Day 2 of the Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas has come and gone, As one of the largest and most prominent camp events every year, Day 2 of the Opening Finals (held at the Ford Center at the Star) featured some of the nation’s best prospects at every position going head-to-head in 1-on-1 matchups and on display in a variety of workouts and drills, as well as combine testing. The Showcase event was held at night and had the athletes take part in multiple skills challenges, including the Long Toss, Tug-of-War, the Cat and Mouse Drill, and the Fastest Man, as well as the reveal of the top overall Sparq score recorded in the combine testing.
Thoughts
**My initial impression? It’s almost hard to wrap your brain around just how loaded the field is at this camp. Top prospects at every position group and the caliber of athlete here in Frisco jumps right out at you.
**The interview session was extremely limited and it was a mad dash of a hundred media personnel all at once to get to the guys they wanted, but I was able to talk with major top UM targets on the O-Line 5-star Kardell Thomas, 5-star Darnell Wright, and 4-star Stacey Wilkins, as well as recent Ohio State commit 4-star DB Jordan Battle, on whom I have been told Miami will continue to pursue and that Battle will continue to listen.
**Of the four, I’d say Miami has the most traction with Thomas, with Wilkins a close second, and the O-Linemen especially each had something extremely positive to say about Miami outside of your standard interview answers. Just a feeling from talking with him and observing his expressions, but Thomas is genuinely going to be looking around and I don’t think is set with LSU at all. He and Wilkins are already set in their mind that they will definitely take officials to Miami, with Wright saying he wants to as well, but there are other schools in contention for his 5 OV’s.
Top Performers
Just like any other camp, it’s impossible to see everything going on with drills taking place in the four opposite corners on the field at once and the media only able to view from one sidelines. Still, for my money, here were the day’s top performers that stood out to me.
Trey Sanders, RB, Bradenton, FL (IMG Academy)
While some may have expected Sanders to outright dominate more reps than he did, some of the plays he did make were jaw-dropping. His athleticism stands out even amongst all of the top prospects in the nation and Sanders is a freak of nature with the way he can move at his size.
Kenny McIntosh, RB, Fort Lauderdale, FL (University School)
The U. School star showed off his versatility, starting out with the RB’s before running routes and taking some reps at WR in early drills. McIntosh then was won off the stars of the Showcase’s Cat and Mouse Challenge later that night, with his elusiveness almost single-handedly carrying Team Overdrive to the title. I could also easily see McIntosh at LB as well with his build.
Jeremiah Payton, WR, Neptune Beach, FL (Fletcher)
The Canes commit was a clear stand out in the receiver group and spent his day leaving DB’s in the dust. Payton created separation from some of the top DB’s in the nation with ease and just absolutely toasted a DB by 20 yards in 1-on-1’s, drawing a roar from the crowd. He’s going to be a special one, Canes fans.
Kyle Ford, WR, Orange, CA (Orange Lutheran)
While the QB play wasn’t great, Ford was another receiver that made multiple plays on the ball and utilized his great frame of 6’2” 210 to his advantage. Ford has amazing hands and was able to contort his body to get to some difficult balls thrown his way, giving him and outstanding catch radius.
Kardell Thomas, OG, Baton Rouge, LA (Southern University Lab)
Thomas was one of the talks of the camp afterwards yesterday and his aggression and mean-streak were on full display. He is simply nasty in his demeanor and his goal is to pummel you into submission. Thomas was getting into skirmishes after reps when his opponent would take exception to his physical play, but I think it was also lost on some how sound he was technique wise with his hands and quick feet.
Stacey Wilkins, OT, Camden, AR (Camden Fairview)
Wilkins more than held his own and didn’t allow a single sack against some talented rushers on the day. His reach really impressed me, which is a major mistake eraser and allows him to create some distance between him and his man and recover if he is initially beat.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Thousand Oaks, CA (Oaks Christian)
It was my first time seeing the composite #1 overall player in the country and Thibodeaux did not disappoint. Thibodeaux’s frame really stuck out to me, as I thought he might have more mass overall, but he is a specimen with his sheer length and bend around the edge. The offensive tackles struggled containing him on the day and even when he wasn’t outright dominating a rep, Thibodeaux was still causing trouble and keeping the O-Linemen off balance.
