The Opening Primer: Ohio State Well Represented

The event features a Nike Football Ratings Championship, which is essentially a combine that determines “high school football’s top athlete.” Last year, that winner was Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins. Teammate Jeffrey Okudah came in second. There is also the Final 5 Linemen Challenge, which features the top 20 defensive linemen against the top 20 offensive linemen. The five best performers will then be crowned as The Final 5. Then there is the Nike Football 7 on 7 Championship, which features six teams, 126 athletes, and two days of competition. The Elite 11 quarterback competition also takes place during the six-day event. Buckeye commit Emory Jones failed to make the finals.

So which future Buckeyes — and possible future Buckeyes — are participating?

Ohio State Commits

(Ratings and measurements from The Opening Regionals are included below where available. Players participate in a 40-yard dash, a 20-yard shuttle, a power ball toss, and a vertical jump. These numbers are then combined to come up with a SPARQ rating. The player with the highest SPARQ score wins the Nike Football Ratings Championship.)

CB Sevyn Banks

6-1 180 | 4.5 40 | 4.32 SH | 41.5′ PB | 41.7″ VJ | 128.58 SPARQ

Banks is coming off of an injury last year, but is already making his mark on the combine circuit. His SPARQ score of 128.58 is currently No. 9 in the nation. Take a gander at his power ball throw and then keep that in mind as you scan the rest of these names.

DE Andrew Chatfield

6-2 221 | 4.92 40 | 4.57 SH | 38′ PB | 31.4″ VJ | 85.8 SPARQ

Chatfield may be fitting the new mold as a stand-up defensive end for the Buckeyes.

DE Brenton Cox

6-4.5 247 | 4.95 40 | 4.45 SH | 39.5′ PB | 28.6″ VJ | 92.43 SPARQ

Cox is big and strong. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the one-on-ones.

RB Jaelen Gill

6-0 172 | 4.58 40 | 4.01 SH | 37.5′ PB | 36.1″ VJ | 114.24 SPARQ (From 2016)

Gill may be a sleeper pick to win the ratings title, which would be incredibly impressive considering he missed all of last season with a severe leg injury. Regardless of how he does, it has been good to see him back on the field full-tilt this spring.

LB Teradja Mitchell

6-2 243 | 5.01 40 | 4.4 SH | 44.0′ PB | 30.7″ VJ | 102.93 SPARQ

Mitchell will head to Oregon looking to improve on that 40-time. He is clearly strong, though.

SAF Josh Proctor

6-2 190 | 4.68 40 | 4.45 SH | 36.0′ PB | 36.7″ VJ | 95.01 SPARQ

Proctor has good size for a safety and the athleticism is clearly there.

DT Taron Vincent

6-1.5 287 | 4.95 40 | 4.76 SH | 41.0′ PB | 22.1″ VJ | 88.92 SPARQ

Don’t ever expect the linemen to compete for the SPARQ title, but it still gives you a good look at the athleticism they possess. For a defensive tackle, the shuttle times are more important than the 40 times.

SAF Jaiden Woodbey

6-1 209 | 4.85 40 | 4.22 SH | 39.5′ PB | 32.1″ VJ | 100.62 SPARQ

Woodbey will want to improve that 40 time, but the shuttle is impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came in a little lighter as well.

Ohio State Targets

WR Kamryn Babb

6-1 189 | 4.60 40 | 4.12 SH | 34′ PB | 35.3″ VJ | 103.92 SPARQ

The Buckeyes’ top receiver target. Only hearing good things here.

DT Jowon Briggs (2019)

6-1.5 278 | 5.35 40 | 4.47 SH | 37.0′ PB | 26.5″ VJ | 83.13 SPARQ

One of the handful of 2019 prospects, Briggs is a Cincinnati product.

CB Tyson Campbell

6-2.5 181 | 4.47 40 | 4.51 SH | 36.0′ PB | 32.5″ VJ | 93.12 SPARQ

Campbell is a 6-3 cornerback with speed. The lackluster shuttle time and the vertical seem out of place, though.

OT Jackson Carman

6-6 349 | 5.41 40 | 4.94 SH | 42.5′ PB | 25.6″ VJ | 96.18 SPARQ

Carman went into his regional combine a little on the bigger side. Expect that number to be lower this time around.

CB Anthony Cook

5-11 173 | NA 40 | 4.17 SH | 34.5′ PB | 36.7 ” VJ | NA SPARQ

Cook didn’t run the 40 at his regional, so it will be interesting to see where he comes in. The shuttle will be impressive again.

WR Brennan Eagles

6-3.5 214 | 4.51 40 | 3.99 SH | 39.0′ PB | 37.0″ VJ | 132.24 SPARQ

Eagles has the No. 5 SPARQ score this year. He’s a Texas receiver, so he’s going to be a tough pull for the Buckeyes.

DE Zach Harrison (2019)

6-5.5 243 | 4.62 40 | 4.45 SH | 43.5′ PB | 35.9″ VJ | 125.82 SPARQ

Harrison is a Central Ohioan, so the Buckeyes like where they stand here. His SPARQ score is No. 15 in the nation, which is also the third-best among the 2019 prospects. He’s also a track star…at 6-foot-6 and 240-odd pounds.

LB Owen Pappoe (2019)

6-0 207 | 4.69 40 | 4.09 SH | 38.0′ PB | 36.4″ VJ | 115.20 SPARQ

This will be Pappoe’s second time at The Opening. He was the first sophomore ever invited last year.

DE Micah Parsons

6-3 241 | 4.66 40 | 4.34 SH | 40.0′ PB | 31.1″ VJ | 110.07 SPARQ

From Pennsylvania, Parsons will continue to receive Noah Spence comparisons with his size, speed, and explosion.

LB K’Vaughan Pope

6-2 211 | 4.72 40 | 4.41 SH | 36.5′ PB | 35.4″ VJ | 98.40 SPARQ

Pope visited Ohio State earlier in the month. The Buckeyes are watching him closely.

TE Jeremy Ruckert

6-5.5 230 | 4.76 40 | 4.46 SH | 44.0′ PB | 35.1″ VJ | 114.27 SPARQ

Ruckert is Ohio State’s top tight end target, and with his measurables you can see why.

DT Nesta Silvera

6-1 313 | 5.55 40 | 5.27 SH | 37.0′ PB | 23.9″ VJ | 72.33 SPARQ

Silvera is currently committed to Miami, but the Buckeyes are very interested

WR L’Christian Smith

NA

Smith is a big receiver (6-5 215), so it will be interesting to see how his speed measures up. He will be committing in July. The Buckeyes are sitting pretty.

DE Tyreke Smith

6-3.5 252 | 5.0 40 | 4.65 SH | 41.0′ PB | 31.6″ VJ | 98.55 SPARQ

Don’t be surprised if Smith is one of the more talked about defensive linemen at this event. He’s had a very good spring and is looking to follow that up with an even better summer.

CB Patrick Surtain

NA

The Buckeyes are on the outside looking in for the 5-star Surtain, but that doesn’t mean they’re gonna stop any time soon.

LB Solomon Tuliaupupu

6-2 211 | NA 40 | 4.61 SH | 35.0′ PB | 28.0″ VJ | NA SPARQ

Tuliaupupu is one of the top inside linebackers in the nation. He’s going to be tough to pull out of California. He did make a visit to Ohio State in the spring, however.

WR Al’Vonte Woodard

6-1 193 | 4.61 40 | 4.25 SH | 33.0′ PB | 32.2″ VJ | 92.70 SPARQ

Ohio State made the top five for Woodard back in May, but most expect him to be a Longhorn.

The Opening Roster