RECAP: The Opening Finals 2019 - Day 2

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Stefan Adams

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Day 2 of the Opening Finals from Frisco, Texas brought us the start of the 7-on-7 tournament, as well as more OL/DL 1-on-1’s. Team Guap was the roster most stacked with South Florida names, including RB Don Chaney, WR Marcus Rosemy, and LB Derek Wingo, while also being quarterbacked by UM QB commit Tyler Van Dyke. Team Pressure was also an interesting team to watch with Miami WR commit Michael Redding and TE target Theo Johnson. Team Drip was another squad that had a few names familiar to Miami fans, such as TE Darnell Washington, DB Kendall Dennis, and WR Mookie Cooper.


Thoughts

**
TE Theo Johnson was the star of the day from the games I watched. He was hard to stop both in the flats and working the middle of the field, and he was getting open at will. The big TE is a physical specimen at 6-6 240, is a smooth route runner, and also proved to be a red zone threat as well with multiple TD catches. As I said yesterday, he is still planning on hitting UM for an official this fall.

**WR Michael Redding was again the most impressive of the three Miami commitments for the second straight night. He flashed a few times and stood out with multiple diving catches, demonstrating elite body control. His shining moment today came on a deep ball near the sidelines that he laid out for and snagged with one hand. He’s proving to have top notch ball skills to go along with his trademark hops.



**QB Tyler Van Dyke got the first start of the morning for Team Guap, then didn’t play again the rest of the day. It was an anti-climactic day for him to say the least, and he didn’t fare great with 8-17 passing (unofficially), with his lone TD going to TE Arik Gilbert. He wasn’t helped much by a receiving corps that had 3 drops, though, and his interception was a last second hail mary heave from around midfield.

**It’s difficult for RB’s to make an impact in this setting and Team Guap seemed to simply have the RB on the field as purely a decoy, so Don Chaney didn’t really see many touches today. Still, he maybe had the highlight of the night, juking out two defenders and speeding into the endzone on a swing pass from 30 yards out.



**South Florida OT’s Marcus Dumervil and Issiah Walker continued their strong play from yesterday. The highlight was Dumervil winning 2 of 3 reps against Clemson DL Bryan Bresee, who was having his way with everybody. Dumervil made the Final 5 Lineman Group today. Walker won most of his reps as well and absolutely flattened Clemson DL commit DeMonte Capehart and DE Reggie Grimes on separate reps.



**DE Chantz Williams had a few good reps, but struggles if he doesn’t beat his man off the snap and they get can get a hand on him. He got locked up pretty good by UGA OT commit Tate Ratledge on three straight reps. Williams was getting frequently out-muscled, the strength is just not there yet with him. I also thought he wasn’t using his speed to his advantage enough and instead tried to go through a lot of guys with power rushes far too often. Surprisingly, he looked a lot better on his last three reps against Marcus Dumervil, who many have said has been the best lineman here so far. Chantz used his speed and hands more effectively on those reps. Maybe it’s a pattern for him, as he had a bad start yesterday as well before ending on a high note.




Notes

**
The most notable recruiting news today was OT Issiah Walker decommitting from South Carolina at the event. By the time he tweeted it out, the lineman group had already gone home for the evening. It’ll be interesting to see if he makes himself available for interviews tomorrow. Of note, he showed up to the check-in on Sunday with a Miami wristband. UPDATE: Heard some good news from a strong source close to the recruitment. I’m confident enough to put in a Miami pick here for Walker.

**LB Justin Flowe did not end up making it to the event.

**DB Avantae Williams is at the event but has elected to sit out with an undisclosed injury. He said his body is really beaten up right now and he wants to be healthy for senior season. Still planning a fall official visit to Miami.

**TE Darnell Washington still has Miami among his favorites and is planning Miami official in the fall. He has also continued building a relationship with Brevin Jordan even more since Paradise Camp.

**Spoke with QB Tyler Van Dyke for a bit and he feels he is getting more comfortable out here and his play is slowly improving. His main focus this week is on building bonds with Chaney, Redding, and Darnell Washington. His recruitment is completely shut down as well, no other visits.

**Towards the end of the morning session, Chaney aggravated an old hamstring injury and was limping around. He told me it was minor and continued to play in the afternoon contests.
 
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Day 2 of the Opening Finals from Frisco, Texas brought us the start of the 7-on-7 tournament, as well as more OL/DL 1-on-1’s. Team Guap was the roster most stacked with South Florida names, including RB Don Chaney, WR Marcus Rosemy, and LB Derek Wingo, while also being quarterbacked by UM QB commit Tyler Van Dyke. Team Pressure was also an interesting team to watch with Miami WR commit Michael Redding and TE target Theo Johnson. Team Drip was another squad that had a few names familiar to Miami fans, such as TE Darnell Washington, DB Kendall Dennis, and WR Mookie Cooper.


