While football is played in the Fall, it is becoming a sport that extends through all 12 months. In college football, much of that lengthening is due to recruiting.
Following signing day in February is ‘camp season’ where rising seniors start to get the recognition that will follow them for the next nine months. No camp is more prestigious for high school recruits than Nike’s ‘The Opening’ which takes place every summer in Eugene, Oregon. In order to find the best of the best from each part of the country, Nike and partner Student Sports host regional camps that result in ‘golden tickets’ to the finals for a select few from each region.
This weekend, The Opening comes to Texas and lands at Arlington Lamar High School. Last year, Trent Dilfer of NFL and ESPN fame told us that “Texas is always strong†when it comes to the ability to assemble talent – this year is no different. HornSports will have live reports from the camp all day on Sunday, here is a look at some of the players that are slated to attend:
Commitments
All three of the Texans committed to the Longhorns will be in attendance on Sunday. Arlington Lamar’s Shane Buechele should have a home field advantage with the camp taking place at his high school, and the state’s top quarterback prospect could see his stock rise even higher with a strong performance this weekend.
https://www.hornsports.com/images/rhm_hl.jpg
Reggie Hemphill wasn’t able to attend the Texas junior day, but the long time pledge is primed for a great camp that could separate him a bit from a talented wide receiver group in this state. Gilmer linebacker DeMarco Boyd rounds out the group of commitments on hand. Boyd has flown under the radar so far, but has the chance to show off a well-rounded skillset in a critical camp environment.
Quarterbacks
The Opening and Elite 11 camps used to operate separately, but this year both will be blended into one competition. As the glamour position in football, quarterback performances usually produce the most post-event chatter. Buechele will be joined by several of the state’s top signal callers for both the 2016 and 2017 classes looking to make their way to Oregon.
https://www.hornsports.com/images/sb_hl.jpg
D’Eriq King (Manvel): a human highlight reel and TCU commit that is looking to prove that he can play at quarterback.
Dillon Sterling-Cole (Westfield): 2017 recruit that made a splash at last year’s Elite 11 competition.
Logan Bonner (Rowlett): braved the harsh conditions to make it to Austin for junior day, and while he didn’t receive an offer he could be a candidate for one down the line.
Tristen Wallace (DeSoto): should have no problem in the SPARQ testing that measures athletic ability, but the former Texas Tech commit has some work to do on his passing.
Shawn Robinson (Denton Guyer): 2017 phenom that is athletic with a great build and has an incredibly refined passing ability.
Running Backs
Within the last month, Charlie Strong has fired off a multitude of offers to running backs from around the state. Many of those athletes will be in attendance and are looking to excel in what is a highly talented position group.
https://www.hornsports.com/images/dw_hl.jpg
Devwah Whaley (Beaumont Central): will be the highest rated prospect on campus and will display an athletic skillset where he thrives in all aspects of the game.
Kameron Martin (Port Arthur Memorial): a Baylor commit that will be a favorite in the speed competitions. Martin excels as a slot back on sweeps and runs to the outside so it will be interesting to see how he performs in drills that test the other aspects of his game.
Trayveon Williams (C.E. King): has an exciting skillset and is one of the more underrated prospects in the state.
Brandon Stephens (Plano): UT offered, which surprised some, but he displays the versatility that the coaching staff seems to covet.
Rakeem Boyd (Stratford): one of the more exciting prospects in the state at the position and is looking to raise his stock.
Darius Anderson (Richmond George Ranch): underrated at this point and does all of the little things well while showing off some nice top end speed and elusiveness.
Lil’ Jordan Humphrey (Southlake Carroll): at 6’5â€, Humphrey will be the most intriguing running back on hand. Questions have been raised about where he projects.
Receivers and Tight Ends
No position is better suited for a camp environment than wide receiver, as the prospects gain advantage in one-on-ones and seven-on-seven. This year, a talented group of receivers joins Reggie Hemphill in their quest to reach Oregon.
https://www.hornsports.com/images/dd_hl.jpg
Devin Duvernay (Sachse): a favorite to lead the day in athletic testing. One of the most exciting prospects in the state when he gets the ball in his hands, Duvernay possesses elite speed and wiggle.
Tren’Davian Dickson (Navasota): trying to prove he is the most talented playmaker at the position in the state. Questions have been raised about his true size and speed ability.
