UGA targets on Day 3 at The Opening
Big-time UGA target Kyle Davis wowed everyone at the Opening. (Michael Carvell / AJC)
Kyle Davis stayed open at The Opening. 5-star UGA commitment Jacob Eason finished xth in the Elite 11 race. A trio of Archer teammates came back among the most highly-rated players at Nike's all-star combine and 7-on-7 derby in Oregon.
That’s the 20-second synopsis, but let’s put our red-and-black glasses on and see what all went down on the final day of The Opening.
7 TAKEAWAYS FROM FRIDAY’S FINAL DAY OF THE OPENING
1. GOT OPEN? MORE LIKE STAYED OPEN — Big-time UGA target Kyle Davis boosted his national stock considerably by earning MVP honors at the all-star combine. So what if he measured in a thigh pad or two short of the 6-foot-2 mark.
There was this catch.
And there were plenty more of those to go around. That’s why he earned this.
2. The nation's No. 1 overall prospect did not disappoint — New Jersey DL Rashan Gary was named the 2015 Opening DL MVP.
He'll be in Athens for "Dawg Night" on July 18.
3. Lots of love for the Archer 3. Archer sent three of its players to the Opening. Each one of them came back with some hardware naming them one of the elite at the event. OL E.J. Price was one of the Final 5 OLs. CB Jaymest Williams was a DB MVP.
Davis took home the overall MVP.
Price de-committed from UGA last month, but still has the program as his No. 1. Williams is just a junior, but UGA made his initial Top 10. Davis is a big-time target.
4. Good but not great week for Eason — Eason had his moments, but the objective opinion was he didn't show all that he could do at The Opening this week. The general consensus among media members at the event was that he was among the Top 4-5 passers in Oregon this week.
Ole Miss commit Shea Patterson took home the Elite 11 MVP honors among that prestigious event. The head-scratching part was watching Texas QB commit Steve Buechele grab all the reps for the FlyRush team during the 7-on-7 tournament and leave the Eason crowd anxious for him to get another series or two.
Still, he showed in this clip what he’s capable of against an elite secondary.
5. More love for Mesho — UGA ATH target Mecole Hardman, Jr. (@iiam_Mesho) continues to impress on both sides of the ball. He was a member of the Lunarbeast team which took home the 7-on-7 tournament championship.
He made contributions as both a receiver and a defensive back and made the National Top 10 in SPARQ testing earlier in the week.
6. UGA target Nigel Warrior also makes the All-Tournament team. He started out his week with five early interceptions and major DB target Nigel Warrior wound up on the All-Tournament team, too.
Warrior also recently visited UGA for the first time in more than a year.
7. Big-time DE heading to UGA for "Dawg" Night as well — Four-star DE Brian Burns told 247sports.com's Ryan Bartow that UGA is in his Top 3 along with FSU and LSU. He's also on his way to Dawg Night on July 18.
Does UGA have a shot? Well, current UGA linebacker Leonard Floyd isn't long for Athens after this year and Burns also hails from the same high school which produced current players Sony Michel and Isaiah McKenzie.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.
