2014 coverage of The Opening/Elite 11, the country’s biggest recruiting event

One of the top defensive line prospects in the nation is off the board. Five-star 2015 defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie committed to Tennessee on Thursday night, choosing the Volunteers over fellow finalist Arizona. McKenzie made his decision at The Opening.

The 6’4, 341-pound prospect attends Concord (Calif.) Clayton Valley High School. He also received offers from Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and USC, among others. McKenzie is rated as the 32nd-best player nationally by the 247sports composite, as well as the seventh-best defensive tackle in the nation and the seventh-best prospect in the state of California.

The Opening is wrapping up in Oregon, and the event’s top performers have earned some recognition.

Four-star Alabama quarterback commit Blake Barnett won the Elite 11 MVP. Five-star Apopka (Fla.) prospect Martez Ivey won the offensive line MVP, while five-star Clayton Valley (Calif.) recruit Kahlil McKenzie won the defensive line MVP. Three-star North Carolina commit Tommy Hatton won the one-on-one offensive line MVP.

Four-star Clemson commit Deon Cain continues to stand out at The Opening. He’s listed by some recruiting services as a potential dual-threat quarterback, but he made his case as a wide receiver Thursday by catching this game-tying touchdown pass from Texas A&M commit Kyler Murray.

Vapor Carbon is facing off against Land Sharks in a tightly contested 7-on-7 game, but Ricky Town just changed the balance a bit. The five-star USC commit connected with four-star athlete Donte Jackson for the leading score.

Jackson is being pursued by Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Florida State and Texas A&M, among others.

Every year Nike’s “The Opening” brings out almost all of the top high school seniors in the nation, in addition to a few elite juniors. Tuesday, top offensive linemen and defensive linemen took center stage in one-on-one drills.

Some of the most impressive performers on the offensive side of the ball were Powder Springs (GA) McEachern OT Chuma Edoga (USC commit) and Apopka (FL) OT Martez Ivey. On defense, Concord (CA) Clayton Valley DT Kahlil McKenzie, Seffner (FL) Armwood DE Byron Cowart, Gladewater (TX) DT Daylon Mack (Texas A&M commit), and junior Scotch Plains (NJ) Fanwood DT Rashan Gary were a few of the most impressive players.

There is no clear-cut No. 1 receiver recruit in the country for the class of 2015, but there are plenty at Nike’s The Opening trying to claim that title. One such player is Calvin Ridley, the Alabama commitment from Pompano Beach (Fla.) Monarch. On Tuesday, Ridley made a fantastic grab with one hand during the 1-on-1 portion of the event.