The Opening Day 2 Top 5: Incoming junior wins historic Nike Football Challenge

Video: Donovan Peoples-Jones wins Nike Football Testing Challenge

Senior writer Mitch Stephens, is live on the scene at The Opening in Beaverton, Ore. Here are his thoughts on the major trends and noteworthy items from Wednesday, July 8.

1. Bashful junior opens up, takes top prize

Incoming Cass Tech (Detroit) junior receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was getting peppered with questions from reporters on Wednesday. Even assaulted.

How did it feel to win the Nike Football Testing Challenge at The Opening? Did you know you were the first underclassmen to ever win the award? Were you surprised? Did you come out here to represent your region?

"Blessed. No. Yes. No."

Finishing No. 1 in the country at arguably the nation's top athletic test inspired almost entirely one-word answers — until someone asked the speedy 6-foot-2, 185-pound five-star athlete about who he wanted to tell first.

"I'll call my mom," he said. "She's been there since day one. Everyone loves their mom. And my mom is special. I definitely think it will surprise her."

His 4.42 40-yard dash on grass to finish the competition surprised almost everyone to win with a 149.49 score. Peoples-Jones, who already holds 14 offers including Alabama, USC, Ohio State and Michigan, beat out nine other finalists — all incoming seniors — in the nationally-televised showcase at Nike's headquarters. He also had vertical leap of 42.4 inches, ran the shuttle in 4.00 seconds and threw the powerball 43 feet, five inches.

Peoples-Jones eventually warmed up to the media during another unusually hot day in the Northwest. Temperatures hovered in the mid-90s.

"It feels great," he said. "There are 166 athletes here. The top kids in the country. To be crowned champion is a true blessing."

2. Jumping Josh

North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) incoming senior receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe caused a huge stir with a morning vertical jump of 46 inches. But he was just getting started. During the finals, he went 46-8 and 47-1 and was joined by Germantown (Madison, Miss.) defensive back Nigel Knott, who also recorded 46-0 in the finals.

Knott finished second with 147.96 points and Imatorbhebhe, who tweaked his hamstring in the 40 finals, was third at 142.41. He's a USC commit though the 247Sports Crystal Ball predicts he'll end up at Florida.

During the morning session, on artificial turf, Knott recorded one of the fastest 40 times in history of the event — it used to be known as SPARQ Training — by going 4.30. The 4-star standout is being wooed by Oregon, Alabama, Florida State and LSU among his 25 offers.

3. Busy No. 1 recruit

The nation's No. 1 senior recruit according to 247Sports, Rashan Gary, is going to have a very busy July. The 6-4, 311-pound defensive tackle from Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.) said he is headed to Georgia this weekend for a recruiting visit followed by trips to Alabama, Ole Miss, Auburn and LSU, all by the end of the month.

Alabama or Michigan, which has had a flood of New Jersey recruits commit to Jim Harbaugh, appears to be his likely destination, according to 247Sports. Despite constant attempts from reporters to reveal some sort of pecking order, Gary, like his frame, stayed strong to keep an open mind.

He'll make repeat visits to schools to get to know players and to make sure "everything adds up and nothing has changed," he said several times. No matter what, his mom needs to feel good and satisfied, though the decision will ultimately come down to Gary.

"I'll sit down with my mom and make my final decision," he said. "She wants me to spread out and become a man."

4. Strong man

There is a noticeable size differential between the offensive and defensive linemen this year with the brawn going toward the defense.

One of the strongest among the defenders is 6-3, 280-pound Lake Park (Roselle, Ill.) defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk, who reportedly broke The Opening record by bench pressing 185 pounds 43 times on Wednesday. Panasiuk, is 100 percent committed to Michigan State.

5. Big passing grade

Even though 4-star quarterback Malik Henry left his school, look for a big season from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) tight end Isaac Nauta, who dominated in passing drills on Wednesday. The 6-4, 237-pound 5-star recruit has committed to Florida State. He showed off a great combination of power, hands and agility.

Barton Simmons, a longtime national recruiting expert from 247Sports, said "I can't remember a better tight end performance during a one-on-one period at any camp anywhere."