Five things to watch for this year in The Opening finals

Video: Highlights of the nation's top 10 quarterbacks from the Class of 2017
Most of these quarterbacks will be at The Opening Finals this weekend in Beaverton (Ore.).

BEAVERTON, Ore. — It is the showcase of all high school football showcases. It's the ultimate catwalk for 166 of the nation's top recruits at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.

The 2016 version of The Opening finals starts Friday and completes a 15-city Nike-sponsored series that featured more than 3,000 players throughout the country.

The nation's elite will compete in a series of individual and team competitions that feature the ultimate football fitness challenge, formerly known as SPARQ and now called Nike Football Rating, which is made up of a 40-yard sprint, 20-yard agility shuttle, kneeling Powerball toss and vertical jump.

There's also the ever-popular 1-on-1 lineman challenge and a fierce 7-on-7 team competition that features all the finalists from the Elite 11 quarterback showcase.



Ultimately, from a fan's perspective, The Opening is a one-stop shop to witness the nation's elite future football talent showing off their vast athletic prowess.

Here are just five areas of keen interest that MaxPreps will be keeping close tabs on all weekend.

1. The nation's top five rated senior running backs

1. Najee Harris, Antioch (Calif.), Alabama commit
2. Cam Akers, Clinton (Miss.), uncommitted
3. Stephen Carr, Summit (Fontana, Calif.), USC
4. D'Andre Swift, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia), uncommitted
5. Khalan Laborn, Bishop Sullivan Catholic (Virginia Beach, Va.), uncommitted

Harris and Akers will play together on the same 7-on-7 squad, Vaporspeed. … Swift and the nation's sixth-rated back, JK Dobbins of La Grante (Texas), will play for LunarBeast. ... These are the top five according to the 247Sports Composite.

2. The nation's top five rated senior quarterbacks

1. Hunter Johnson, Brownsburg (Ind.), Clemson
2. Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Michigan
3. Tate Martell, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Ohio State
4. Jake Fromm, Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.), Georgia
5. Davis Mills, Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), Stanford



Martell and Fromm are going to split time for Alpha Pro. … Mills (Fly Rush) and McCaffrey (Hypercool) will not only face off in the 7-on-7, but go against each other Sept. 9 in a nationally televised game in Colorado. … Many think Alabama commit Tua Tagovailoa (Vaporspeed), of St. Louis (Honolulu), could win the entire Elite 11 competition.

3. The nation's top five rated wide receivers

1. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cass Tech (Detroit), uncommitted
2. Joseph Lewis, Hawkins (Los Angeles), uncommitted
3. Tee Higgins, Oak Ridge (Tenn.), Clemson
4. Tyjon Lindsey, Centennial (Corona, Calif.), uncommitted
5. Trevon Grimes, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), uncommitted

Peoples-Jones is also after his second-straight Nike Football Rating championship. … Lindsey and Grimes will be quite the dynamic tandem for Alpha Pro. … Lindsey's former Bishop Gorman teammate and adopted brother Martell will be connecting on the field one last time as preps.

4. Many of the nation's top defenders

No. 1 linebacker Dylan Moses, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), uncommitted
No. 2 linebacker Baron Browning, Kennedale (Texas), uncommitted
No. 1 cornerback Darnay Holmes, Calabasas (Calif.), uncommitted
No. 2 cornerback Shaun Wade, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.), Ohio State
No. 1 safety Jeffrey Okudah, South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas), uncommitted
No. 2 safety Richard Lecounte, Liberty County (Hinesville, Ga.), Georgia



Moses, Wade and another Ohio State commit, Isaiah Pryor of IMG Academy, will all play together for Lunarbeast. ... The nation's top two safeties, Okudah and Lecounte, are teammates for Alpha Pro. ... Browning and Gibbs are together on Fly Rush.

5. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) linebacker Owen Pappoe

The incoming 6-foot-1, 210-pounder is the first incoming sophomore to be invited to The Opening finals.