The real festivities at Nike Football’s The Opening Finals got underway on Monday morning with the 7-on-7 jamboree, a round-robin event to determine seeding for the tournament.
Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson was already in the conversation to be the top-rated wide receiver in the country, but was simply unguardable in pool play this morning. He is a very fluid route-runner who always moves at the same speed, whether he knows he’s getting the football or not.
That — plus his long arms, leaping ability and overall catch radius — make him a dangerous red-zone threat. Wilson can also move well in space, and his elite footwork made some of the best defensive backs at the event grasping for air when they tried to tackle him in one-on-one situations.
Wilson and Team Hype faced off against Buckeyes four-star cornerback commit Jordan Battle and Team Impact in an early round. And though we were certainly looking forward to them being matched up with one another, Battle spent most of his time safety and was only on the same side of the field as Wilson once — an incomplete pass that sailed out of the back of the end zone.
Battle, as we mentioned in his impact article on Friday, will play cornerback once he arrives in Columbus. He played with confidence and used his length to be disruptive when matched up one-on-one on the outside, but looked much more natural while roaming the secondary. He’s rangy and has excellent closing speed, which he showed by intercepting former Ohio State quarterback target — and Tennessee three-star commit — Brian Maurer.
St. Louis four-star wide receivers Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams also added scores of their own during the jamboree, but were largely ineffective thanks to subpar quarterback play from TCU four-star Max Duggan and Colorado three-star Ty Evans. Washington did not play in the first two rounds of the tournament in the evening, but a reason for his absence was never disclosed.
With the quarterback position in mind, I was particularly impressed with South Carolina four-star commit Ryan Hilinski. He throws the ball with a ton of confidence, especially on deep routes or when throwing to uncommitted California four-star wide receiver Kyle Ford. They led Team Impact to a first-round bye in the tournament.
From what I saw on Monday, I think the 7-on-7 championship game will be Team Hype versus Team Impact. Both teams feature two of the best quarterbacks at the event (Hilinski and Alabama four-star Taulia Tagovailoa), plenty of weapons out wide and extremely opportunistic defensive backs.
The linemen, meanwhile, finally put on pads for the first time this afternoon — save for those from states like Ohio, where the high school athletic association does not allow athletes to wear pads during the offseason.
With that said, Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harrison was limited to just a helmet for protection, so he was unable to show his full repertoire like five-star defensive ends Nolan Smith II and Kayvon Thibodeaux. It would have been fun to see all three full-go. Instead, we watched as Smith and Thibodeaux dominated rep after rep, while Harrison seemed somewhat disinterested in the event and split most of his attempts.
Buckeyes four-star center commit Harry Miller, on the other hand, finished Monday’s event as one of the top five linemen. I’d argue he had one of the tougher tasks — as he was consistently matched up with either California four-star defensive tackle Jacob Bandes or Utah four-star Siaki Ika — but more than held his own against both. Miller actually twisted his ankle and got beat on one repetition, only to bounce back and dominate the following play. I was constantly impressed with the adjustments he made from snap to snap.
Ohio State four-star offensive tackle commit Doug Nester, meanwhile, had an up-and-down afternoon. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not he’ll slide inside at the next level, and I think it’s somewhat warranted given that his pass protection skills are hindered by his high school’s run-heavy offense. He simply looked more comfortable when lined up against defensive tackles as opposed to quicker rush ends.
Fellow West Virginia offensive tackle Darnell Wright was just the opposite. Lined up at either left or right tackle, he was quick off the snap and showed the athleticism to keep defenders who tried to run around him at bay. Wright also used his strength to ward off linemen who tried to run right through him. He and Nester would complement each other well on the same side of the line.
Though he’s one of just seven underclassmen in attendance, Maryland five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee showed why he’s the top-ranked player in the country for next cycle. He’s built like a tank and has an incredible work ethic. Bresee is also very strong and wasn’t afraid to stick his nose into the chest of some of the nation’s best offensive tackles — like Wright, for example. It’s easy to envision Bresee and Harrison wreaking havoc in the same backfield in two years.
The Opening Finals will conclude on Tuesday morning with the 7-on-7 championship and Final Five lineman challenge. The entire day is free and open to the general public — rather than televised nationally — so you you should make your way down the The Star if you’re in the area.
