Recruits will be flocking to Oregon this week and Nike's The Opening will have a major Buckeye flavor as 11 members from Urban Meyer's top-ranked recruiting class earned invites to the prestigious event.
Eleven Warriors will have updates throughout the week, but here are some of the top storylines to be on the lookout for.
MARTELL EFFECT
Tate Martell has been committed to Ohio State for less than a month, but the 5-foot-10 gunslinger has already taken on the role as the class's lead recruiter. He played an integral part in the Buckeyes' landing five-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis and hasn't been shy about who else he's focusing on. Since coaches aren't allowed at the event, it's safe to assume they've been in the ears of some of their current commitments, which means Martell surely knows which players the Buckeye staff is focusing on the most.
Hopefully I'll be able to put a on my white board next to Wyatt Davis name after tomorrow! #GoBucks @wyattdavis53 pic.twitter.com/X6ICrSLCOO
— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) June 23, 2016
In addition to his recruiting efforts, the nation's top dual-threat quarterback has been extremely fun to watch in the 7-on-7 settings. This spring, he led his squad as they took home the 7-on-7 national championship. Martell has led the Gaels of Bishop Gorman Gaels to a 30-0 record dating back to 2014.
LOADED LINEUPS
Kevin touched on the rosters a bit last week and how they break down in terms of Buckeye commits and targets. Nike may have done Ohio State a bit of a favor by putting their lead recruiter on Team AlphaPro. Martell will have the opportunity to work on guys like Tyjon Lindsey, Trevon Grimes, and Jeffrey Okudah while in Oregon this week. The Buckeyes are currently the favorite for all three, but a little extra attention certainly won't hurt.
Players bonding with one another at events such as these are always good to read about, but it's that feeling afterwards that can really make or break a team's chances with someone. At last year's event, Buckeye commit Jashon Cornell seemed to build up quite the relationship with Neville Gallimore, one of the nation's top defensive tackles. The two roomed together and were seen hanging out all week in Oregon. Buckeye fans got their hopes up a little bit on that one, only to have them dashed when he signed with the Oklahoma Sooners in February.
DBs ON DISPLAY
The Buckeyes have the nation's top group of defensive backs right now, and it would take a miracle for another school to surpass what they've put together for the 2017 class. All four of the current defensive back commits – Shaun Wade, Isaiah Pryor, Marcus Williamson, and Brendon White – will be a part of Team LunarBeast. Wade has some scheduling conflicts with basketball, so it remains to be seen if he will be in attendance.
Introducing Team #Lunarbeast
— The Opening (@TheOpening) June 16, 2016
Competing on the summer's biggest stage July 7-10 at Nike World HQ
Only @ #TheOpening pic.twitter.com/n1750lgwCX
Ohio State is looking to add at least two more to their already loaded secondary group. Joining the current pledges on LunarBeast will be Cincinnati (Colerain) defensive back Amir Riep. The state's top corner has made a number of trips to Columbus this spring and summer and is set to return on July 22nd for Friday Night Lights. Riep is then expected to make his announcement on July 23rd.
Two other defenders that are right at the top of the Buckeyes' list include cornerbacks Darnay Holmes and Lamont Wade. Holmes, the nation's top-rated corner, hails from Calabasas, California and appears to have a fairly wide open recruitment at the moment. The Huskers are pushing hard but Stanford and UCLA are also lurking. Ohio State has consistently been mentioned in his top group and he's set to return for Friday Night Lights.
Lamont Wade has had a bit of a strange recruitment, though things appear to be coming down to the Buckeyes and in-state Nittany Lions for the Clairton, Pennsylvania standout. Wade and Holmes will both be suiting up for Team Mach Speed.
TEAM HYPERCOOL FEATURING WOLVERINE PLEDGES
If you feel like keeping an eye on what Jim Harbaugh is slated to bring in for the 2017 class, you won't have to look much further than Team Hypercool. While Team LunarBeast is pretty much dedicated to the Buckeyes, Hypercool is doing the same for the Maize and Blue.
The squad contains five Michigan commits, including five-star quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, and a number of others they are likely to sign come February. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, and Jhamon Ausbon have been three of the Wolverines top targets at wideout. Peoples-Jones has made a number of trips to Columbus and the Buckeyes are still in the running, but right now it looks like Michigan is the team to beat. Collins looks to be coming down to the Wolverines and Crimson Tide. Ausbon, an IMG Academy standout, listed Michigan as one of his top schools before committing to LSU last week.
The team also features Paramus Catholic linebacker Drew Singleton, and the Wolverines currently hold 96% of the crystal ball picks for his services. Detroit cornerbacks Ambry Thomas (King) and Donovan Johnson (Cass Tech) will also be suiting up. Thomas is going to end up in Ann Arbor or East lansing and right now Penn State is in a great spot for Johnson.
With players expected to begin arriving in Oregon over the next 24 to 48 hours, be sure to stay dialed in to Eleven Warriors for updates throughout the week.
Excited to attend @TheOpening next week. Ready to see all the future Buckeyes ball out.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 3, 2016
