Nike The Opening 2013 Schedule: Dates, Invites, Roster and TV Info

Some of the best college football prospects in the nation are getting together for Nike's showcase recruiting event "The Opening" and it's a must-watch, as elite players are featured on each team.

The rosters are loaded with five-star talent and highly-touted recruits who will be looking to one-up each other and prove their abilities on a big stage.

There are 162 players in total making up these rosters, and more than a few are household names in class of 2014 recruiting. Most of the blue-chip recruits of this class will be taking their talents to Oregon this week.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know for Nike's The Opening.

Dates and Times

Monday, July 1, 7 p.m. ET—SPARQ Rating National Championship

Tuesday, July 2, 9 p.m.-11:30 p.m. ET—7 on 7 Pool Play

Wednesday, July 3, 9 p.m.-midnight ET—Lineman Challenge Finals and 7 on 7 Finals

TV Info

All telecasts will be shown on ESPNU.

Rosters and Invites

All roster information courtesy of Student Sports

#AlphaPro

QB Will Grier	QB Keller Chryst
QB Andrew Ford
RB Charles Buchannon	RB Derrell Scott
WR JuJu Smith	WR Ermon Lane
WR Curtis Samuel	WR Corey Holmes
TE Henry Mondeaux	OL Bentley Spain
OL Isaiah Wynn	OL Montel McBride
DL Andrew Brown	DL Josh Frazier
DL Andrew Williams	OL/DL Jacob Bragg
LB Dante Booker	LB Richard Yeargin
LB Joey Alfieri	CB Damon Webb
CB Chris Hardeman	CB Duke Dawson
CB Iman Marshall	S Brandon Simmons
S Armani Watts	ATH Parris Campbell

#Apocalypse 

QB Jacob Park	QB Kyle Allen
QB Brad Kaaya
RB Joe Mixon	RB Royce Freeman
WR Miciah Quick	WR KD Cannon
WR Artavis Scott	WR Trevion Thompson
TE Jeb Blazevich	OL Viane Talamaivao
OL Quenton Nelson	OL Tanner Farmer
DL Da'Shawn Hand	DL Ainuu Taua
DL Anthony Moten	OL/DL Joe Henderson
LB Raekwon McMillan	LB D.J. Calhoun
LB Rashaan Evans	CB Quincy Wilson
CB Terrance Alexander	CB John Plattenburg
CB Kavin Alexander	S John Bonney
S CJ Hampton	ATH Budda Baker

#FieldGenerals

QB Sean White	QB Morgan Mahalak
QB Luke Rubenzer
RB Elijah Hood	RB Jeff Jones
WR Malachi Dupre	WR Erik Brown
WR Thaddeus Snodgrass	WR Braxton Berrios
TE Chase Blakley	OL Damien Mama
OL Kyle Trout	OL Kammy Delp
DL Solomon Thomas	DL Jalyn Holmes
DL Garrald McDowell	-
LB Dwight Williams	LB Chris Register
LB Matthew Adams	CB Adoree' Jackson
CB Adarius Pickett	CB Kendarius Webster
CB Minkah Fitzpatrick	S Jamal Adams
S Trey Marshall	ATH Austin Roberts

#LandSharks

QB K.J. Carta Samuels	QB DeShone Kizer
QB Drew Barker
RB Dalvin Cook	RB Racean Thomas
WR Allen Lazard	WR Travis Rudolph
WR JoJo Robinson	WR Terry McLaurin
TE Dalton Schultz	OL Cameron Robinson
OL Kenyon Frison	OL Corey Martinez
DL Gerald Willis	DL Thomas Holley
DL Chad Thomas	OL/DL Dylan Thompson
LB Nyles Morgan	LB Jamardre Cobb
LB Bryson Allen-Williams	CB Tony Brown
CB Arrion Springs	CB Chris Lammons
CB Jonathan Lockett	S C.J. Reavis
S Mattrell McGraw	ATH Montae Nicholson

#SuperBad

QB David Blough	QB David Cornwell
QB Stephen Collier
RB Leonard Fournette	RB Shai McKenzie
WR Drake Harris	WR Josh Malone
WR Johnnie Dixon	WR Speedy Noil
TE KC Crosby	OL Demetrius Knox
OL Trevor Darling	OL J.C. Hassenauer
DL Lorenzo Carter	DL Bijhon Jackson
DL Derek Barnett	OL/DL Marcus Griffin
LB Clifton Garrett	LB Christian Miller
LB Shaun Hamilton	CB Jalen Tabor
CB Jaleel Wadood	CB Kyle Gibson
CB M.J. Stewart	S Ronald Walker
S Derwin James	ATH Treon Harris

#VaporCarbon

QB DeShaun Watson	QB Manny Wilkims
QB Jerrod Heard
RB Joseph Yearby	RB Nick Chubb
WR Lorenzo Joe	WR De'Andre Thompkins
WR Justin Brent	WR T.V. Williams
TE Ian Bunting	OL Roderick Taylor
OL Toa Lobendahn	OL Brian Allen
DL Kentavius Street	DL Khairi Clark
DL Enoch Smith Jr.	-
LB Kain Daub	LB Dillon Bates
LB Kyle Berger	CB Ed Paris
CB Wesley Green	CB Naijiel Hale
CB Troy Vincent	S Quin Blanding
S Dylan Sumner-Gardner	ATH George Campbell

Top Recruits to Watch

Da'Shawn Hand, Defensive End

My pick for the most exciting player in The Opening also happens to be the most talented prospect in the nation in Da'Shawn Hand.

The 6'5", 247-pound pass rusher has emerged as the most dangerous defensive player in the class of 2014, and the top-ranked recruit overall according to 247Sports. 

His size and athleticism matches the perfect blueprint to be an unstoppable rusher in today's world of football. Hand's speed to get around the corner is only topped by his undeniable strength in shedding blockers.

He's not the physical specimen that Jadeveon Clowney is, but with a few years of a top college workout plan, he could be. At worst, he's a Julius Peppers breed and that's a heck of an 'at worst' to say the least.

Hand will be on team #Apolcalypse with fellow elite recruit Raekwon McMillan, who will line up at linebacker, and it'll be awfully tough to score against that duo. 

Quin Blanding, Safety

The five-star safety has tops the charts at his position in the 2014 class, and it's no surprise. This kid can defend, pursue and make big plays. 

The 6'2", 220-pound Blanding is cerebral in his play, with his biggest strengths being the ability to decipher runs from passes and get in on any action. You'll rarely see him away from the ball carrier during runs, but he's always ball-hawking and looking to keep the deep ball contained.

He's never found out of position, and tends to always be in the right place in the right time. That's an underrated trait for a safety, as they're the last line of defense in almost any case.

Blanding will be balling it up for #VaporCarbon, and is currently committed to Virginia. 

David Cornwell, Quarterback

David Cornwell, everybody. Get used to the name, because he's the next quarterback to step into the shadow of Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron.

Cornwell is the fourth-ranked quarterback in the 2014 class according to 247 Sports Composite, but Bleacher Report recruiting guru Andrew Kulha has him as the top quarterback of the class.

He's committed to Alabama, where he'll look to continue the role of playing in a comfortable offense and managing games to multiple national titles.

However, Cornwell will be able to bring to Tuscaloosa what neither of the previous QBs did, and that's the potential of being an elite quarterback. The 6'5", 230-pound gunslinger is a prototypical NFL quarterback as a high schooler, and with some fine tuning and a successful college career, he'll be playing on Sundays.