Recruiting Radar: Canes Commits and Targets at The Opening

In case you don't regularly follow recruiting, arguably the biggest recruiting event of the year, Nike's The Opening is set to take place this week. Located at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR.

With such a prestigious event slated to take place, let's look at the Canes commits and targets who will be competing this week.

Canes commits

There are only 2 Miami-committed players who got invited to The Opening this year, but they're damn good players.

WR Sam Bruce (5'8", 180lbs), St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

The marquee player in the #Swag16 class, Bruce is an electric receiver who is a nightmare for defenders to cover. Like Braxton Berrios did in his year at The Opening, look for Bruce to make plays early and often in the 7-on-7 competition. Bruce will be working with some talented QBs on Team Super Bad (4-stars Feleipe Franks, Dwayne Haskins, and Brandon McIlwain), so there should be plenty of opportunities for him to make plays.

RB Travis Homer (5'11", 195lbs), Oxbridge Academy, West Palm Beach, FL

Homer has seen his recruiting profile skyrocket over the course of this offseason. He announced his presence with a very strong showing at The Opening's Miami Regional, where he scored a top 5 Sparq score (after being 1st for more than a month, Homer now sits 4th nationally in this athletic metric), and hasn't looked back since.

Homer will be participating in the Sparq national championship competition, as well as the team events, such as 7-on-7. Homer and Bruce will share the field for Team Super Bad, and hopefully they will begin a successful partnership and on-field synergy.

Uncommitted Targets

Technically, I could list just about every uncommitted player who will be attending The Opening in this section. This is an elite event and the players on hand are the cream of the crop for this, and the next, recruiting cycle. But, let's keep it to the realm of reality and list the players who Miami has had contact with through this cycle. And, since I never do, I won't be discussing players committed to schools other than Miami. (That means no Jamel Cook, etc, so don't ask me)

WR Binjimen Victor (6'4" 170lbs), Coconut Creek HS, Coconut Creek, FL

Victor is arguably the best WR prospect in this recruiting class. He's a local kid who Miami has been in constant contact with him for more than a year. Victor was thought to be very close to committing to UF back in June, but has postponed his announcement indefinitely. This seems to me that Victor will wait until January at an All-American game to announce his collegiate destination, or, more likely, until National Signing Day.

CB Trayvon Mullen (6'2", 175lbs), Coconut Creek HS, Coconut Creek, FL

Mullen, who plays his HS football with the aforementioned Victor, is a smooth technician at the CB spot. He has very good length at 6'2", and the fluid hips that you like to see in a coverage player. What he lacks, however, is size. He is a player that Miami would love to add to this class, but it seems unlikely at this juncture.

LB Devin Bush Jr. (6'2", 220lbs), Flanagan HS, Pembroke Pines, FL

Yes, another South Florida player. Bush Jr. is an FSU legacy (his father, who is also his HS coach, played there, before playing in the NFL), and has been heavily linked with Michigan, a team that has obtained commitments from several of the younger Bush's teammates. With 3 LBs committed in this class, Bush isn't a pressing need for Miami, but he would be a wonderful bonus.

ATH Mecole Hardman (5'11", 173lbs), Elbert County HS, Elberton, GA

Hardman is an electric athlete who has been turning heads all offseason long. He's been a standout player at every single event in which he's participated, whether it was a team event like 7-on-7 or an individual event like the Rivals 5-star challenge or Nike's Atlanta regional for The Opening. Hardman could excel on either side of the ball, but has been mainly playing on offense through the camp season. Georgia and Tennessee are thought to be his leaders at current.

DE Brian Burns (6'5", 212lbs), American Heritage School, Plantation, FL

Burns is a tall, thin, athletic defensive end who should excel in The Opening's shorts and t-shirt style of event. He may, however, struggle in the padded portion of the lineman's challenge. Burns has a lightning quick first step, but he lacks size and strength to deal with top OL once/if they get their hands on him. This week's event will be a good way to see if he's developed moves and advanced hand work recently. Burns attends a school where Miami has had struggles getting top talent from in recent years, but his Crystal Ball read 100% for the Canes at the time of publishing.

Other names to watch: DT Rashard Lawrence (arguably the #1 player in America, low chance, but still...), OL Brett Heggie, WR Darnell Salomon, DB Deontay Anderson.

The TV schedule for The Opening is as follows:

• July 9: Seven-on-seven games. 8. p.m. ET, ESPNU and Watch ESPN
• July 10: Seven-on-seven semifinals/championship and Lineman Challenge finals. 1 and 8. p.m. ET, ESPNU and Watch ESPN

Go Canes!!