What we learned at The Opening 2016

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- The Opening 2016 is in the books. Auburn, LSU, Florida State Oregon, Notre Dame and Georgia all landed commitments and players bolstered their standing as some the best football prospects in the country.

There was plenty of news as well. Here are the biggest developments from the week, what it means for where the players will sign and what our scouts think about what the players can do.

No. 1 Trey Smith will commit to ...

Trey Smith, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country narrowed his list of schools down to six, which included Ohio State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Clemson and Notre Dame. Smith said he won't be making a decision until December, but getting his list cut down to six is a big step towards that final commitment.

Ole Miss was the first school to offer the big offensive lineman from Jackson, Tennessee, and that has always stuck with him. Tennessee is the home team and Alabama seems to have been making a push with him, so this could go a few different directions.

It's still early, but the Rebels very well could win this battle in the end. His visits during the season could change that, but having the emotional tie of being the first to offer might be difficult to overcome. -- Tom VanHaaren

Prediction: Ole Miss

Scout's take: A decision is not imminent, but if Ole Miss can land the five-star OT it would continue an impressive run for the Rebels at this key and premium position. With a commitment from Smith, it would mark the third time since the 2013 class that they have managed to sign the nation's top-ranked offensive tackle. Like Laremy Tunsil in 2013 and more recently Greg Little, Smith is a prospect with great measureables for the tackle position with his height and length. He is flexible and light on his feet and has the tools to protect the edge which is vital in a conference that has fielded some great pass rushers. The SEC west alone this season will feature some of the nation's best pass rushers with players like Alabama's Tim Williams, Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, Auburn's Carl Lawson and LSU's Arden Key, so to be able to bring in prospects with the talent of a Smith at the tackle position can go a long way in trying to counter and contain some of the most disruptive edge-rushers they could face on any given Saturday. Smith is not quite as big physically as Tunsil and Little at the same stage, but he is a physical and tenacious player that will head into college a stronger run blocker than both those former five-stars. With six teams still in the mix, nothing is certain, but if Ole Miss can follow up the signing of Little with Smith that would give that offensive line potentially the best pair of bookend tackles in the nation for a few seasons. -- Craig Haubert

Can USC steal the top defensive tackle?

USC made the top-10 list for Marvin Wilson when he released that group in early June. The Trojans were listed alongside Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA. Wilson said recently that he will take an unofficial visit to USC later this month and then the Trojans will "probably get an official" visit from him.

USC's previous two coaches, Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, were known for their recruiting prowess, but that's an area where new head coach Clay Helton was a bit of an unknown. He did a terrific job in closing the 2016 class after a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance but an otherwise tumultuous season, but the highest ranked player in the class was defensive end Oluwole Betiku, at No. 59. Now, the Trojans are in the mix for the Nos. 4, 7 and 9 prospects, as Alabama commits, running back Najee Harris and offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood have taken unofficial visits to USC this summer and Leatherwood said he will be back on an official. Obviously the Trojans aren't the favorites to sign any of those three at this point, but it speaks volumes that Helton has helped get them into the conversation, and new defensive line coach Kenechi Udeze has an opportunity to make a huge splash if he can help reel in Wilson.

While schools closer to his Houston home, especially LSU, still likely have to be considered the favorites to land the nation's No. 7 prospect and No. 1 defensive tackle, it speaks volumes that the Trojans are in the running and according to Wilson, one of two programs "making a push lately" for him. -- Erik McKinney

Prediction: LSU

Scout's take: It's still a bit of an extensive list of schools in the mix for Wilson, but wherever he lands programs can find a way to make him fit as there is always a need for impact defensive tackles. If LSU should ultimately win out that would not be a shock as the Tigers have a proven track record of success in the Houston area. Massive, powerful and with good initial quickness, Wilson has the tools to be a handful at nose tackle in new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's system. The potential addition of Wilson could also result in an embarrassment of riches for the Tigers in the defensive trenches, as Wilson, along with 2016 signees Edwin Alexander and Rashard Lawrence and current 2017 commit and No. 2 DT Tyler Shelvin would give them a talented and deep group of big men to rotate. If USC should pull what could be considered an upset at that stage, Wilson could fit similarly well in Trojans DC Clancy Pendergast scheme. The No. 1 DT performed like a five-star at the Opening and whether he lands at either of these two schools or one of the other top eight, he can be a valuable and disruptive addition to a programs D-Line unit. -- Haubert

OU lands best class in five years

One of the biggest lessons learned from The Opening is that Bob Stoops has already assembled one heck of a recruiting class. The Sooners had eight of their commitments playing in the event, highlighted by 10th-ranked receiver Jalen Reagor and top-10 cornerback Justin Broiles. By the end of The Opening almost every single OU pledge made an impact in some fashion, further proving the Sooners' No. 6 class ranking is no fluke.

