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Final Wrap from The Opening

'Crootin

By Nick Polak
SB Nation Recruiting

Now that The Opening has wrapped up, I'm going to do a quick recap of all things Penn State Recruiting related that went on during the prospect bonanza in Beaverton, Oregon. The best that SB Nation has to offer in terms of recruiting coverage, Bud Elliott, Wescott Eberts, Peter Berkes, and many more, all did a ton of work writing up articles, performing interviews, etc. during this event, so for more great information on other recruits, head over to the SB Nation page.

Read More: The Opening 2013, Penn State Recruiting, National Recruiting

De'Andre Thompkins (WR), Penn State Commit

De'Andre had a great camp, and really turned a few heads with his performance. He caught a touchdown during the 7-on-7 tournament (Of course in a game that wasn't televised). He was consistently named as a standout performer, and certainly proved why. During the SPARQ testing, De'Andre churned out the following results...

40 Yard Dash: 4.46 seconds, Shuttle: 4.18 seconds, Powerball: 30 feet, Vertical: 30 inches, SPARQ Rating: 97.86

These results were good enough to place De'Andre 72nd in the overall SPARQ Standings. I was able to catch up with Thompkins for a quick interview about the camp, here's what he had to say...

How did it feel being able to work with, and compete with some of the best athletes in the country? Did you feel like it better prepared you for college ball?

I enjoyed my time there. I felt I stacked up very well, but still have a lot of stuff to work on.


Did you get a chance to hang out with Troy Vincent at all? Pretty insane that you guys finished right next to each other in the SPARQ ratings.

Yeah, [we] connected and hung out the whole time we were there. Haha, we busted out laughing when we saw we were right next to each other in the ratings, but we both aren't good testers.


Did you get a chance to talk to Thomas Holley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, or Montae Nicholson to do a little PSU recruiting?

Not just those guys, but we connected with a lot of recruits! We just sat with them and let them know what Penn State is looking for, and how it is changing its attitude.


What was the biggest thing you took away from the whole experience?

The biggest thing is probably that I don't match up size for size with some of the elite corners, so I have to work even harder on my technique and route running to make up for size and strength.


Troy Vincent, Jr. (CB), Penn State Commit

Troy had a great camp as well, finishing nearly identically to Thompkins in terms of SPARQ ratings. Both played on team #VaporCarbon for the 7-on-7 tournament, but were unfortunately unsuccessful in their efforts to bring home the crown. Troy's SPARQ testings results were as follows...

40 Yard Dash: 4.71 seconds, Shuttle: 4.08 seconds, Powerball: 34.5 feet, Vertical: 33.1 inches, SPARQ Rating: 98.61

Troy's testing results were good enough to place him in 71st overall.

Thomas Holley (DT), Penn State Target

Thomas Holley really turned some heads during The Opening, as he was frequently called one of the most impressive Defensive Linemen at the camp, which is especially scary considering how inexperienced he actually is playing football. He remains a high priority for Penn State, even with the commitment of Antoine White. Thomas was a part of team #LandSharks, and tested with the following numbers for his SPARQ rating...

40 Yard Dash: 5.19 seconds, Shuttle: 4.72 seconds, Powerball: 42.5 feet, Vertical: 24 inches, SPARQ Rating: 93.12

Despite not naming them in the video, Thomas still reportedly holds Penn State in very high regards. Read the original article about Holley from Chris Fuhrmeister, right here. And read more about the linemen play in general, with Patrick Vint and Bud Elliot, here.

Montae Nicholson (CB), Penn State Target

Montae's recruitment by Penn State has stayed consistent, as he names them one of the teams who has stayed in contact with him the most. He seems like he's planning on taking a while to make his decision, but something could happen to change his mind, as with any other recruit. Nicholson was a member of team #LandSharks with Holley for the 7-on-7, and tested the following for the SPARQ ratings...

40 Yard Dash: 4.6 seconds, Shuttle: 4.28 seconds, Powerball: 35 feet, Vertical: 34.3 inches, SPARQ Rating: 102.42

Hopefully we'll have an update on Montae's recruitment in the next Recruiting Roundup. Read the original article on Nicholson by good old Peter Berkes, right here.


Minkah Fitzpatrick (2015 CB), Penn State Target

Minkah was one of the very few 2015 recruits that was invited to The Opening, and he certainly did not disappoint with his performance. He was a member of team #FieldGenerals, who eventually took home the 7-on-7 crown.

Minkah was a notable performer during the whole camp, especially considering his slightly younger age. He would be quite a coup if O'Brien and the staff are able to pull him in. Fitzpatrick tested with the following results for the SPARQ Ratings...

40 Yard Dash: 4.67 seconds, Shuttle: 4.05 seconds, Powerball: 34 feet, Vertical: 37.4, SPARQ Rating: 106.26

Fitzpatrick appears to be one of the main priorities for the 2015 class to this point, so go ahead and #DoWorkBOB.

In case you missed them any of the other times I posted them, here are some links to get caught up with everything that happened up in Oregon.

Full 7-on-7 Rosters, Full SPARQ Results, The Opening Coverage on SB Nation, The Opening Coverage on ESPN, Bud Elliot's Twitter Account, The Official Opening Twitter Account

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