JoJo Jackson, Greg Simmons, Isaiah Johnson
Miami NFTC (3/1/15)
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On Saturday, Nike Football's 'The Opening Regional' took over the campus of American Heritage-Plantation as some of the top talent from across the state came to show their skills and hopefully earn the golden ticket to attend Nike's 'The Opening'.
I spoke with numerous 'Canes recruits at the camp and below are their thoughts.
2016 Dwyer (Fla.) WR Isaiah Johnson (Miami commit):
"It's great to be committed to your hometown team you know," said Johnson. Johnson was originally committed to Louisville but chose to pledge to the Hurricanes a few weeks ago. "They have such a history. They have so many great players that have come through there and me having the chance to come through and fill their shoes is great. I mean I grew up watching the 'Canes and that's just my dream team." When asked about the 'Canes tremendous 2016 class known as the
#Swag16 , Johnson responded with "Yeah, I like it. We're pretty stacked right now (laughs). Johnson also happens to be high school teammates with 2017 Miami commit Todd Centeio whom Johnson loves. "It's great you know because when we get down there we'll already have that connection from high school and that will help us both."
2016 Miami LB Commit Zach McCloud from Santaluces measures in at 6'2" 220
2016 Santaluces (Fla.) OLB Zach McCloud (Miami commit):
McCloud has been committed to Miami since mid-November and has been one of the more vocal members of the
#Swag16 recruiting class. "I love the class so far. Knowing that I'm apart of it is a huge confidence booster when I'm on the field," said McCloud. "I don't know of any guys I'm going to be recruiting to come with me because if you don't want to be a part of Miami you shouldn't go there. I shouldn't have to urge them along." The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder looked really good throughout the day as he showcased his skills. What made McCloud choose Miami so early in the process? "Well I've got a lot of family in Miami and I can see that they are on the come-up." McCloud is ecstatic about playing for the 'Canes and when he gets there he is expected to be used as a Sam.
2016 Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) DB Devin Studstill:
"I've gotten a lot of big offers lately and I'm just enjoying the process," said Studstill. "I plan on going to West Virginia, Penn State, and I'll definitely be back at Miami again." The Canes have offered the rising senior and are making him a priority. "I like the 'Canes a lot because it's all love with them. I talk to them almost everyday. I was down there for a Junior day not too long ago and the coaches want me to end up playing safety there." Studstill also explained to me how he had been following the 'Canes recent recruiting success. "Oh yeah, I've been following it. We've been getting a lot of good linebackers and offensive lineman just some real good guys to play behind."
2016 Coconut Creek (Fla.) OLB Alexy Jean Baptiste:
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker has blown up this offseason as he recently brought in offers from Miami, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and West Virginia among a handful of others. He says he plans to attend Miami's spring game. "I'm looking for a school that fits me perfect and somewhere with a good criminal justice program." He has no leader early on in his recruitment.
2016 American Heritage-Plantation (Fla.) DE Brian Burns:
Burns has a offer from Miami and added offers from Georgia, Florida, and Florida State this past week. "Georgia wants to use me in a variety of ways," said Burns. "I really like how the FSU coaches were genuine and kept it real with me." For Miami, they remain in contact with Burns but he says he has yet to talk with the new defensive line coach Kareem Brown. Plans to take visits to South Carolina , LSU, and Clemson this spring.
Miami NFTC updates per 247
- Pinder still has UM on top, Tennessee 2nd.
- Bruce wants to visit Auburn and the big 3
- Keyshawn Young has 'Bama, FSU & UGA out in front
- Josh Hammond is wide open plans to be EE
- Ridley wide open
- OHST leading for Treavon Grimes
- Nick Eubanks is UM's
#1 TE target. 'Bama leads.
- Henley names UM leader
- Devin Studstill says Miami is in a very good position for him. close friends with Richards and Centeio.
- Mullen decked out in LSU gear
- Trajan Bandy still has Tennessee on top
"Miami pledge Greg Simmons of Ft. Pierce (Fla.) Central was arguably the best pass rusher in the linebacker group, and more than held during pass coverage drills. "
2016 Miami DE Commit Joseph Jackson from Gulliver Prep measures in at 6'5" 237 and ran a 4.83 forty. People are saying he looks very impressive.
2016 FSU S Commit Jamel Cook from Miami Central measures in at 6'4.5" 185
2016 DE Brian Burns from American Heritage ran 4.76 forty, 34 inch vertical and 4.5 shuttle.
2016 WR and former Miami Commit Dredrick Snelson from American Heritage lists FSU, UF and Auburn as his top 3. Was in FSU shoes today.
2016 UF LB Vosean Joseph from Norland measures in at 6'2" 207
2016 UF DE Eric Mitchell from Miami Central measures in at 6'1" 221
2016 WR Darnell Salomon from Miami Central measures in at 6'3" 205, Bama is the leader apparently.
First four invites for the opening from the Miami NFTC.
