Highlights and Analysis of The Opening Atlanta Regional

BUFORD, Ga. — The fifth installment of the Nike Opening Regional camp circuit made its way to the metro Atlanta area in search of finding the nation's premier prep football prospects throughout the country.

A cold day with frigid temperatures and swirling winds greeted a group of top athletes from states such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.

By the time the camp concluded, 12 players had punched their golden tickets to The Opening. Also, two quarterbacks—4-star Clemson pledge Chase Brice and 4-star Georgia commit Jake Fromm—landed invites to the Elite 11 finals later this summer.

Let’s delve into some of the biggest storylines to emerge from the Atlanta Nike Opening Regional.

Depth in the Trenches

Of the dozen players to earn their way to The Opening—which will take place in July at Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon—four came from the defensive line, and another was added from the offensive line.

Leading the way for the defensive line class was a pair of Florida State defensive tackle commits, 4-star Ja’len Parks and 3-star Cory Durden.

After making the long trek from Florida, the duo—who are also cousins—from Newberry High School showed up with a clear purpose in mind.

“It felt really good [to get open],” Parks told Bleacher Report. “[Cory and I have] been talking about this since we came up here. We had our minds set on that fact that we had to get open.”

Durden echoed that sentiment.

“It became a reality to me when we got here. It was just in our mentality that we wanted to eat up everyone out here,” Durden explained.

Joining Parks and Durden in the defensive line group in Oregon will be a pair of menacing pass-rushing defensive ends in 4-star LaBryan Ray and 3-star Drew Jordan.

The 6’5”, 283-pound Ray earned the distinction of being the MVP for the defensive line segment, but all four defenders brought a mix of size, power and speed that caused havoc for a stout group of offensive linemen.

However, 4-star offensive tackle D’Antne Demery was up to the challenge in one-on-one drills. 

The athletic 6’6”, 308-pounder showed great balance and agility in consistently keeping talented defenders at arm's length throughout the afternoon.

Trio of Pass-Catchers Shines

The Atlanta regional brought out some of the country’s elite skill talent on offense.

However, of that group, the Student Sports coaching staff recognized only two receivers and one tight end as worthy of earning an Opening invite.

While the chilly and windy conditions weren’t optimal for the receiver group, 4-star wideouts Nico Collins and Amari Rodgers were a handful for defensive backs to stick with.

Rodgers, who is committed to Clemson, took home MVP honors for the receiver group after showcasing his ability to consistently separate from defenders and attack the ball in the air with his hands.

“It’s always great to compete against the best and to be recognized as one of the best in my group, it’s just a blessing,” Rodgers said. “I just tried to compete and earn as many reps as I can. I wanted to go against the best DBs here and I did that. I did well for the most part against them and I think that’s what caught the eyes of the coaches.”

The 6’5”, 195-pound Collins presented a different challenge for defensive backs because of his height and fluidity in his route running.

“It feels nice because there are a lot of great athletes here today. There are some big-time ballers here and I’m honored to one of the guys who got open today,” Collins said. “It was a lot of good receivers out here, but I just had to come in and show my game off and what I can do. The weather kind of got to me a little bit early, but I worked through it and just did my thing.”

While the tight end segment wasn’t large on numbers, 3-star Tre' McKitty—who also competed at the Orlando Nike Opening Regional—made the most of another opportunity to compete in this setting.

The 6’4”, 240-pounder was consistently winning his routes against a talented group of linebackers in his one-on-one matchups.

“I am so excited [to get the invite to The Opening]. This is a blessing and [earning the invite] has been a goal of mine for the longest,” McKitty said.

Quartet of 4-Star Defenders Earns Opening Invite

Aside from the wealth of studs on the defensive line, linebacker was another position segment filled with college-level talent.

In fact, three 4-star linebackers were among the stars of the day who earned a golden ticket.

Of that group, 4-star Mississippi native Willie Gay made the longest trek for a shot to get to The Opening.

The 6’2”, 216-pound Gay said that prep teammate A.J. Brown—a 4-star receiver and Opening alum in the 2016 class who signed with Ole Miss—encouraged him to do whatever it takes to earn a trip to The Opening.

“It feels great. I’ve been working for this so hard and so long,” Gay said. “After A.J. Brown got open last year, I told myself I had to do it this year. It was one of my main goals and I’m glad to get that accomplished.”

Joining him in Oregon will be 4-star Georgia pledge Jaden Hunter and 4-star Alabama linebacker Markail Benton—who also made it to The Opening as a junior a year ago.

Both linebackers were fluid in pass coverage and showed great range when trying to track down running backs and receivers in drills.

While the defensive back unit was also littered with multiple prospects with potential to play in college, 4-star corner William Poole III was the only member of that segment to net an invite.

“I'm very excited and fortunate to have earned my invite,” Poole said. “This is one goal that I can scratch off my list. I will only [work on] getting better from here on out and [I want to] put on a show in Oregon.”

Glimpse of the Future

While a host of standouts from the 2017 class were showcasing their skills, a number of underclassmen were among the players who impressed on Sunday.

2019 linebacker Owen Pappoe—who is already approaching 30 offers as he enters his sophomore year—claimed the ratings championship.

Included in his staggering test numbers was a 4.58 time in the 40-yard dash—which he credited to a stringent workout regimen he’s been practicing in the offseason.

“We have workouts everyday after school. So, I’ve been working on little things such as change-of-direction drills, and that showed out here with the testing,” Pappoe said.

Additionally, 2018 offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer was named the MVP of the offensive line segment.

The 6’4”, 305-pounder was among the most athletic prospects at his position, and he displayed great agility and versatility in drills and in one-on-ones.

Finally, the quarterback group featured dynamic young talents such as 2018 stars Trevor Lawrence and Emory Jones. Not to be outdone, 2020 signal caller Harrison Bailey also opened a few eyes with his play, according to Student Sports instructor Matt James. 

“I thought Trevor Lawrence performed very well. He showed he was what we expected him to be,” James said. “Another guy who I really liked was Emory Jones. I thought he had a really good day for himself. I’ve seen him on film and heard about him a little bit, but he didn’t have a lot of hype that Trevor had. I really liked Harrison Bailey. I thought he had a good day.”

Quick Hitters

Among the other players to take home MVP segment honors were running back Jaelen Greene, 3-star linebacker Kenney Britt and 3-star corner Troy Simon.

All three prospects hold at least five offers, with Britt—who has picked up tenders from Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Louisville this month—leading the way with 25.

Running back Eric Stokes earned the honor of being the fastest camper in attendance by winning the 40-yard-dash finals with a time of 4.35 seconds.

Stokes, who currently has only one offer from Georgia State, could be a prospect whose stock rises in the coming months.

While there was plenty of talent on the field, there were a handful of other gifted athletes on hand to take in the action at Buford High School.

Current Tennessee quarterback and Elite 11 alum Joshua Dobbs was helping the Student Sports staff instruct the quarterback segment.

2016 Georgia running back signee Elijah Holyfield—who earned an invite to The Opening at last year’s Atlanta regional—was on the sidelines supporting a few of his friends. 

However, the biggest star in attendance was reigning NFL MVP and current Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton.

Newton was on hand to support his brother, Caylin, who is a quarterback in the 2017 class.

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