Nakobe Dean, LB, Horn Lake, MS (Horn Lake)
Probably the best linebacker at the event to my eye and there were a few standouts at the position. Dean is just overwhelmingly fast and physical at 6’0” 220 and no runner could get past him once Dean set his sights on them.
Derick Hall, LB, Gulfport, MS (Gulfport)
Hall is long and athletic, pairing his physical traits with an ability to stay disciplined in the hole. He has great hips and was able to explode to the back and make a stop consistently in the cat and mouse drills.
Mekhail Sherman, LB, Washington, D.C. (St. John’s College)
2020 LB Mekhail Sherman stood out among his older peers and proved why he is already a composite 5-star in the early rankings. Sherman was the fastest linebacker in testing at The Opening Finals yesterday, running a 4.52 on the laser and was also extremely quick and patient in the cat and mouse drills as well.
Jordan Battle, S, Fort Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas)
Battle only lost one rep on the day and really made it difficult on some of the top WR’s in the nation. Battle has great ball skills and his pure length allows him to break up many passes that most would not be able to get to. He was right in his man’s hip pocket all day and was tough to separate from.
Diwun Black, ATH, Forest, MS (Forest)
Black is a freak athlete at 6’4” 220 that has the speed to play safety, or grow into a linebacker or defensive end and become a terror off the edge. He’ll be a moving chess piece for any defensive coordinator at the next level and his fluidity in drills showed he could play multiple roles in a defense with ease.
Notes
**Spearheaded by Evan Neal, Team Impact (aka Team Miami) won the Tug-of-War Challenge.
**IMG Academy DE Nolan Smith won the 2018 Nike Football Rating Championship with an overall score of 141.75.
**Team Hype won the Cat and Mouse Team Challenge.
**Bama QB commit Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Tua, won the Long Toss Challenge with a pass that sailed 66 yards.
**Fastest Man went to 2020 RB Chris Tyree, who clocked a 4.31 40 and won by the skin of his teeth in a photo finish.
**Former and current NFL Players were out in full force yesterday. Carson Palmer coached up the QB’s, while Ryan Clark worked with the DB’s. Willie McGinest ran the day portion of the cat and mouse drill and was getting animated every time a big play happened, celebrating with the players. Current New York Jets safety Jamal Adams also addressed the DB's in a pep talk. Just a fun event overall.
Thoughts
**My initial impression? It’s almost hard to wrap your brain around just how loaded the field is at this camp. Top prospects at every position group and the caliber of athlete here in Frisco jumps right out at you.
**The interview session was extremely limited and it was a mad dash of a hundred media personnel all at once to get to the guys they wanted, but I was able to talk with major top UM targets on the O-Line 5-star Kardell Thomas, 5-star Darnell Wright, and 4-star Stacey Wilkins, as well as recent Ohio State commit 4-star DB Jordan Battle, on whom I have been told Miami will continue to pursue and that Battle will continue to listen.
**Of the four, I’d say Miami has the most traction with Thomas, with Wilkins a close second, and the O-Linemen especially each had something extremely positive to say about Miami outside of your standard interview answers. Just a feeling from talking with him and observing his expressions, but Thomas is genuinely going to be looking around and I don’t think is set with LSU at all. He and Wilkins are already set in their mind that they will definitely take officials to Miami, with Wright saying he wants to as well, but there are other schools in contention for his 5 OV’s.
Top Performers
Just like any other camp, it’s impossible to see everything going on with drills taking place in the four opposite corners on the field at once and the media only able to view from one sidelines. Still, for my money, here were the day’s top performers that stood out to me.
Trey Sanders, RB, Bradenton, FL (IMG Academy)
While some may have expected Sanders to outright dominate more reps than he did, some of the plays he did make were jaw-dropping. His athleticism stands out even amongst all of the top prospects in the nation and Sanders is a freak of nature with the way he can move at his size.
Kenny McIntosh, RB, Fort Lauderdale, FL (University School)
The U. School star showed off his versatility, starting out with the RB’s before running routes and taking some reps at WR in early drills. McIntosh then was won off the stars of the Showcase’s Cat and Mouse Challenge later that night, with his elusiveness almost single-handedly carrying Team Overdrive to the title. I could also easily see McIntosh at LB as well with his build.
