Re-Evaluating Georgia's 2016 Recruiting Class After the 2015 Opening

The Opening, which is a high school skills camp located in Oregon, has come and gone, and the Bulldogs had two committed players take part in all the festivities. Jacob Eason and Julian Rochester are two of the best high school players in the country, so the expectations were high coming into the camp.

And while both players were able to do some good things, there are some things they have to work on before fall of 2016.

So does this mean the Bulldogs' recruiting class will take a step back? Will they end up having one of the best in the country, or will it be just another good class with solid players that fit into what head coach Mark Richt wants to do?

Jacob Eason's Performance

Eason could end the 2015 football season as the No. 1-ranked player in the country. However, he was not able to really prove it at The Opening because when it came to the seven-on-seven drills, the coaches went with Shane Buechele, according to Barton Simmons of 247Sports.

The reason for that is Buechele was playing at a high level, and Eason did not stand out during the drills. However, Eason was able to look sharp earlier in the week, as he had some very nice throws, according to Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani.

So it wasn't a bad week for Eason, but it wasn't great, either. The good thing for him is he will have a chance to prove he can be the No. 1-ranked player in the country when he plays his final season at Lake Stevens High School at Lake Stevens, Washington, and he will also be taking part in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the end of the year.

"

Jacob Eason to AJ Brown. Great throw and catch: pic.twitter.com/qDXuDTNzAv

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) July 9, 2015"

Julian Rochester's Performance

Like Eason, Rochester did not have a great performance at The Opening. The reason for his lack of production is the fact that he has a lot of bad weight, according to Simmons, and it showed with his feet.

Rochester did not show the explosiveness needed to take his game to the next level, and Simmons also added he does not have the versatility to play a 3-4 defense, which is what the Bulldogs run.

There were times where Rochester showed his dominance during drills and was able to show the scouts and media he is still a top defensive line recruit. However, if Rochester wants to take his game to another level, he will have to get in shape and have a monster season during his final year of high school ball.

Other Targets at The Opening

There were quite a few UGA targets at The Opening, and they were able to put on strong showings in Oregon last week.

Running back Elijah Holyfield, whose father is former boxing champion Evander Holyfield, showed a lot of quickness and elusiveness, according to Keith Niebuhr of 247Sports. Elijah showed he can be the next great back for the Bulldogs, but there are a ton of teams after him.

Mecole Hardman Jr. could be the top target for the Bulldogs, as he is one of the best athletes in the country. He clocked in with 4.32-second 40-yard dash time, and he had a shuttle run of 4.00 seconds, according to Kipp Adams of 247Sports. Speed kills, and the Bulldogs would love nothing more than to get him committed and signed so he can be a key contributor on offense, defense and special teams.

"

4-star ATH Mecole Hardman clocks a 4.47 on grass in SPARQ finals at The Opening. https://t.co/4DYfZIHux9

— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) July 8, 2015"

Nigel Warrior is another top recruit from the state of Georgia, and Niebuhr mentioned that he probably had the best performance out of anyone at The Opening. The safety totaled six interceptions during the event and could cover a great deal of open field. He made his case for being the best defensive prospect in the country.

So even though the two UGA commits did not have great showings at The Opening, the targets performed at a high level. The Bulldogs should be able to sign a good amount of their targets that were at the camp, and Eason and Rochester will likely bounce back in the fall. So the 2016 class is still in great shape, and there's still a chance of it being the best in the country when it's all said and done.