The Opening Finals: Previewing The Summer’s Biggest Event

Matt Moreno June 25, 2026 Fact checked by: Staff No Comments

The Opening Finals will bring top high school prospects from across the country to Nike Headquarters in Oregon beginning June 25.

Back in January, Nike announced that its annual high school football competition would return after a six-year hiatus. The Opening Finals last took place in Los Angeles but will return to its Oregon roots this week. The three-day event will be highlighted by a 7-on-7 passing competition featuring 120 players from across the United States.

The group will be broken up into teams by region with an eventual champion being named Friday.

Corona-Centennial receiver Quentin Hale looks on while participating in The Opening Regionals in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2026.
Quentin Hale (Photo by Matt Moreno/TeamFB7)

Nike held regional events throughout the country over the course of the spring to determine the final teams. Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York City and Dallas all hosted events.

ESPN will stream Friday’s competition in Beaverton.

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Thursday’s action will include combine-like testing such as a 40-yard dash and position drills. There will also be one-on-one opportunities in addition to the 7-on-7 event.

Breaking Down The Rosters For The Opening Finals

The three-day event will prominently feature recruits from the 2027 class. However, top members of the 2028 class will also be on hand. Alongside the recent OT7 Finals in Los Angeles, The Opening Finals is arguably the top event of the summer.

This week’s event will also serve as the final showing for the Elite 11 finalists. An MVP following this month’s Elite 11 Finals will take place in Oregon.

Here is a rundown of the players expected to participate this week in Oregon. The teams are broken down into 20 players across six squads for the 7-on-7 event.

West

The West squad has plenty of talent featuring many of the top playmakers from across California. Top prospects from Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Washington also are part of the team. Los Angeles Regional MVPs Donte Wright and Quentin Hale will both represent the West team in Oregon. Wright was previously committed to Georgia but will now play at Miami in college. Hale has been a longtime USC commit. Wright was impressive earlier in June at the OT7 Finals.

The West has two strong quarterbacks led by Brady Edmunds who won the Los Angeles Regional Elite 11 MVP. Ryan Rakowski has been one of the better stories of the offseason. He was the last player invited to the Elite 11 Finals but ended up making the final group.

Cal, under first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi, has the most commits of any college on the West team with three players. Receiver Charles Davis III won the Under Armour Camp MVP this spring. He will be joined by future Bears Jaxsen Stokes and Kamil Loud for the West. Cal is a finalist for CB Hayden Stepp and in the mix for WR Eli Woodard as well.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
JuJu JohnsonCB2027CAUCLA
Donte WrightCB2027CAMiami
Brady EdmundsQB2027CAOhio State
Quentin HaleWR2027CAUSC
Kamil LoudCB2027NVCal
Hayden SteppCB2027NV
Charles Davis IIIWR2027CACal
Elijah CromwellRB2028CO
Hayden KooWR2028CA
Jordan HicksCB2028CA
Jalen FlowersS2028CA
Eli WoodardWR2027CA
Allen Kennett VLB2028CA
Brandon NashS2028CA
Landon MillerLB2028CA
Taven EppsLB2027CAOklahoma
Tytan McNealTE2028WA
Jaxsen StokesRB2027CACal
Ryan RakowskiQB2027CANevada
Jaden BaldwinWR2027AZPitt
high school football john meredith iii ot7 finals los angeles 2026
John Meredith III (Photo by Matt Moreno/TeamFB7)

Southwest

The Southwest squad is another stacked with talent led by over a dozen prospects from Texas. John Meredith III is a consensus top-five recruit. WR Easton Royal is considered a top-15 prospect by all the major rankings services. Throw in LSU-bound QB Peyton Houston, and the Southwest team has a chance to do some damage in Oregon. Houston shined during the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month in Los Angeles.

He will begin the week in pursuit of the MVP award that will be announced at the culmination of the event. Houston dominated the 7-on-7 tournament at the Elite 11 Finals, and should be in position to do the same in Oregon.

