rivals Camp Series event that made my long-held belief come to the forefront of my mind again? It was the play of newly minted four-star linebacker Christopher Jones, who was merely a blip on our radar with no stars and three non-Power Five offers to his name entering the camp.

Jones proved to be a bona fide stud during Sunday's camp and the level to which he is underrecruited could almost be considered criminal. Not only is Jones an FBS offer-worthy recruit, he is the type of player that would likely have 20-plus Power Five offers by now had college coaches previously been given the opportunity to see what we saw during Sunday's camp.

Instead of being forced to travel on his own dime and potentially having to pay to attend college camps in order to receive the offers he deserves, he could be focusing on a college decision.

The good thing for Jones is he did make it to the camp, he did earn the stars and his recruitment will likely heat up in the next month. But not every college football recruit hits this same jackpot, and many major offer-worthy players ultimately go unseen.

I have seen this time and time again as a former college coach and scout. While the spring evaluation period is an important part of the recruiting process and enables coaches to eyeball recruits in person, it is simply not enough when there are countless opportunities such as the Rivals Camp Series, where college coaches could evaluate recruits in person.

Carnell Tate - Ohio State: Tate began spring as the first freshman to lose his black stripe (new players have to earn the privilege of having their black stripe removed). He finished spring with a 37-yard touchdown during Ohio State's spring game, and the No. 3 overall receiver in the 2023 class has drawn rave reviews early on in his college career. Many assumed that Tate would have to wait in the wings for his opportunity to shine, but he has proven more than worthy of making an instant impact this spring and he could be one injury away from starting games this fall. We knew Tate had a chance to be special, and this spring has more than proven that his future in Columbus is very bright.

Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee: There was plenty of hype surrounding Iamaleava heading into his first spring at Tennessee, and it appears that the former five-star is already living up to the lofty expectations placed upon him. Quarterback is such a unique and heady position that even the most gifted signal-callers often take time to get their bearings at the college level (see Arch Manning), but the early enrollee from California has passed every test thus far in his early career as a Vol. While Iamaleava is not guaranteed the starting spot behind center come this fall, chances are that he will get every opportunity to make an impact in some form for a Vols team looking to build on its breakout 2022 season.

Benjamin Hall and Amir Herring - Michigan: With Michigan's top three running backs held out for various reasons, three-star early enrollee Benjamin Hall made the most of his opportunity with a highlight-packed performance during the spring game. He finished with 96 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. While there is some special veteran talent in front of Hall, his performance showed that he could make an instant impact this fall. Offensive line is often a position that takes some development before a player is ready to shine, but early reports out of Ann Arbor suggest that Rivals250 offensive lineman Amir Herring could carve out an early role in the Michigan offense. Herring was the only freshman to start on the offensive line during Michigan's spring game, and he could be an injury away from making an impact as a true freshman this fall.