"We knew we were one of the best classes in the country, but the way we played as a group against the talent here at The Opening proved to any haters we're for real," Reagor said. "We've already built a special bond together, but after this week, we're even more confident that this isn't just a good OU recruiting class -- it's a special class."

Giving more belief to Reagor's statement was the play of Sooners quarterback commitment Chris Robison and tight end pledge Grant Calcaterra.

Both were excellent in seven-on-seven pool play with Robinson getting compliments from camp counselors for his poise in the pocket and good decision making. Calcaterra caught absolutely everything thrown in his direction, and his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame created some tough matchup problems for defensive backs that OU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will surely love to utilize when he arrives in Norman.

Yes, there is still quite a ways until signing day, but led by players that starred at The Opening, Stoops will add even more depth and star power to sign a top-10 class and his best group in long time. -- Jeremy Crabtree

Prediction: Oklahoma finishes with a top-10 clsss.

Scout's take: The Sooners are building nicely off a successful 2015 season, assembling a class that has been around the top five nationally this entire cycle. The strong recruiting starts at home with commitments from the state of Oklahoma's top three prospects, all of which rank in the ESPN 300. Not surprisingly, the Sooners are also doing well in Texas with six commits from the Lone Star State including three among the ESPN 300. The class includes top-10 dual threat QB Chris Robison, who can fit well in OC Lincoln Riley's air raid attack, but is little more of a developmental prospect physically. With the transfer of former five-star Kyler Murray, Robison should be able to get some time to develop and offer some needed depth at the position once he arrives. With the departures of Sterling Shepard and Durron Neal, as well DeDe Westbrook nearing the end of his eligibility, the Sooners are looking to bring in some more talent and depth at receiver. Top-10 WR Jalen Reagor leads this class and is a speedy target with big play potential and four-star Charleston Rambo needs to fill out his lanky frame, but has good height, ball skills and body control. A potential big weapon in the Sooners passing attack in this class is Grant Calcaterra, an ESPN 300 TE-H that possesses nice length, great hands and body control and has the size, speed and toughness to create match-up problems in the passing game. Defensively Oklahoma returns good depth in the secondary this season, but with a need to reload in the backend quickly approaching, they have done a very nice job of landing talented corners with commitments from Justin Broiles, Tre Brown and Trajan Bandy, all of which rank among the top twenty-five at the CB position. Signing day is still quite a ways away, but thus far Oklahoma has done a very nice job of landing talent and addressing needs. -- Haubert

Michigan's southern recruiting pays off

Nico Collins, the No. 152 player in the ESPN 300, has been high on Michigan's target list for quite some time and the courting process has been gaining momentum for the Wolverines.

Despite the fact Collins is from Alabama and is one of the more sought-after prospects in the south, Michigan has made a lot of headway in his recruitment. It didn't hurt that Michigan quarterback commit Dylan McCaffrey spent time with Collins at The Opening and was vocal about recruiting him.

Collins was on the same 7-on-7 team as McCaffrey and a few of the other Michigan commitments, so they had the chance to bond and build that relationship even further.

Alabama will fight hard to keep Collins home, but this recruitment could end well for Michigan. -- VanHaaren

Prediction: Michigan

Scout's take: Michigan, under Jim Harbaugh, has cast a wide net and shown a broad appeal, illustrated by their current top-five class that includes commitments from ten different states as well as Canada. If the Wolverines can pluck Collins out of Alabama that would be a huge addition to this class as he can come in and provide big play potential. The tall and rangy ESPN 300 prospect can present a mammoth target and create nightmare one-on-one matchups on fades, red zone shots and underneath slants and crossing routes. He needs to continue to develop his frame, but with Michigan poised to lose two good sized targets after this season in Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh, the lengthy Collins could come in and quickly work his way into the mix at the receiver. -- Haubert