Texas and Texas Tech dominate the list of college programs represented by the Southwest team. The two programs have a combined seven commits on the squad.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
Easton RoyalWR2027LATexas
John Meredith IIICB2027TXTexas
Gabriel OsborneCB2027OKOklahoma
Peyton HoustonQB2027LALSU
Kavian BryantQB2027TXTexas Tech
Greedy James Jr.S2027TXTexas
Jaylen AddaiWR2028TX
Jerry Outhouse Jr.CB2027TXUCLA
Trenton YanceyWR2027TXPurdue
Julian CaldwellWR2027TXTexas Tech
Joshua VilmaelCB2027TXKansas State
Trey MartinRB2027LALSU
Jaden HurndonWR2028TX
Benny Easter Jr.WR2027TXTexas Tech
James Foster IIIS2028TX
Taelyn MayoCB2027TXOle Miss
SaRod BakerRB2027TXTexas Tech
Zane RoweTE2027TXOregon
Travion WashingtonLB2028MS
Braylon WilliamsLB2027TXSMU
Quarterback Trae Taylor III prepares to throw a pass during Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals in Manhattan Beach, California on May 29, 2026.
Trae Taylor III (Photo by Matt Moreno/TeamFB7)

Midwest

Trae Taylor III has been outstanding over the course of the month. He shined at the Elite 11 Finals and heads to The Opening Finals in line to earn the MVP award. The Midwest team doesn’t have as many high-end players as some of the other regions, but it can still be dangerous.

Taylor did not have any bad moments during his three days at the Elite 11 Finals, and was clearly the top performer. He again shined at the OT7 Finals with Cold Hearts with impressive throws that not many other QBs in the class can make. Kentucky commit Jake Nawrot is another QB who has performed well this offseason. The Midwest squad has arguably the best QB tandem of this week’s event.

Jamier Brown will be the top target for the quarterbacks during the 7-on-7 competition. The Ohio State commit is ranked as a five-star in the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Kentucky leads the way with three of its commits on the Midwest roster. Safety Tristin Hughes and LB Sean Fox join Nawrot on that list at The Opening Finals.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
Trae Taylor IIIQB2027NENebraska
Jamier BrownWR2027OHOhio State
Jake NawrotQB2027ILKentucky
Monsanna TorbertCB2027OH
Evan ViaCB2027MOStanford
Darrell MattisonCB2027ILOle Miss
Myson Johnson-CookRB2027ILAuburn
Deandre BiddenWR2028MI
Branden SharpeWR2027INIndiana
Jameer MilesLB2028IL
Ja’Hyde BrownWR2027KYLouisville
Jordan KarhoffTE2027OHVirginia Tech
Raheem FloydCB2027IL
Brayton FeisterATH2027OH
Jackson ParkerS2028CA
Sean FoxLB2027INKentucky
Camden NoeRB2028MI
Drake CoellnerS2028IN
Ronnie GomillerWR2027ILCincinnati
Tristin HughesS2027OHKentucky

South

The South squad will be in a unique position with members of three classes making up its roster. There will, of course, be players from the 2027 class on hand. However, the South will feature 2028 and 2029 prospects as well. Rising sophomores WR Maddox Porter and DB Captain Munnerlyn Jr. will be part of the fray in Oregon.

There will be plenty of emphasis on the quarterback play for the South squad during the 7-on-7 competition. Alabama-bound signal caller Elijah Haven looks the part of a high-level college quarterback already. His big 6-foot-5 frame allows him to make passes with plenty of power behind them. He was particularly impressive with his accuracy during the Elite 11 Finals.

Alongside the Louisiana native will be Clemson commit Kharim Hughley who was impressive as well earlier this month in LA. The Georgia native looks like a running back or linebacker with his 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame. Yet, his ability to make all the throws with accuracy and zip make him an intriguing quarterback prospect.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
Elijah HavenQB2027LAAlabama
Jermaine CobbinsCB2028TN
Isaac McNeilLB2027ALAuburn
Kesean BowmanWR2027TNTennessee
Jayden MilesRB2027LAFlorida State
Madoxx DavisATH2028GA
Tyler BoydCB2028GA
Adryan ColeS2027GA
Ar’Tavian “Bubba” BrownWR2028GA
Asa WallTE2028GAGeorgia
Kharim HughleyQB2027GAClemson
Trace WashingtonLB2027GA
Drew WilliamsLB2027GAKentucky
Brandon Allen Jr.CB2027GAMississippi State
Jordan ChristieWR2027GALiberty
Caden WayeRB2027GA
Kelvin MillingtonCB2027GA
Cedrick SimmonsWR2027AL
Maddox PorterWR2029TN
Captain Munnerlyn Jr.S2029AL
high school football elite 11 finals day 3 israel izzy abrams montini catholic 2026
Israel Abrams (Photo by Matt Moreno/TeamFB7)