Kofi Boateng (Arlington Lamar): a great skillset that allows him to play bigger than his 6’1, 175 pound frame.
LSU commit Dee Anderson (West Mesquite): one of the most physically talented players in the state and should be able to dominate in a camp environment. Committed to LSU.
T.J. Vasher (Wichita Falls Rider): another that should be physically unmatched by defenders all day and could provide evaluators with more information to boost his stock.
Kaden Smith (Flower Mound Marcus): a classic in-line tight end that can make plays down the seam and over the middle.
J.C. Chalk (Argyle): Clemson commitment is more of an H-Back prospect than a true tight end whose size will remind fans of a David Thomas-type player.
Marquise Guinn (Carthage): at 6’4, 230 pounds, Guinn has remarkable athletic ability to go along with his size.
Hezekiah Jones (Stafford): 2017 prospect is an early favorite to be ranked highly in his class and has the ability to stand out among the group of older receivers as well.
Offensive Line
https://www.hornsports.com/images/jpu_hl.jpg
Greg Little (Allen): Texas A&M commit is excellent on film and in live game action. Little should use his size and technique to dominate at the camp.
Jean Delance (North Mesquite): plays with outstanding technique and movement but is still developing from a strength aspect. Delance will be looking to prove he can dominate with his superior technique.
Tope Imade (Arlington Bowie): a big bodied lineman who exhibits great strength albeit with some raw technique.
Chris Owens (Arlington Lamar): has terrific athleticism and could really shine at this event.
J.P. Urquidez (Copperas Cove): a massive prospect who will have evaluators watching his one-on-one’s closely to gauge footwork and technique.
Zack Shackleford (Belton): will be in attendance fresh off of his junior day visit to Austin. Shackleford could be a candidate for an offer after the evaluation period.
Defensive Line
https://www.hornsports.com/images/eo_hl.jpg
Isaiah Chambers (MacArthur): a gigantic prospect who shows natural pass rush ability. Texas hasn’t been in contact, but that hasn’t stopped an elite group of programs from offering.
Ed Oliver (Westfield): a DT with the potential to be MVP at his position, Oliver has an elite first step and brute strength.
Kendell Jones (Killeen Shoemaker): an absolute mountain of a man with freakish strength, but there are some questions about his quickness and flexibility.
Chris Daniels (Trinity): has the size to excel as an interior lineman along with a nice first step and pass rush technique.
McTelvin Agim (Hope, Arkansas): a bit undersized, but is an absolute demon on film.
Linebacker
https://www.hornsports.com/images/dj_hl.jpg
Erick Fowler (Manor): displays eye popping suddenness, but might be a defensive end prospect at the next level.
Dontavious Jackson (Elsik): plays downhill well against the run, but needs to show he can be a factor in coverage as well.
Jeffrey McCulloch (Aldine Davis): a do-it-all prospect who excels at several aspects of the game.
Jordan Carmouche (Manvel): great in space and coverage, but is a little undersized. Needs to show he’s not an oversized safety.
Anthony Hines (Plano East): 2017 prospect turning heads early that will rank highly on initial recruiting lists.
Defensive Back
In what has been dubbed by some “the year of the safetyâ€, the group of defensive back prospects at Arlington Lamar on Sunday will be looking to outperform the talented receivers on the other side.
https://www.hornsports.com/images/da_hl.jpg
Brandon Jones (Nacogdoches): The Opening will be his first action of any sort after an injury limited his season. Jones is in contention to be the top ranked player in the state, and has fluid athleticism and range.
Eric Monroe (North Shore): flashes great athleticism and has the versatility to play corner.
Deontay Anderson (Manvel): might be the most talented player on a team full of D1 recruits.
Eric Cuffee (Waco): plays smooth with physicality and technique, and has a knack for making plays on the ball. Cuffee will try to establish himself as the top corner at the event.
Jared Mayden (Sachse): will challenge Cuffee as top CB – holds an astonishing offer list and has great size and ability.
Obi Eboh (Southlake Carroll): plays with a controlled aggression and is physical at the line of scrimmage.
Christian Wallace (Katy Tompkins): a two-way prospect whose future is on defense with outstanding athletic ability.
Jeffrey Okudah (South Grand Prairie): an exceptional 2017athlete that should rank in the top ten next season.
Throughout the day on Sunday, HornSports will have updates, interviews, and analysis live from The Opening.