Alabama Crimson Tide

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Nike Football Training Camp circuit stayed in the southeast on Sunday, stopping at the Memphis University School for an event that, to the surprise of no one, featured solid line play. No doubt, it’s a staple in this part of the country. In fact, coaches praised the participants for play as strong in the trenches as they’ve seen at any Nike camp this spring.

Mitch Sherman of Recruiting Nation attended the event. Here’s what he learned:

Youth has been served

While a strong contingent of upperclassmen dominated the positional MVP honors, a few 14- and 15-year-old prospects shared time in the spotlight. Notably, linebacker Dylan Moses of Baton Rouge, La., showed no hesitation in facing players four years his senior. Moses, an eighth-grader set to begin high school at LSU Laboratory School in the fall, added an offer on Saturday from Ole Miss to a list that already featured Alabama and LSU. Running back Gabe Angel, a freshman at Lebanon (Tenn.) Wilson Central, performed well on Sunday after recently adding Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Tennessee to a Mississippi State offer he received last year. Another 2016 prospect, receiver Harry Ballard of Florissant (Mo.) McCluer North, showed well, too.

Ole Miss is surging

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BUFORD, Ga. -- With a decision possibly right around the corner, ESPN Watch List tight end Jeb Blazevich (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) took another visit Friday to the University of Alabama, his third trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and first since the Mississippi State game last fall.

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It's no surprise that tight end O.J. Howard (Prattville, Ala./Autauga Academy) performed well at The Opening. The No. 46 overall player in the country has the size and athleticism at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds to blow people away in that type of setting.

While he wasn't a finalist for the SPARQ National Championship, Howard instantly became a an integral part of his 7-on-7 team, the Land Sharks. He became a main target of Michigan quarterback commit Shane Morris (Warren, Mich./De La Salle) right from the get-go.

"Right away he made a great catch in the first game," Morris said. "From then on I knew he was the real deal, so I involved him a lot."

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The nation’s elite high school football prospects have arrived in Oregon for The Opening, but for a select few, it’s a return trip to the premier camp in America.

University of Alabama running back commitment Altee Tenpenny and fellow Crimson Tide targets Derrick Henry and Laremy Tunsil were the only three underclassmen to compete at last year’s camp. The trio is back this year with something to prove.

“It was a great experience,” Tenpenny said. “Going into this year, I feel like last year’s experience will help me out there. I know how everything is going to go.”

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TIGARD, Ore. -- Want to know how important The Opening is to ESPN 150 running back Derrick Green? So important that the Richmond (Va.) Hermitage High School standout was in the weight room at the players’ host hotel Wednesday afternoon -- a full day before the event officially kicks off.

Green, the nation’s No. 6 running back and No. 58 overall player in the 2013 class, was the first player to check into the host hotel on Wednesday, and he is entering Thursday’s action with the goal of leaving Oregon as the top running back. Since the Nike Football Training Camp in Baltimore in May, Green has lost 20 pounds and is now 6 foot and 215 pounds.

“[The Opening] is definitely a blessing, and I’m taking it seriously,” said Green, who was 5-11 and 235 pounds in Baltimore. “I’ve been getting ready and getting my mind focused on going out and winning.

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It might not have come as much of a surprise, but Yulee, Fla., athlete Derrick Henry announced the University of Alabama as his leader on Monday via Twitter. The ESPN 150 star was relieved to finally get it out there.

“I just wanted to get it out of the way,” Henry said. “A lot of people have been thinking it, and a lot of people have been asking me about it, so I just wanted to get it out of the way and let everybody know. Now people can stop wondering and asking me.”

Last month, Henry decommitted from the University of Georgia after a visit to Tuscaloosa -- and it was that trip that has put the Crimson Tide on top.

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