Highlights and Analysis of The Opening Miami Regional

PLANTATION, Fla. — A picture-perfect day in South Florida greeted hundreds of prospects from one of the nation’s premier hotbeds for talent who were on hand for the Miami Nike Opening Regional.

When the day’s festivities concluded, six players earned a coveted invitation to The Opening. Additionally, one quarterback—4-star Florida pledge Jake Allen—earned a trip to the Elite 11 finals in June.

The day belonged to the skill-position groups, as a pair of receivers, a running back and one defensive back were among the prospects who impressed the Student Sports coaching staff enough to make reservations for a trip to Beaverton, Oregon, in July.

Let’s take a look at some of the bigger storylines to emerge from the Miami Nike Opening Regional

St. Thomas Aquinas WR Duo Shines

If Allen is fortunate enough to make it out of the Elite 11 finals and be one of the 12 passers selected to compete at The Opening, he may get the chance to throw to two of his primary targets at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.

Between 5-star Trevon Grimes and 3-star Michael Harley, the duo showed exactly why the Raiders passing attack will be tough to slow down this fall. Grimes punched his ticket to Oregon while Harley was named MVP of the receiver segment.

Grimes was one of the headliners of the event, and while he had some tough stretches in one-on-ones and during the early pass skeleton drills, he also snagged a terrific touchdown grab in between two defenders that drew "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd.

Overall, the 6’4”, 201-pounder was one of more physically imposing receivers present, and he displayed the speed and quickness that make him one of the more coveted receiver prospects in the 2017 cycle.

Meanwhile, the 5’10”, 170-pound Harley was perhaps the smoothest receiver at the event. He displayed great speed, precise route running and sure hands throughout the day. 

“I’ve been working hard for this, so I’m glad I came out and performed well enough to get [MVP],” Harley told Bleachre Report. “I just want to keep showing people what I can do at every event I compete in. Regardless of what happens, I just have to keep working hard and just be humble.”

FSU Pledges Show Out

Florida State is one school that has already gotten off to a quick start with its 2017 recruiting class—which currently checks in as the nation’s No. 4 group.

Two members of that class—4-star linebacker VanDarius Cowan and 4-star running back Zaquandre White—were decked out in Seminoles gear as they competed against the best talent in South Florida.

Cowan, who measured in at 6’4”, 218 pounds and clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.77 seconds, had a simple goal he wanted to accomplish at the camp.

“I just [wanted to] ball out and [show I’m] the best linebacker here,” he said.

Cowan, who could also play defensive end at the next level, showed he was fluid enough to drop into coverage against a strong group of running backs.

His good friend, White, who checked in at 6’0”, 203 pounds with a 4.5 time in the 40-yard dash, displayed great short-area quickness and the ability to be a threat in the passing game as a receiver.

“[Getting The Opening invite is] something I’ve been wanting to accomplish,” White said. “I just felt good going through the drills. I wanted to focus on finishing everything the right way and to do what the coaches asked me to do.”

Herbert Only Lineman to Earn Invite

A small, but talented, group of offensive and defensive linemen were on hand at the camp.

However, despite big names such as 5-star offensive lineman Tedarrell Slaton and 2018 4-star defensive end Nik Bonitto, only one big man was able to put together a performance worthy of earning a trip to the summer’s premier camp showcase.

Three-star offensive lineman Kai-Leon Herbert—who is Slaton’s teammate at American Heritage High School in Plantation—got off to a slow start before settling in and dominating in his individual matchups throughout the rest of the day. 

“I messed up on my first two reps, and then I just came back after that and got after it and just played with good leverage and fundamentals,” the 6’5”, 275-pound Herbert said. “I just wanted to show how much I’ve improved from last year.”

Stanford Samuels III and Jerry Jeudy Push for 5th Star

Two 4-star prospects who are about as close as one can be to earning a fifth star are corner Stanford Samuels III and receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Samuels currently rates as the nation’s No. 32 overall prospect, while Jeudy checks in one spot behind him at No. 33 in the 2017 cycle.

Both prospects were at their best on Sunday—with each netting a spot reserved for them at The Opening.

Samuels was able to be physical with most receivers at the line of scrimmage, and he was able to make a beautiful red-zone interception on a pass intended for Grimes.

“[Getting to The Opening was] always something I’ve dreamed about and always something I’ve wanted to do,” Samuels said. “I never got a chance to go to Oregon before, but I’ve always watched it on TV since I was a kid. Just getting a chance to go up there and getting a chance to compete against the top guys, it’s going to be awesome.”

Meanwhile, the 6’1”, 174-pound Jeudy showed off a well-rounded game that saw him consistently win routes off the line of scrimmage and attack balls in the air with his hands.

“That [is] a wonderful opportunity. It’s been a dream of mine to get open,” Jeudy said of his reward for his day’s work.

Quick Hitters

Among the camp’s position MVP’s were a pair of underclassmen with great bloodlines: 2019 running back James Cook and 2018 corner Patrick Surtain Jr. 

Cook is the younger brother of Florida State star running back Dalvin Cook, while Surtain’s father—who coaches his son as the head coach at American Heritage—was a former star defensive back in the NFL for more than a decade.

Another college football star showed up to the camp to give pointers to quarterbacks in attendance. Current Miami star quarterback Brad Kaaya, who is an Elite 11 alum from the 2013 class, watched the passing segments with a keen eye.

A player who could potentially catch passes from Kaaya one day is 3-star tight end and current Hurricanes pledge Kemore Gamble. The 6’3”, 220-pounder had the catch of the day after he snagged a one-handed touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone in red-zone drills.

With the camp taking place at American Heritage High School, former Patriots star and Florida State signee Brian Burns was on hand to support a number of his former prep teammates in action. Burns has added more than 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani