Nike’s The Opening camp began in earnest Wednesday with several USC football commits, most notably Josh Imatorbhebhe, and a host of Trojan targets taking part in the action.
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Day one was all about measurables, as the high school athletes showed off their tangibles.
Imatorbhebhe, who committed to the Trojans back in May, was a stand out performer on the day. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver out of Georgia posted a 4.48 second 40-yard dash and 46-inch vertical to launch him into the finals of the competition.
The most impressive part of Imatorbhebhe’s day was the ridiculous 47-inch vertical he posted. Thankfully several onlookers caught the impressive jump on tape.
Of course, it was USC 2017 target Donovan Peoples-Jones who was named the champion of the SPARQ rating competition, becoming the first sophomore to take home the top prize.
Nigel Knott, a USC target at cornerback also made the finals, posting a blazing 4.3 second 40-yard dash, which looks fast even in slow motion.
Trojan commit Daelin Hayes tested among the top athletes on day one unsurprisingly.
Alen Trieu of Scout captured Hayes going up against Alabama commit and recent USC visitor Najee Harris.
The news of the day regarding Hayes was the telling number he sported — No. 55.
The four-star linebacker has worn the No. 9 at high school level, but it looks like he’s got his eye on one of the most iconic numbers in USC history. It just so happens that jersey will be unoccupied next year after the departure of Lamar Dawson.
Fellow Trojan commit Frank Martin got some work done at the power ball toss.
Tight end target Devin Asiasi also impressed with his power ball toss.
Javon McKinley, a USC target at wide receiver, posted his own strong score in the SPARQ testing.
Tyler Vaughns made some highlight reels at wide receiver with an acrobatic catch.
Jack Jones, who is projected by many to ultimately join the Trojans, did not put in as impressive a jump as Imatorbhebhe, but still produced some air.
Unfortunately for the four-star athlete, his willingness to prove his worth at cornerback instead of wide receiver resulted in his getting schooled by Isaac Nauta. To be fair, Nauta was one of the most dominant players on the day and Jones apparently had a strong outing overall.
Though it increasingly looks like Oluwole Betiku will end up elsewhere, the five-star lineman had mouths watering with a 4.57 second 40-yard dash.
It’s a safe bet that C.J. Pollard will end up at USC. The four-star safety showed his support for Avery Huffman, the daughter of Scout’s Brandon Huffman who was just diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.
Pollard showed off his coverage skills, successfully defending A.J. Brown.
Another Trojan target at safety, Lamar Jackson also got in some work with the DBs.
Tomorrow, The Opening ramps up with 7-on-7 games between teams Hyper Cool, Alpha Pro, Lunar Beast, Fly Rush, Mach Speed, and Superbad.
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