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What is The Opening?
This is the second annual event of its kind, which takes place out in Oregon at the Nike headquarters. In these three days, some of the top high school football players in the country compete in SPARQ training, then a 7-on-7 tournament. Last year, several Miami commits and targets participated in the event, which was televised on ESPNU. This year is no different.
Miami Commits
The ‘Canes only have one commit out in Oregon and that happens to be their most recent addition to the class, TE Travis Johnson from Tampa. Johnson is a versatile threat, who will shine in this setting. Look for him to create mismatch problems in the 7-on-7 play.
Miami Targets
Vernon Hargreaves III- “VH3”, as he also known, is one of the top players on the board for Miami. He is a pure corner with great cover skills and athleticism. Reports out of Oregon yesterday say that he suffered an ankle injury, so hopefully he will be good to go for 7-on-7s. Miami has made a recent push for his services. UF and USF are also big threats.
Matthew Thomas- The LB from Booker T has made waves in the past day, saying that Alabama and FSU are his top two schools. Miami coaches feel good about where they stand with him and I still see him winding up as a Cane. The draw of playing close to home should win out in the end. He will be an interesting prospect to watch over the next few days. He weighed in at 204 yesterday, which is lighter than he has been listed at.
Derrick Henry- The former Georgia commit is arguably the most dominating athlete in the SPARQ competition, as he finished in third in the event last year as a junior. Henry is thought to have higher upside on the defensive side of the ball, but is set on playing running back. He has been in contact with the Canes coaches since de-committing, but it is still unsure how real Miami’s chances are at this point.
Artie Burns- The Miami Northwestern safety, who was formerly committed to Alabama, is currently a heavy Miami lean. He is a track athlete and I will be interested to see how he performs in 7-on-7 play because his ball skills have been questioned by some. He has the frame and athleticism to be a great one.
Levonte Whitfield- “Kermit” was a former Miami commit, who re-opened his recruitment to explore all of his options. The speedster ran the second-fastest 40 at the event with a 4.37 (laser-timed). He is an ideal slot with great quickness. He is another prospect who should excel in this setting, as we saw Duke Johnson did last year.
Jermaine Grace- The LB from Miramar is another name on the list who is a big Miami lean. He has always been a Miami fan and the additions of Malcolm Lewis and Tracy Howard last year only helped their chances with him. FSU was thought to be a threat, but the ‘Noles have 4 LBs committed and are still in pursuit of Matthew Thomas. He needs to bulk up to play LB at the next level.
Jordan Sherit- Another Tampa product, Sherit may be the key to landing VH3. With another “Team Tampa” teammate, Travis Johnson, already in the fold, landing Sherit would give Miami two of Hargreaves’ best friends. On the field, he is relentless in pursuit and may be able to stand up as a rushing linebacker, as well as put his hand on the ground as an end.
Will Likely- The Glades Central CB is one of my personal favorite recruits in the class. While he is undersized, he is an incredible playmaker. As of right now, he does not hold a committable offer from Miami. He likes the Canes, but it doesn’t look like that interest is mutual.
Denver Kirkland- The second Booker T Washington Tornado on this list, Kirkland is yet another prospect who is rumored to have the Canes out in front. He will be visiting FSU this summer, and the ‘Noles are a threat. As of right now, expect him to be a Hurricane.
Where to Watch
7-on-7 play will be televised tonight on ESPNU from 8-10:30 PM.
This is the second annual event of its kind, which takes place out in Oregon at the Nike headquarters. In these three days, some of the top high school football players in the country compete in SPARQ training, then a 7-on-7 tournament. Last year, several Miami commits and targets participated in the event, which was televised on ESPNU. This year is no different.
Miami Commits
The ‘Canes only have one commit out in Oregon and that happens to be their most recent addition to the class, TE Travis Johnson from Tampa. Johnson is a versatile threat, who will shine in this setting. Look for him to create mismatch problems in the 7-on-7 play.
Miami Targets
Vernon Hargreaves III- “VH3”, as he also known, is one of the top players on the board for Miami. He is a pure corner with great cover skills and athleticism. Reports out of Oregon yesterday say that he suffered an ankle injury, so hopefully he will be good to go for 7-on-7s. Miami has made a recent push for his services. UF and USF are also big threats.
Matthew Thomas- The LB from Booker T has made waves in the past day, saying that Alabama and FSU are his top two schools. Miami coaches feel good about where they stand with him and I still see him winding up as a Cane. The draw of playing close to home should win out in the end. He will be an interesting prospect to watch over the next few days. He weighed in at 204 yesterday, which is lighter than he has been listed at.
Derrick Henry- The former Georgia commit is arguably the most dominating athlete in the SPARQ competition, as he finished in third in the event last year as a junior. Henry is thought to have higher upside on the defensive side of the ball, but is set on playing running back. He has been in contact with the Canes coaches since de-committing, but it is still unsure how real Miami’s chances are at this point.
Artie Burns- The Miami Northwestern safety, who was formerly committed to Alabama, is currently a heavy Miami lean. He is a track athlete and I will be interested to see how he performs in 7-on-7 play because his ball skills have been questioned by some. He has the frame and athleticism to be a great one.
Levonte Whitfield- “Kermit” was a former Miami commit, who re-opened his recruitment to explore all of his options. The speedster ran the second-fastest 40 at the event with a 4.37 (laser-timed). He is an ideal slot with great quickness. He is another prospect who should excel in this setting, as we saw Duke Johnson did last year.
Jermaine Grace- The LB from Miramar is another name on the list who is a big Miami lean. He has always been a Miami fan and the additions of Malcolm Lewis and Tracy Howard last year only helped their chances with him. FSU was thought to be a threat, but the ‘Noles have 4 LBs committed and are still in pursuit of Matthew Thomas. He needs to bulk up to play LB at the next level.
Jordan Sherit- Another Tampa product, Sherit may be the key to landing VH3. With another “Team Tampa” teammate, Travis Johnson, already in the fold, landing Sherit would give Miami two of Hargreaves’ best friends. On the field, he is relentless in pursuit and may be able to stand up as a rushing linebacker, as well as put his hand on the ground as an end.
Will Likely- The Glades Central CB is one of my personal favorite recruits in the class. While he is undersized, he is an incredible playmaker. As of right now, he does not hold a committable offer from Miami. He likes the Canes, but it doesn’t look like that interest is mutual.
Denver Kirkland- The second Booker T Washington Tornado on this list, Kirkland is yet another prospect who is rumored to have the Canes out in front. He will be visiting FSU this summer, and the ‘Noles are a threat. As of right now, expect him to be a Hurricane.
Where to Watch
7-on-7 play will be televised tonight on ESPNU from 8-10:30 PM.
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