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Oklahoma football: Nation’s biggest recruiting camp features future Sooners

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 02: Oklahoma Sooners helmet on the field before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated UTEP 56-7. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption ***
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 02: Oklahoma Sooners helmet on the field before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated UTEP 56-7. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption *** /
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This weekend marks the start of Nike’s The Opening Finals, billed as the biggest camp of its kind for college football recruits, and Oklahoma football is a major player in this year’s camp.

The event, which runs from June 30 to July 3 is being held this year at The Star, the headquarters complex of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, in Frisco, Texas. In previous year’s, the annual Nike recruiting camp has been held in Eugene, Oregon, headquarters of Nike, but it has been moved to the Southwest this year.

ESPN reports that 162 of the top high school football players in the country are participating in The Opening this year, including seven recruiting commitments for Oklahoma. The Sooners are reported to have the largest contingent of prospects participating in the camp. Seven Oklahoma commitments are taking part.

Oklahoma Sooners Football
Oklahoma Sooners Football /

Oklahoma Sooners Football

The four-day event is set up similar to the NFL Combine. Each prospect will participate in drills and one-on-one competition. One of the highlights of the camp is a seven-on-seven tournament with the participants split up into six teams.

The No. 1 ranked quarterback recruit attending the camp is Oklahoma commit Spencer Rattler, who is rated No. 22 overall in the 2019 class by ESPN. Rattler will be joined at The Opening by several of the future Sooners he will be throwing passes to at Oklahoma. These include tight-end recruit Austin Stogner and highly regarded wide receivers Theo Wease Jr., Arjei Henderson and Trejan Bridges.

Reigning national champion Alabama has the next most recruits taking part with six, and LSU has five.

ESPN currently ranks Oklahoma No. 3 in the 2019 recruiting team rankings with 13 commitments.

All 11 of ESPN’s five-star recruits are expected to be in attendance at the 2018 edition of The Opening, and that includes the No. 1 overall prospect, Kayvon Thibodeaux, a defensive end from California. Thibodeaux is still uncommitted and had included Oklahoma among his original considerations.

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