The Opening is in full swing out at Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, so let's get right to things, shall we?
WOLVERINES IN THE MIX FOR SHAUN WADE?
The battle to keep Shaun Wade in the fold certainly isn't going to be easy for Urban Meyer and Co., and earlier this week reports surfaced that the five-star is looking to make a trip to Ann Arbor.
Brandon Justice, a recruiting writer for the Wolverines' Rivals.com site, spoke with Wade who indicated that he was working on getting up to Michigan for their "BBQ at the Big House" event ($). He went on to discuss his former fandom for the Maize and Blue as well as some connections with current players and coaches.
Alas, it appears the Wolverines currently aren't much of a threat in this one. Wade's father clarified the situation a bit with 247sports.com's Bill Kurelic, stating that nothing has been set up and his son doesn't even have a relationship with the Michigan staff ($). All signs continue to point toward Ohio State or Alabama for the nation's second-ranked cornerback.
After a bit of uncertainty as to whether or not he would be able to attend The Opening, Birm spoke with Randy Wade who confirmed his son will, in fact, be in Oregon this weekend.
DOUBTING DOBBINS?
While the Buckeyes look to flip one-time Alabama commit Cam Akers, the Crimson Tide are looking to do the same with four-star Ohio State commit J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins, who committed essentially out of nowhere in March, received an offer from Nick Saban in late June. At the time of the offer, one Bama recruiting analyst noted that Dobbins went the "no comment" route when asked about his current status as an Ohio State commit.
Blessed to receive an offer from the Alabama crimson tide! #RollTide #RTR pic.twitter.com/Ax2ByiH8Gi
— Jk dobbins (@Jkdobbins22) June 28, 2016
Since that time, Dobbins cleared the air on his status with the Buckeyes and there really doesn't seem to be much to worry about. Alabama's running back recruiting continues to be absolutely absurd. The Tide has two of the nation's top backs – including the No. 1 overall player in Najee Harris – already in the fold for 2017. Nick Saban appears to be looking to add a third back, but after the initial excitement, it doesn't look like much is going on between the Crimson Tide and the La Grange, Texas standout. Akers, on the other hand, continues to list Bama in his top 10, but the two parties are unlikely to reunite.
Dobbins has stated that he may take some visits, but right now he continues to be 100 percent committed to the Scarlet and Gray.
DAY ONE AT THE OPENING
Our very own Tim Shoemaker had some pertinent information Wednesday night from Day One in Oregon, complete with sights and sounds from the Wednesday sessions. Honestly, there's not a whole lot to discuss at this point. The first workouts involved some basic pitch and catch between the quarterbacks and pass-catchers, so nothing really crazy went down.
Birm reported Tate Martell started out a bit sluggish before settling in as the day went on, something that is pretty commonplace in these types of settings. Martell continued his pursuit of 7-on-7 teammates Tyjon Lindsey and Trevon Grimes, which will certainly extend through the end of the week.
Tate Martell told me he has been with Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey non-stop since they arrived at @TheOpening yesterday.
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) July 6, 2016
Buckeye linebacker target Anthony Hines – who visited Columbus in mid-June – was spotted decked out in some Ohio State gear. Does that mean anything at all? Probably not, but it's still good to see the nation's top inside linebacker showing some respect. Hines, along with fellow Texan Baron Browning, remain the top two linebackers on Ohio State's board.
Ready for The Opening Finals @TheAntHines_Era in recovery in the Normatec cold tub next pic.twitter.com/yU82jrJmjd
— Anthony Hines (@D1Dad19) July 6, 2016
Things will start heating in Beaverton as we approach the weekend. We'll continue to post updates on the recruiting board until the event concludes. Also, if you are in need of a reminder as to when and where you can tune into the festivities:
The nation's top high school football event will be televised on @ESPNU July 9th & 10th. Only at #TheOpening! pic.twitter.com/KGMClUS2vq
— The Opening (@TheOpening) July 6, 2016
FIVE-STARS FOR 2017
Piggybacking off The Opening, a lot of questions have been asked about how many five-star prospects Ohio State will sign come February of next year. Obviously, that's impossible to really forecast since every recruiting outlet will do multiple rankings updates between now and then, but this weekend in Oregon may go a long way in helping to determine that.
The biggest names to watch in terms of possibly gaining that fifth star are likely guys like J.K Dobbins and Tate Martell. Martell, who was a five-star just a few short months ago, typically excels in these types of events. With the entire recruiting world watching, he has a chance to catapult himself back into that category. Dobbins currently checks in at No. 50 in the national composite rankings, and he certainly has a chance to keep his stock on the up and up as well.
There is also an entire football season yet to be played, but this weekend is going to be heavily scrutinized by the national pundits.
For whatever it's worth, I still think seven or eight is a safe bet for the number of five-stars, but there's no sense in even trying to predict how the upcoming season will unfold for these young fellas. After a stellar camp circuit, Jake Moretti was in prime position to potentially gain that fifth star. The knee injury obviously is going to make that virtually impossible for the nation's No. 56 prospect since he won't be on the field for the 2016 season.
You just never know.
COMMITMENT VIDEOS HAVE JUMPED THE SHARK
It is 2016, and creating videos for college commitments is commonplace. I can dig that, as long as the videos are done correctly. Wednesday, the Wolverines landed four-star offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert from Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage) – a very nice pickup for the fighting Harbaughs. For his announcement, the 6-foot-5, 285-pounder decided to fight off some zombies dressed in Big Ten rivals' apparel.
Originality: 10/10
Creativity: 8/10
Soundtrack: 3/10
Overall Appeal: 1/10
We need less of the zombie attacks, airplane stunts, and bus-pullings. We need more of this:
Originality: 10/10
Creativity: 10/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Overall Appeal: 10/10
What a time to be alive.
