Matt Varga With Nike comes a focus on the athlete, and with the athlete comes competition. Filling out an event calendar that already includes the recently introduced “The One” tournament in basketball, Nike is dusting off “The Opening” competition as it wades back into the realm of high school football.
First launched in 2011, the program functions almost as a combine circuit. Invitees will participate in testing like the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, and vertical jump, while additionally getting to flex their skills in position drills, one-on-one matchups, and seven-on-seven exhibitions. Beyond getting to test their mettle in front of scouting sites, Nike promises a national spotlight and NIL branding opportunities to those in attendance. For extra motivation, next-gen gridiron creators like Deestroying and AJ Greene will join the Swoosh at each stop.
Though the opening of “The Opening” will no doubt attract eyes in Miami just before the Natty, the tour continues through LA in February; Indianapolis, Atlanta, and New Orleans in March; NYC in April; before closing in Dallas come May. In its previous iteration, stops at said pro stadiums usually came with cameos from each team’s roster of current NFL talent; those in attendance in NY in 2018 got sage advice from Odell Beckham Jr. as part of the experience. It’ll take being a top 100-ranked player in your region to even crack the list, and only 120 of the tour’s best will advance to the Finals in Oregon, a capper that takes place on the Nike Campus from June 24th to 26th.
Further, though the program has been on a multi-year hiatus since around the pandemic, peruse past years’ attendance lists for a murderers’ row of current pro talent; Xavier Thomas, Jaelan Phillips, Najee Harris, Patrick Surtain II, Chase Young, Trey Smith, and Tee Higgins are just a slice of the 2017 alums. In the roster of previous participants that Nike themselves cite, Surtain slides in alongside superstar talent like Saquon Barkley, Ja’Marr Chase, and Derrick Henry.
