The Opening — which begins Wednesday at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. — is the premier high school football camp in the country. The nation’s top prospects gather at one place to go head-to-head, trying to make themselves stand out amongst the best competition in the country.
Over 160 of the top high school athletes in the country will be on display at the fields in Oregon. Ohio State, which currently has the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class in 2016 according to 247Sports, will be well-represented.
The Buckeyes have five commits taking part in the annual competition: four-star running backs Kareem Walker and Demario McCall, four-star defensive end Jonathon Cooper, four-star tight end Jake Hausmann and four-star wide receiver Austin Mack. Coincidentally, all five will be competing for the same team at The Opening.
But Ohio State also has several guys in attendance who are high on its priority list for 2016, as well. Rashan Gary, Rashard Lawrence and Antwuan Jackson at defensive tackle; Jared Mayden, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Fuller at defensive back; and Donnie Corley, Binjimen Victor and Nate Craig-Myers at wide receiver, among others.
Last year, the Buckeyes had three commits when The Opening took place: Justin Hilliard, Jashon Cornell and Tyler Green. But those three were able to make good enough impressions on some other guys who were in attendance. Torrance Gibson, Matt Burrell, Mike Weber and K.J. Hill were all uncommitted at the time of last year’s The Opening, but all four ended up signing with the Buckeyes.
And this year, with more guys already committed to Ohio State, the 2016 group will try to get some much-needed face time with some of the team’s top targets. But the five commits are also heading out to Oregon to make a statement as they compete against some of the best players in the country.
“Yes sir,” Cooper said recently at Ohio State’s one-day camp when asked if he was going to The Opening with something to prove.
“You know, I just think we’re going to prove it,” Mack added. “I don’t think there’s going to be a pressure, but I think it’s more of just having fun and just being out there competing against the top guys in the country.”
And even though the Buckeye commits have every intention of proving their worth as one of the country’s top classes, they’re excited about the opportunity to compete against the best, while also doing some additional recruiting on the side.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot of talent,” Cooper said. “It’s going to definitely test where I’m at, too."
“I think The Opening, the main point is just to let recruiting people rank people on how they compete against other people,” Mack added. “That's definitely what they'll do and I think it's definitely a great time to bring people together and bring that premier competition.”