Thoughts

**
TE Theo Johnson was the star of the day from the games I watched. He was hard to stop both in the flats and working the middle of the field, and he was getting open at will. The big TE is a physical specimen at 6-6 240, is a smooth route runner, and also proved to be a red zone threat as well with multiple TD catches. As I said yesterday, he is still planning on hitting UM for an official this fall.

**WR Michael Redding was again the most impressive of the three Miami commitments for the second straight night. He flashed a few times and stood out with multiple diving catches, demonstrating elite body control. His shining moment today came on a deep ball near the sidelines that he laid out for and snagged with one hand. He’s proving to have top notch ball skills to go along with his trademark hops.



**QB Tyler Van Dyke got the first start of the morning for Team Guap, then didn’t play again the rest of the day. It was an anti-climactic day for him to say the least, and he didn’t fare great with 8-17 passing (unofficially), with his lone TD going to TE Arik Gilbert. He wasn’t helped much by a receiving corps that had 3 drops, though, and his interception was a last second hail mary heave from around midfield.

**It’s difficult for RB’s to make an impact in this setting and Team Guap seemed to simply have the RB on the field as purely a decoy, so Don Chaney didn’t really see many touches today. Still, he maybe had the highlight of the night, juking out two defenders and speeding into the endzone on a swing pass from 30 yards out.



**South Florida OT’s Marcus Dumervil and Issiah Walker continued their strong play from yesterday. The highlight was Dumervil winning 2 of 3 reps against Clemson DL Bryan Bresee, who was having his way with everybody. Dumervil made the Final 5 Lineman Group today. Walker won most of his reps as well and absolutely flattened Clemson DL commit DeMonte Capehart and DE Reggie Grimes on separate reps.



**DE Chantz Williams had a few good reps, but struggles if he doesn’t beat his man off the snap and they get can get a hand on him. He got locked up pretty good by UGA OT commit Tate Ratledge on three straight reps. Williams was getting frequently out-muscled, the strength is just not there yet with him. I also thought he wasn’t using his speed to his advantage enough and instead tried to go through a lot of guys with power rushes far too often. Surprisingly, he looked a lot better on his last three reps against Marcus Dumervil, who many have said has been the best lineman here so far. Chantz used his speed and hands more effectively on those reps. Maybe it’s a pattern for him, as he had a bad start yesterday as well before ending on a high note.




Notes

**
The most notable recruiting news today was OT Issiah Walker decommitting from South Carolina at the event. By the time he tweeted it out, the lineman group had already gone home for the evening. It’ll be interesting to see if he makes himself available for interviews tomorrow. Of note, he showed up to the check-in on Sunday with a Miami wristband. UPDATE: Heard some good news from a strong source close to the recruitment. I’m confident enough to put in a Miami pick here for Walker.

**LB Justin Flowe did not end up making it to the event.

**DB Avantae Williams is at the event but has elected to sit out with an undisclosed injury. He said his body is really beaten up right now and he wants to be healthy for senior season. Still planning a fall official visit to Miami.

**TE Darnell Washington still has Miami among his favorites and is planning Miami official in the fall. He has also continued building a relationship with Brevin Jordan even more since Paradise Camp.

**Spoke with QB Tyler Van Dyke for a bit and he feels he is getting more comfortable out here and his play is slowly improving. His main focus this week is on building bonds with Chaney, Redding, and Darnell Washington. His recruitment is completely shut down as well, no other visits.

**Towards the end of the morning session, Chaney aggravated an old hamstring injury and was limping around. He told me it was minor and continued to play in the afternoon contests.

Stefan proving to be a MAJOR asset for the Canes community. Love and respect bro! Thanks for the great update, and great news on Walker!!
 
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I was telling a coworked yesterday (USCe fan) that I know S. FL kids and that they rarely stick to the first commitment and that Walker was not coming to USCe
 
Chaney’s elusiveness for a guy of his size and strength is ridiculous. It’s like looking at Duke’s moves in McGahee’s body. Dare I say he looks like a pre-ACL injury Frank gore. I know that is almost blasphemous but I can’t help but make the comparison.
 
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Couldn’t find a thread on Avantae Williams so I’ll post it here. I saw him in Orlando today at Magic Kingdom decked out head to toe in Gators gear. I wasn’t able to take a photo because that’s creepy asf but I’m sure it was him. Look him dead in the face and knew he looked familiar. Take it with a grain of salt because I’m not insider and rarely post but he’s leaning Gators right now. If we want him we need to fight till the end.
 
Couldn’t find a thread on Avantae Williams so I’ll post it here. I saw him in Orlando today at Magic Kingdom decked out head to toe in Gators gear. I wasn’t able to take a photo because that’s creepy asf but I’m sure it was him. Look him dead in the face and knew he looked familiar. Take it with a grain of salt because I’m not insider and rarely post but he’s leaning Gators right now. If we want him we need to fight till the end.

Just don't see him ending up as a Cane. Nothing he has done shows he wants to be a Cane.
 
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