Southeast

The Southeast squad features some of our favorite players to watch perform. That group is led by Miami quarterback commit Israel Abrams. The Illinois-based signal caller was impressive during his time at the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month. He has as much charisma as anyone in the class at the position, and he backs it up with his play.

We love his competitive fire, and his ability to make throws at all three levels stands out as well. As you would expect, there is plenty of talent on a team built on talent from the Southeast. Clemson commit Jamarin Simmons and uncommitted WR Osani Gayles (IMG Academy) will be two players to watch closely in the event. Gayles, in particular, is coming off a standout showing at the OT7 Finals in his native California. He was arguably the best receiver over the course of three days at that event for Raw Miami.

New Texas commit Neimann Lawrence is one of the 2028 recruits playing for the Southeast squad in Oregon. The American Heritage (Plantation, Florida) QB is a top-tier playmaker and will give the team a nice one-two punch at the quarterback position.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
Israel AbramsQB2027ILMiami
Jamarin SimmonsWR2027FLClemson
Neimann LawrenceQB2028FLTexas
Tae Walden Jr.CB2027TN
Ty KeysRB2027MSMiami
Amare PattersonWR2027SCNorth Carolina
Braylen BedfordS2028TN
Derrell HinesWR2028FL
Osani GaylesWR2027FL
Christian AlexanderRB2027MSMississippi State
Frederrick FordLB2027
Izayah VickersCB2028FL
Tripp KellerLB2027FLDuke
Jayvon DawsonEDGE2027FLMiami
Stanley Peters Jr.CB2027MS
Jaden CareyCB2027FLOhio State
Trae ProctorTE2027FLKentucky
Alan BlackshereS2027FL
Jyden GermanCB2027FLMinnesota
Kyren CaldwellWR2027FL
high school football larry moon iii sfe ot7 finals los angeles 2026
Larry Moon III (Photo by Matt Moreno/TeamFB7)

Northeast

The Northeast team has a group made up of a wide range of areas. However, there is plenty of talent among the squad heading into The Opening Finals. It starts at the top with the two quarterbacks on the team. Virginia Tech commit Peter Bourque and Missouri-bound signal caller Braylen Warren were two of the standouts at the Elite 11 Finals.

Bourque was particularly special at the event, and should be in the conversation for MVP. He shined on Day 2 winning both the accuracy challenge and pro day workout events in Los Angeles this moth. His ability to consistently make strong throws and remain out of trouble should help him in the 7-on-7 competition.

Georgia tight end commit Jaxon Dollar is an imposing player at 6-foot-3 and around 230 pounds. He was impressive to watch at the OT7 Finals playing with Raw Miami. Tight end can be a difficult position when it comes to 7-on-7, but he has all the tools to make an impact in The Opening Finals.

PLAYERPOSITIONCLASSSTATECOMMITTED TO
Jaxon DollarTE2027NCGeorgia
Peter BourqueQB2027MAVirginia Tech
Braylen WarrenQB2027NEMissouri
Phoenix EvansCB2028FL
Denario Girton Jr.S2028MD
Matthew GregoryWR2027PAUCLA
Braylon ClarkWR2028NC
David ForsterWR2028NJ
Tahj GrayLB2028NJ
Mikahi AllenLB2027NJ
Gabe JenkinsS2027PAColorado
Tahmere BrownRB2028NJ
JT GeraciTE2027NJTexas
Zachary GleasonCB2027PAWest Virginia
Kaleb WoselyCB2028PA
Jamar TaylorWR2027DERutgers
Chase GuersWR2027PA
Larry Moon IIIS2027PA
Rick Brown IIILB2027PAWest Virginia
Abdul TurayRB2027NJ

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