Sunday, NJ.com attended Nike Football Training Camp held at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J. Upwards of 400 players attended the invite–only event, as they competed for top honors and an opportunity to compete at the Opening.
Held at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., the Opening has become one of the most desired events for the country’s top talent to attend. It’s a four-day competition among 162 hand-picked high school football recruits, based off film and in-person evaluations.
Seven players earned invitations to the Opening Sunday, including NJ.com Top 50members (No. 1) Minkah Fitzpatrick, (No. 4) Juwan Johnson, (No. 7) Brandon Wimbush and (No. 13) Tommy Hatton.
St. Joseph’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) CB John Reid, Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.) WRLawrence Cager and Avon (Conn.) Old Farms TE Chris Clark round out the remaining “golden ticket” recipients from Sunday’s event.
Most valuable player positional honors went to the aforementioned Wimbush (QB), Hatton (OL) and Reid (DB) as well as Scotch Plains (N.J.) Fanwood sophomore DLRashan Gary, Whitehall (Pa.) RB Saquon Barkley (who flipped his commitment from Rutgers to Penn State in February), Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) LB Deonte Roberts and Parkland (Allentown, Pa.) WR Jarey Elder.
Recent Rutgers offeree Sharrieff Grice, a 6-1, 200-pound junior running back/free safety from Kingswood-Oxford (Conn.), recorded the top SPARQ rating of 115.44, after accumulating a 4.64-second 40-yard dash, 4.13-second shuttle, 37.5-foot power ball toss and a 37.1-inch vertical leap.
Although the players above received post-event honors, there were many others who put forth strong performances. It’s impossible to fully evaluate 400 players in a four-hour span, but there were certain players who stood out more than others.
Wimbush was pushed by multiple attendees for top quarterback honors including Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) sophomore Jarrett Guarantano, who displayed tremendous accuracy throughout the one-on-one and seven on-seven portions of the day. But the big-armed quarterback capitalized off a strong Elite 11 performance a couple days before and a Rivals QB MVP two weeks prior, and continued to display the down-field arm strength and accuracy that coaches across the country have fallen in love with.
Mepham’s (North Bellmore, N.Y.) Tyler Davis and Wallington’s (N.J.) Ryan Adzima, two under-recruited signal callers, also showcased the arm talent that should add offers to their lists over the next couple months.
Saquon Barkley clearly separated himself from a talented running back group. He displayed quick feet, the ability to cut on a dime as well as hit a second gear in the open-field that few backs in attendance were able to compete with. And his frame is well-sculpted and prepared for the rigors of Big Ten competition.
Woodbury (N.J.) running back Troy Shorts also broke his fair share of ankles, Sunday.
Multiple receivers flashed throughout the day, but Johnson, Cager and Elder, the position’s award winners, displayed the freakish athleticism that led to them taking home hardware. However, one receiver who many in attendance thought could take home MVP honors — Paramus (N.J.) Catholic’s Najee Clayton — went home empty handed; but not before dazzling on-lookers with spectacular grabs all throughout the day.
Imhotep’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) D.J. Moore, who won WR MVP at Rivals Camp New Jersey, also had a strong, consistent day.
Chris Clark managed to separate himself from a strong tight end group, including Tenafly (N.J.) standout and Rutgers commit Nakia Griffin and Millburn’s (N.J.) Jake Pickard. Both Griffin and Pickard caught the ball well, displaying good length, focus and consistent hands.
Behind Hatton, who upheld his reputation as a fierce competitor and nasty finisher, was Lawrenceville (N.J.) offensive tackle Grant Newsome and Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) offensive tackle Ryan Bates, a Penn State commit.
Newsome displayed high level technique, the ability to bend and the overall athleticism that could one day allow him to play on Sundays. And Bates was just as impressive, displaying tremendous leverage, balance and the toughness to fight through one-on-one repetitions and finish.
Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) offensive tackle Jared Southers followed up his Rivals camp OL MVP with another very solid performance, but wasn’t quite as dominant as he was two weeks prior.
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) offensive guard Israel Benson, Middletown (N.J.) South offensive guard Jimmy Wilson and Penncrest (Media, Pa.) offensive tackle Jonah Jackson also impressed.
The defensive line also boasted it’s fair share of top talent led by Gary, who dominated one-on-ones, after achieving mixed results at Rivals camp just a couple weeks prior. Gary was the only player in attendance to give Hatton, the OL MVP, a run for his money, successfully utilizing an aggressive rip move and good forward momentum when the two faced off.
Also impressive were Trinity Pawling (N.Y.) defensive end Austrian Robinson and Toms River (N.J.) North DT Saifullah Adam Kakar. Robinson and Kakar saw vast success during the one-on-one period, in which neither lost a rep.
Robinson handled his opponents with a combination of explosion, brute strength and an arm under/over move that left offensive linemen off balance. While Kakar proved to be the best technician in attendance, utilizing high-level hand techniques and quickness to defeat would-be blockers.
Burlington Township (N.J.) defensive tackle John Ejiofor and Camden (N.J.) sophomore defensive end Ron Johnson also showed explosion and good fight.
A strong group of linebackers graced the event and showed they have what it takes to become highly sought-after recruits.
But Iona Prep’s (New Rochelle, N.Y.) Qaadir Sheppard displayed, as he did at Rivals camp New Jersey, that even at 6-3, 235 pounds, he is one of the more effective movers and play-makers in space throughout the entire Northeast.
Archbishop Wood linebacker and Penn State commit Jake Cooper, a 6-2, 230-pounder, also proved to be a big kid with a ton of athleticism and ball skills.
Timber Creek’s (Erial, N.J.) Neal Nelson and sophomore Tavian Martin, St. Peter’s Prep’s Jordan Fox, Wayne (N.J.) Hills’ Justin Hogan, Paul VI’s (Haddonfield, N.J.)Sterling Sheffield, Hopewell Valley’s (Pennington, N.J.) Drew Wiley and Kingswood-Oxford sophomore Koby Quansah also flashed throughout the day.
Timber Creek’s Kareem Ali and Kingsway’s (N.J.) De’ron Maxwell didn’t win DB MVP, but were as good as anyone in their position group. Ali, who is coming off a DB MVP from Rivals Camp New Jersey, continued his good run of high-level play, out-battling top flight receivers for the football, and always remaining in position to make a play.
Maxwell also conjured up his share of highlight reel defensive plays, displaying the type of athleticism that should lead to BCS offers in the near future.
Coatesville (Pa.) Area’s Jay Stocker and Sayreville’s (N.J.) Myles Hartsfield were sharp as usual, while St. Peters Prep’s Ahmad Thomas made a name for himself after employing blanket coverage on some of the most athletic wide receivers in attendance.
And Suffield (Conn.) safety Jarvis Miller, another Penn State commit, measured 6-2,190-pounds and used his length to make plays against smaller receivers.
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