Monday marked the final day of action at The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Oregon, with the Final Five Lineman Challenge and 7-versus-7 tournament taking center stage at the prestigious event.
After a seemingly devastating injury to newly-minted Tennessee defensive tackle commit Greg Emerson cut short the lineman portion of the event on Saturday, pads were popping on Sunday. Well, that was the case for everyone except Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman, Cleveland Heights four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith and any other Ohioans restricted by the state athletic association's rules — they can't wear more than helmets, shorts and a t-shirt until August 1.
Nevertheless, Carman and Smith put on a show in one-on-one drills today. Carman would get the upper hand on one rep, while Smith would get the best of his opponent on the next drill. It came as no surprise when they were matched up with one another one final time in the Final Five.
Jackson Carman versus Tyreke Smith: pic.twitter.com/H1UjXwaIjj
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) July 3, 2017
The rest of the defensive line for the Final Five — which was expanded to six because of the aforementioned rules — included Ohio State tackle commit Taron Vincent, end commit Brenton Cox and tackle target Nesta Silvera. If the Buckeyes' defensive line wasn't already in good hands, it's only going to get better moving forward.
I'm honestly not sure which of the four was the most impressive. Vincent continuously frustrates opponents with superior technique and great hands. He's not the biggest prospect, but he's explosive off the line and drives the center or guard (depending on who he matches up with) off the snap with ease. Each repetition was the same, which naturally got the offense talking, but Vincent went about his business and didn't get pulled into the chatter. I really respect his attitude.
Cox, meanwhile, is an absolute terror off the edge. He loves running around the outside at first to get the tackle believing that's his lone move, only to follow that up with a spin move to the inside. He's tall, but keeps his pads low and get up the field.
Brenton Cox dominates the last rep of the Final Five challenge: pic.twitter.com/5gYhp5Gvmf
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) July 3, 2017
Silvera might be my favorite of the bunch. He's built like a tank, low to the ground but with a lot of power in his legs and hips. He's relentless in his pursuit of the ball-carrier — or pylon in this case — and has a mean streak that ruffles every feather on his opponent. He plays through the whistle, too, which got him in quite a few skrimishes on Sunday.
Pairing him with Vincent on the interior of the line would be quite the haul, and I'd argue he's the second-best tackle in the country. But flipping him from Miami isn't going to be an easy task.
Hybrid defensive end/linebacker commit Andrew Chatfield also ran through lineman drills this weekend, and he fared well despite his lanky frame. He's honestly built like a defensive back, with skinny legs and a broad upper body, but he should be able to put on some muscle once he gets to college to help him battle in the trenches.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to see his coverage skills from the linebacker position. Defensive end target Micah Parsons, however, opted to play linebacker this week to show off his athleticism. He's been all over the field at camps in the last few weeks, including wide receiver, running back and linebacker. There's no debating his overall athleticism, but he didn't stand out this week like I thought he would.
The 7-versus-7 tournament, meanwhile, went as expected. Team Vapor Speed, led by Ohio State defensive back commits Jaiden Woodbey, Sevyn Banks and Josh Proctor and linebacker pledge Teradja Mitchell, relied upon its dominant defense to get to the championship game.
The path to the finals didn't come as easy as some anticipated, though, with a loss to Mach Speed in the semifinal round of the double-elimination tournament. Mach Speed, led by five-star quarterback Justin Fields and Ohio State four-star wide receiver targets Kamryn Babb and L'Christian “Blue” Smith, was on fire offensively.
Justin Fields hits Kamryn Babb for the TD. Both guys have had strong showings this whole tournament. pic.twitter.com/WVyanHUIIN
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) July 3, 2017
In both the semifinal matchup and the championship game, Mach Speed's firepower was just too much to keep up with. Babb caught a pair of touchdown passes in the finals to keep Vapor Speed from winning its second-consecutive 7-versus-7 title.
Babb made an argument this week as to why he's the nation's top-rated receiver. He's run routes with such fluidity, and it's hard for corners to keep him contained when matched up on an island.
Smith, not to be forgotten, add a touchdown catch of his own in the championship game. Regardless of what position he ends up playing in college, his mix of size and speed will create matchup problems for both smaller defensive backs and bigger linebackers.
Justin Fields to L'Christian Smith for a TD pic.twitter.com/Q0rUscUnMI
— Chris Nee (@CNee247) July 3, 2017
While this week may be coming to a close, we'll continue to have coverage and interviews with Ohio State's commits and top targets for the next several days. And wouldn't you know, Friday Night Lights is just around the corner on July 21.
Until next year, Oregon...
