re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

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Alpha Dog

WR/DB Devon Williams — The Lancaster (Calif.) Antelope Valley Top100 recruit is listed as a wide receiver, but there is very little he can’t do on a football field. That was very much on display Sunday. The nation’s No. 83 overall player per the 247Sports Composite rankings racked up double-digit catches, a touchdown, and multiple big plays. However, he didn’t just perform well on offense. Williams also played defense and snagged an interception. On Sunday, the 6-4, 200-pounder showed exactly why Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, USC and many others are heavily in pursuit.

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Next 5 Standouts

ATH Bryan Addison — The Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star athlete turned plenty of heads on Sunday. Addison, who holds offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, UCLA, USC and many others, notched three pass breakups and snagged an interception on the day. Addison got his hands on a second ball, but failed to haul it in. All in all, the nation’s No. 8 athlete per the 247Sports Composite rankings had a strong day.

DB Isaac Taylor-Stuart — The San Diego (Calif.) St. Augustine four-star recruit has ridiculous speed and he showed that often on day four. He looked like a shutdown defensive back on Sunday, which clearly kept quarterbacks from challenging him throughout the day. In fact, signal-callers actually chose to attack four-star LSU cornerback commit Kelvin Joseph much more. However, when they did go at Taylor-Stuart, things didn’t go well for the quarterbacks. The nation’s No. 17 overall player per 247Sports had two pass breakups and an interception on the day.

LB Merlin Robertson — The Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star linebacker got it done on Sunday. The country’s No. 9 outside linebacker per the 247Sports Composite rankings racked up four pass breakups and an interception on Sunday. Robertson showed range, aggressiveness and impressive coverage skills. Cal, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, USC and UCLA have all offered.

WR Jalen Hall — The Long Beach (Calif.) Poly five-star wide receiver did a very good job of getting open on Sunday. Hall worked on the outside, as well as the inside, and grabbed seven catches on the day.

OL Justin Dedich — The Temecula (Calif.) Chaparral four-star offensive lineman had a strong day. He showed good leverage, physicality and did well during offensive line-defensive line reps. “He was stronger for longer” and did a great job of outlasting his opponents, according to 247Sports director of scouting Barton Simmons.

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BEAVERTON, Ore. — Sunday featured 7on7 pool play at The Opening Finals. This was the first best test for the quarterbacks of the week, and considered the most important measuring stick of the event.

While this is a very talented group of signal callers, there were a small group of quarterbacks that started to separate from the pack while facing a live defense. This is where things stand today.

Team Records

Alpha Menace 2-1 (Matt Corral, Dorian Thompson-Robinson)

Mach Speed 2-1 (Cammon Cooper, Justin Fields)

Vapor Speed 3-1 (Devin Leary, Justin Rogers)

Savage Pro 2-2 (Trevor Lawrence, Jarren Williams)

Untouchable 1-2-1 (Tanner McKee, Tyler Shough)

Lunar Beast 0-3-1 (Jake Tuttle, Quincy Patterson)

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11. Jack Tuttle - Lunar Beast

Utah commit Jack Tuttle struggled to find a rhythm on Sunday while being picked off five times, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Tuttle did toss a pair of touchdown passes while completing 60-percent of his passes, but he was unable to lead his team to a victory.

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9. Matt Corral - Alpha Menace

Long Beach (Calif.) Poly five-star quarterback Matt Corral’s 55-percent completion percentage was the lowest of all the quarterbacks that competed in pool play. The strong-armed signal caller was unable to quickly go through his progressions. A few of his late throws let to pass breaks ups, while one let to an interception. Corral totaled three touchdowns and two interceptions.

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Four-star tight end Glenn Beal is a top target for LSU in 2018 and the Tigers made his top six that he recently unveiled.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder from River Ridge (La.) John Curtis is ranked the No. 10 tight end in the country with 247Sports and is No. 13 overall in the state.

Beal recently attended the LSU Elite Camp in June and the Tigers are still the favorite to land the four-star tight end.

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BEAVERTON, Ore. — A few from Big Ten country really impressed on Sunday during The Opening Finals.

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NEXT 3 STANDOUTS

Penn State receiver commit Justin Shorter also continued to make a case for his fifth star with eight receptions and three touchdowns on the day. Arguably the top downfield threat in the tournament with his combination of size and speed, Shorter also showed his prowess in the red zone defeating Houston Griffith on a 1-on-1 ball for a score.

Michigan center commit Emil Ekiyor flashed athletically in offensive line drills and come the competition portion showed he can bang with the very best. He defeated Ohio State five-star defensive tackle commit Taron Vincent in a run blocking 1-on-1 drill and impressed overall with his strength and feet at the point of attack. The 247Sports Composite ranks Ekiyor as the nation’s No. 4 offensive guard but he moves to center as a senior this fall.

Ohio State recruited Jaelen Gill to play the Curtis Samuel role and at The Opening he's showing he's capable. Ranked by 247Sports as the nation's No. 1 all-purpose back, Gill proved why. He had a 20-yard touchdown run, and a 21-yard scoring reception. He was among his team's leader in receptions and he's got make-you-miss ability with the ball in his hands.

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