Jeremiah Payton, WR, Neptune Beach, FL (Fletcher)
The Canes commit was a clear stand out in the receiver group and spent his day leaving DB’s in the dust. Payton created separation from some of the top DB’s in the nation with ease and just absolutely toasted a DB by 20 yards in 1-on-1’s, drawing a roar from the crowd. He’s going to be a special one, Canes fans.
Kyle Ford, WR, Orange, CA (Orange Lutheran)
While the QB play wasn’t great, Ford was another receiver that made multiple plays on the ball and utilized his great frame of 6’2” 210 to his advantage. Ford has amazing hands and was able to contort his body to get to some difficult balls thrown his way, giving him and outstanding catch radius.
Kardell Thomas, OG, Baton Rouge, LA (Southern University Lab)
Thomas was one of the talks of the camp afterwards yesterday and his aggression and mean-streak were on full display. He is simply nasty in his demeanor and his goal is to pummel you into submission. Thomas was getting into skirmishes after reps when his opponent would take exception to his physical play, but I think it was also lost on some how sound he was technique wise with his hands and quick feet.
Stacey Wilkins, OT, Camden, AR (Camden Fairview)
Wilkins more than held his own and didn’t allow a single sack against some talented rushers on the day. His reach really impressed me, which is a major mistake eraser and allows him to create some distance between him and his man and recover if he is initially beat.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Thousand Oaks, CA (Oaks Christian)
It was my first time seeing the composite #1 overall player in the country and Thibodeaux did not disappoint. Thibodeaux’s frame really stuck out to me, as I thought he might have more mass overall, but he is a specimen with his sheer length and bend around the edge. The offensive tackles struggled containing him on the day and even when he wasn’t outright dominating a rep, Thibodeaux was still causing trouble and keeping the O-Linemen off balance.
Nakobe Dean, LB, Horn Lake, MS (Horn Lake)
Probably the best linebacker at the event to my eye and there were a few standouts at the position. Dean is just overwhelmingly fast and physical at 6’0” 220 and no runner could get past him once Dean set his sights on them.
Derick Hall, LB, Gulfport, MS (Gulfport)
Hall is long and athletic, pairing his physical traits with an ability to stay disciplined in the hole. He has great hips and was able to explode to the back and make a stop consistently in the cat and mouse drills.
Mekhail Sherman, LB, Washington, D.C. (St. John’s College)
2020 LB Mekhail Sherman stood out among his older peers and proved why he is already a composite 5-star in the early rankings. Sherman was the fastest linebacker in testing at The Opening Finals yesterday, running a 4.52 on the laser and was also extremely quick and patient in the cat and mouse drills as well.
Jordan Battle, S, Fort Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas)
Battle only lost one rep on the day and really made it difficult on some of the top WR’s in the nation. Battle has great ball skills and his pure length allows him to break up many passes that most would not be able to get to. He was right in his man’s hip pocket all day and was tough to separate from.
Diwun Black, ATH, Forest, MS (Forest)
Black is a freak athlete at 6’4” 220 that has the speed to play safety, or grow into a linebacker or defensive end and become a terror off the edge. He’ll be a moving chess piece for any defensive coordinator at the next level and his fluidity in drills showed he could play multiple roles in a defense with ease.
Notes
**Spearheaded by Evan Neal, Team Impact (aka Team Miami) won the Tug-of-War Challenge.
**IMG Academy DE Nolan Smith won the 2018 Nike Football Rating Championship with an overall score of 141.75.
**Team Hype won the Cat and Mouse Team Challenge.
**Bama QB commit Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Tua, won the Long Toss Challenge with a pass that sailed 66 yards.
**Fastest Man went to 2020 RB Chris Tyree, who clocked a 4.31 40 and won by the skin of his teeth in a photo finish.
**Former and current NFL Players were out in full force yesterday. Carson Palmer coached up the QB’s, while Ryan Clark worked with the DB’s. Willie McGinest ran the day portion of the cat and mouse drill and was getting animated every time a big play happened, celebrating with the players. Current New York Jets safety Jamal Adams also addressed the DB's in a pep talk. Just a fun event overall.