Sam Bruce, Brian Burns, Devin Bush Jr., Trayvon Mullen
MVPs for the camp:
SPARQ: Travis Homer - 2016 Oxbridge Academy
QB - Tyler Huntley - 2016 Hallandale
RB - Devin Singletary - 2016 American Heritage
WR - Trevon Grimes - 2017 St. Thomas Aquinas
OL - Tedarrell Slaton - 2017 American Heritage
DL - Brian Burns - 2016 American Heritage
LB - Bryce Handy - 2016 Columbus (Cane Legacy)
DB - Korel Smith - 2016 Miramar
DE Brian Burns, WR Sam Bruce, LB Devin Bush Jr. and CB Trayvon Mullen all earned invites to Nike's The Opening.
Miami Nike Opening Regional Top Performers
Luke Stampini - Feb 28, 3:53 PM 44
PLANTATION, Fla. – The first Nike Football Opening Regional (formerly Nike Football Training Camp) took place Saturday in South Florida. The camp was loaded with top talent once again. 247Sports recaps the day’s top performers.
Got Open
Four participants received invites to The Opening Saturday, which held in July on Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage defensive end Brian Burns used his speed off the edge to get to the quarterback repeatedly during one-on-one drills. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect showed an excellent first step and plus athleticism at the defense end spot.
The second invite was handed to Hollywood (Fla.) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush Jr. The 6-foot, 210-pound prospect is very instinctual and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time.
Perhaps the most well know prospect to receive an invite was Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Sam Bruce. The diminutive speedster flashed that short area quickness that makes him so tough to cover in the slot.
Coconut Creek (Fla.) cornerback Trayvon Mullen was the final invite from Saturday’s camp. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound cover corner flashed elite ball skills during one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills coming away with several interceptions.
Look for more from the South Florida regional to earn invites to The Opening at a later date.
Position MVPs
Quarterback MVP Tyler Huntley of Hallandale (Fla.) was consistent all day long. The 6-foot-1 signal caller was accurate with his passes and displayed excellent touch on his ball.
Running back MVP Devin Singletary of Delray Beach (Fla.) American Heritage showed a good change of direction and quick feet in drills. Despite being only 5-foot-9, Singletary is still well built in the upper body.
Wide receiver MVP Trevon Grimes of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas is only a 2017 prospect, but flashed the five-star potential. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was able to get open deep consistently during one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills.
Offensive line MVP Tedarrell Slaton of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage is another 2017 that really put on a show Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound prospect stoned defensive lineman after defensive lineman during one-on-one drills. He rarely, if ever, gets off balance and has a very sturdy base. Look for Slaton to make a move into the Top247.
Defensive line MVP Brian Burns of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage was simply unstoppable crashing off the edge. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect is extremely athletic for a defensive end.
Linebacker MVP Bryce Handy of Miami (Fla.) Columbus came away with top honors in a rather loaded position group. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound prospect played with aggression during pass rushing drills.
Defensive back MVP Korel Smith of Miramar (Fla.) was feisty in coverage. The 5-foot-9 did an excellent job staying attached to receiver most of the day.
More Notable Performances
Miami Central’s Florida State pledges impress
While he did not earn any recognition from the Nike staff, the prospect that impressed the 247Sports team was Miami (Fla.) Central safety Jamel Cook. The Florida State commit measured in at 6-foot-4.5, 185-pound and showed good coverage ability at that size. He took snaps at corner where he was able to stay attached to Sam Bruce on a double move. Look for Cook to rise up the rankings after Saturday’s showing.
Despite not having ideal defensive end size at 6-foot-2, Keir Thomas, another Central product committed to the ‘Noles, was very active on the day. Thomas was deceptively quick off the edge and used that to beat offensive lineman all day long.
Solid Linebacking Corps
The linebacker group showed it was one of the more talented group at the camp, headed by commits from the Big Three. Miami pledge Greg Simmons of Ft. Pierce (Fla.) Central was arguably the best pass rusher in the linebacker group, and more than held during pass coverage drills. Florida pledge Vosean Joseph of Miami (Fla.) Central put up an overall sound performance, showing he was one of the better prospects in coverage. Florida State pledge Emmett Rice of Miami (Fla.) Norland Emmett is still very lean, but flashed elite athleticism.
Victor Pushing for Top WR in Florida
Coconut Creek (Fla.) wide receiver Binjimen Victor had yet another strong showing Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound prospect runs smooth routes and uses his length well. Victor also flashed enough speed to get over the top of the defense to stretch the field vertically. Perhaps the catch of the day came from Victor when he beat the corner easily off the line of scrimmage on a fade, however, an errant pass cause him to reach out with one hand and pluck the throw for a touchdown.
RB Homer Impresses
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Oxbridge Academy running back Travis Homer had the top SPARQ score on the day after recording a 4.55-second forty, 4.03-second short shuttle, 37-inch vertical jump and a 40-foot power ball toss at 5-foot-10, 195-pounds. On top of the elite combine numbers, Homer was the best running back in pass protection drills.
***247Sports' analysts David Lake, Ryan Bartow and Josh Newberg contributed to this article***